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An update (2012) to this post is available here: Lebanon Remains at the Bottom of Visa Free Travel Index

Henley and Partners (H&P), a global legal firm that deals with immigration, has compiled a list of passports that provide entry to countries without the need for visas and unsurprisingly, holders of Arab passports have limited access to visit countries without queuing at embassies:

A global list of countries, ranked according to the visa restrictions imposed on their citizens, revealed that the number of countries Arabs do not need visas to enter is quite limited…

According to the information, Lebanese passport holders have visa-free access to 32 countries and territories, up 5 from last year. Nevertheless, Lebanon features at the bottom of the Arab list just ahead of Iraq. Among the Arab passports “to have”, Kuwait would be your best with 71 countries.

HENLEY & PARTNERS VISA RESTRICTIONS INDEX: Top Arab Countries on the list:

  1. Kuwait -71
  2. Bahrain – 67
  3. Qatar – 66
  4. UAE – 64
  5. Oman – 61
  6. Saudi Arabia – 57
  7. Egypt – 43
  8. Jordan – 39
  9. Syria – 39
  10. Yemen – 38
  11. Iran – 34
  12. Lebanon – 32
  13. Iraq – 27

As for the worldwide view, British passports rank at the top with 166 countries and territories.

HENLEY & PARTNERS VISA RESTRICTIONS INDEX: Top 5 Countries on the list:

  1. United Kingdom – 166
  2. Denmark – 164
  3. Sweden – 163
  4. Finland – 162
  5. Luxembourg – 162

It would seem that Lebanese preference for US, Canadian and Australian passports may need to shift towards Scandinavian countries if they really want to freely travel the world.

Lebanese passport holders are free from visa in 32 countries and territories.

Lebanese passport holders are free from visa in 32 countries and territories.

Here’s a list of countries where Lebanese can visit without the need for a pre-approved visa:

  • Africa
    • Cape Verde
    • Comoros
    • Djibouti
    • Madagascar
    • Mozambique
    • Seychelles
    • Togo
    • Uganda
  • Americas
    • Bolivia
    • Dominica
    • Ecuador
    • Haiti
    • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Asia
    • Armenia
    • Azerbaijan
    • Bangladesh
    • Cambodia
    • Georgia
    • Jordan
    • Laos
    • Macau
    • Malaysia
    • Maldives
    • Nepal
    • Oman
    • Syria
    • Timor-Leste
  • Europe
    • Kosovo
    • Turkey
  • Oceania
    • Cook Islands
    • Federal States of Micronesia
    • Niue
    • Palau
    • Samoa
    • Tuvalu

Diplomatic passport holders can additionally visit Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela and Yemen. Though according to this list, there are 35, not 32 countries Lebanese can freely visit.