According to Russkaya Germaniya, among the new visa-free countries for German citizens are the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Two years ago, Kazakhstan announced visa-free stays of up to 15 days for German citizens.
Note that in several countries that require visas for German citizens, German passports are handled under special conditions. In dozens of countries, visas can be obtained upon arrival at the airport or ordered in advance online. Full visas are still required only for Russia, China, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and about a dozen other African and Asian countries.
Thanks to this extensive geography, the German passport has been ranked first for the second year in a row in the ranking of the most powerful passports compiled by the consulting firm Henley & Partners. In second place is Sweden, and third place is shared by Finland, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, whose passport traditionally topped the ranking just a few years ago.
The United States, along with Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark, ranks fourth. In the post-Soviet space, Latvia leads (13th place), followed by Lithuania and Estonia (both 14th place). Russia and Ukraine rank 48th and 58th, respectively.
Travelers with Syrian, Somali, Iraqi, Pakistani, and – worst of all – Afghan passports have the most difficulty traveling the world. For example, Afghan citizens can only travel visa-free to Haiti, and almost all countries apply the strictest criteria for issuing visas to them.