Sweden ’ s passport has been named the most powerful in the world , but it turns out it ’ s also one of the most highly sought-after travel documents on the black market . The latest research suggests Swedish passports are among the most frequently sold in underground trading , as there is no upper limit on the number of replacements available to the rightful holder . They can sell for as much as £6,000 each – far more than the £28 fee that Sweden ’ s government charges for new or renewed travel documents . Sweden 's passport was among the most frequently sold travel documents on the black market . The findings are contained in a new GoEuro infographic which ranks the world ’ s most powerful passports and takes a look at quirky facts . When placed under an ultraviolet light a Canadian passport displays colourful images on its pages , including the Parliament building in Ottawa . The Finnish passport displays a walking moose when the pages are flipped , while the cover of Belgium ’ s passports offer three different sequences of languages , starting with Dutch , French or German . Meanwhile , the British passport is also one of the most powerful travel documents on the planet , but it does n't come cheap . Britons have one of the most powerful passports in the world , allowing visa-free access to 174 countries . The study suggests that UK travellers are paying some of the highest passport costs in the world , with fees being far less in places such as Afghanistan , the United Arab Emirates , Czech Republic , China and Russia . Research by travel website GoEuro found that the British passport is the 11th most expensive of 51 countries included in the study , and it takes a worker earning minimum wage 11 hours to pay it off . The UAE has the most affordable passport at just £9 , while Turkey has the most expensive at £166 , said Berlin-based GoEuro . Based on its research the travel website named Sweden 's passport the most powerful in the world . It allows visa-free entry into 174 countries – the same as Finland , Germany , the UK and the US – but was ranked No 1 by the website due to its cost . Swedes pay just £28 for a passport , with GoEuro claiming that it takes only one hour for the average worker to pay it off . Sweden doesn ’ t have a legal minimum wage , and salaries are determined through collective bargaining . When cost is used as the deciding factor , the UK passport is the fourth most powerful in the world – behind Sweden , Finland and Germany – with a fee of £73 . In Liberia , it would take a worker earning minimum wage 278 hours to pay off the country 's £33 passport . And it appears travellers around the world would love to get their hands on a UK passport . In a recent poll 20 per cent of those surveyed said they would choose a UK passport if they could get an extra nationality in addition to their own , even though it is one of the most expensive in the world . It was followed by passports for the US ( 18 per cent ) , Switzerland ( 17 per cent ) , Germany ( 10 per cent ) and Canada and Australia with nine per cent each .
A British passport allows for visa - free access to 51 countries . That is expensive for the most , with Finland , Russia , Russia and the US . UK passport was 10th most expensive of 51 countries included in 2011 . The UAE , China , Russia and Czech Republic all pay less than the UK .