Russia and the UAE have signed a bilateral visa waiver agreement, which helped boost UAE's visa-free score to 155, placing it within the Top 10 Most Powerful Passports in the world.

Currently the 10th place is shared with Cyprus, as indicated by Passport Index' real-time global ranking of the world's passports.

Russia, currently at 115, won't see a change in its visa-free score from this agreement, as the UAE had already issued a visa-on-arrival for Russian passport holders.

The two power nations foresaw a positive impact from the agreement, including favorable conditions for the development of business mobility and increased tourism between both countries.

Over 750,000 Russians visited the UAE last year, contributing a total of $2.3 billion to the UAE economy. In light of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, it seems Russia is equally seeing exponential growth in tourism within their nation.

In 2017, the UAE announced a daring goal with the UAE Passport Force Initiative - position the country's passport on the list of the five most powerful passports in the world by 2021. At the time of the announcement, the UAE passport held a Visa-Free Score of 132, holding the rank as the GCC's most powerful passport.

By the end of May 2017, the UAE joined the list of the world's Top 20 powerful passports with a Visa-free Score of 147. Only two years away from their self-imposed deadline, they have joined the Top 10 and have not lost focus on the target.

Over the last decade, the UAE has seen immense growth in multiple sectors, including technology, education, finance, and infrastructure. Having gained the trust and respect of over 35 countries, the UAE's passport power has also mirrored that growth.
The UAE Passport Force Initiative projected the VFS to reach 137 in 2018, and have clearly exceeded their expectations.

How long do you think it will take for the UAE to complete their goal as the world's Top 5 Passports- and do they have a good chance at reaching the #1 position? Let us know what you think!