Before I start with the most powerful passports in the world, you have to be clear on the criterion that qualifies a passport as powerful. Its rather simple. A passport of the country is the permit that allows you legal entry into its jurisdiction. They are ranked according to their total visa-free score which in simple terms means that each country has a list of nations whose citizens are allowed entry into its area. The more the entry allowances from different nations without a visa, the more powerful its passport.The ranking is provided byHenley & Partners, a citizenship, and planning firm thattakes into account how many nations can be visited without applying for a visa. They use data collected from the International Air Transport Association. The latest research indicates the increase of visa-free travel in Asian countries, all thanks to the new visa-waiver agreements signed by governments since the beginning of this year.It turns out that Japan has trumped Germany to have the most powerful passport in the world, where holders are able to travel to as many as189 countries. Japanese citizens now can travel to a record 189 out of a possible 218 countries, due to the newly added Uzbekistan, while Germans can visit 188 and Britons 186. Coming in at second is another Asian country, Singapore that has access to 188 countries. The UK and US both remain in fourth place, with no new visa-waivers processed for these countries. Also sharing fourth place are Norway, Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal.South Korea shares third place with six EU member states - Sweden, Finland, Italy, Spain, Denmark, and France. The UAE has moved up the rankings to 21st, havinggained access to four new destinations since May. Despite gaining visa-free access to two new destinations, China has fallen one place to 69thon the index. Improved scores for countries such as Nauru, Belarus, and Indonesia, which sit directly above China, have made it difficult for the country to ascend the rankings.Here are the top ten most powerful passports in the world:

1. Japan- 189
2. Singapore,Germany- 188
3. Finland, France, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Sweden - 187
4. Austria, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, United States - 186
5. Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland - 185
6. Greece, Australia - 183
7. Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand - 182
8. Iceland- 181
9. Hungary, Slovenia, Malaysia - 180
10. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia - 179