WTF
Leila Kesserwani

General Security Rebuffs Report, Says Lebanon’s Passport is ‘Among Best’ in World

Everyone and their Lebanese mother was talking about a report released earlier this week that ranked Lebanon’s passports among the worst in the world when it comes to allowing its citizens to travel easily to other countries.

Lebanon’s General Security on Thursday bluntly rejected the report, and in a statement to Al-Markaziya news station, maintained the country’s passport is, in fact, “among the best in the world.”

The statement also apologized for the “mistranslated report that Henley & Partners produced.” The report had Lebanon tied with Kosovo, Sri Lanka and Sudan in its index rating of 219 destinations around the globe. A Lebanese passport holder can only visit 38 countries in the world without a visa, according to H&P.

“Some news stations incorrectly translated this report, calling Lebanon’s among the top ten worst passports in the world, which made a huge impact on Lebanon’s cultural image,” General Security said in its statement, adding, “And here’s why this is very dangerous and wrong: Lebanon’s passport is among the best in the world. Lebanon is actually heading toward using a biometric passport which will give its holders tons of benefits in terms of services. It will also resemble international standards for other passports.”

While biometric passports, also known as e-passports, make it easier for authorities to authenticate the identity of travelers, in no way do they guarantee entry into foreign countries requiring a visa.