Discover the 25 Best Passports for 2024

La firma Henley & Partners lanzó la versión más reciente de su Global Passport Index, listado de los mejores pasaportes del mundo (Foto: Freepik)

NOTE: This article was originally published October 25, 2019. We update it frequently to reflect changes in the Henley Global Passport Index.

How many doors can your passport open for you? Henley & Partners, a London multinational specialized in citizenship and residency issues, launched its 2023 Global Passport Index, an annual ranking of the best passports in the world. Each year, the firm bases its list on the number of destinations that each country’s passport allows to visit without a visa.

The nations of France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Singapore tied for first place as the world’s most powerful passports, with 194 authorized countries each. Finland, Sweden and South Korea came second with 193 countries. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands came in third with 192.

The Keys to the World

Every frequent traveler knows the importance of having a passport to visit destinations outside their country of residence. There are initiatives under development that could allow travel abroad without documentation while minimizing security risks. Until these are implemented, a passport is the top requirement for anyone who wishes to cross borders legally.

Also, an experienced tourist knows that in many cases their passport is not enough. Many nations require visas or other authorizations to cross their borders. Thanks to migratory agreements between nations, citizens of certain countries can travel to a large number of territories with just their passport.

What Makes a Good Passport?

This annual Henley & Partners study reveals that the level of development or supremacy projected by a global power is not enough to make their passport better or worse than any other. Above all else, good relations between countries weighs as much or more in that regard. This explains how Japan and Singapore outperformed other great nations such as Belgium, Canada, the United States, England and Switzerland.

The United States, for its part, ties with Canada, and Hungary in position 7 of the best passports with 188 countries, despite new entry requirements for North Americans in Brazil. No Latin American nation occupied any of the top 10 spots. Chile’s passport, the most powerful in the region, ranked fifteenth with 177 countries. Passports from Argentina and Brazil, the next most powerful in Latin America, ranked 16th (174 countries) and 17th (173 countries), respectively.. The Dominican Republic reached position 68 with 74 countries.

The 25 Best Passports in the World

These are the countries whose passports occupy the top 25 spots in the Global Passport Index (with number of nations authorized for visa-free travel):

  • France (194)
  • Germany (194)
  • Italy (194)
  • Japan (194)
  • Singapore (194)
  • Spain (194)
  • Finland (193)
  • South Korea (193)
  • Sweden (193)
  • Austria (192)
  • Denmark (192)
  • Ireland (192)
  • Netherlands (192)
  • Belgium (191)
  • Luxembourg (191)
  • Norway (191)
  • Portugal (191)
  • United Kingdom (191)
  • Greece (190)
  • Malta (190)
  • Switzerland (190)
  • Australia (189)
  • Czech Republic (189)
  • New Zealand (189)
  • Poland (189)
  • Canada (188)
  • Hungary (188)
  • United States (188)
  • Estonia (187)
  • Lithuania (187)
  • Latvia (186)
  • Slovakia (186)
  • Slovenia (186)
  • Iceland (185)
  • United Arab Emirates (183)
  • Cyprus (182)
  • Liechtenstein (182)
  • Malaysia (182)
  • Bulgaria (179)
  • Croatia (179)
  • Romania (179)
  • Monaco (178)
  • Chile (177)
  • Argentina (174)
  • Brazil (173)
  • San Marino (172)
  • Andorra (171)
  • Hong Kong (SAR China) (171)
  • Brunei (168)
  • Israel (1669
  • Barbados (165)
  • Mexico (161)
  • Bahamas (158)
  • St. Kitts and Nevis (157)
  • St. Vincent and the Grenadines (157)
  • Vatican City (157)

The 10 Least Powerful Passports in the World

Passports issued by the following nations have the fewest countries authorized for travel without a visa, according to the Index:

  • North Korea (42)
  • Libya (40)
  • Nepal (40)
  • Palestinian Territory (40)
  • Somalia (36)
  • Yemen (35)
  • Pakistan (34)
  • Iraq (31)
  • Syria (29)
  • Afghanistan (28)

About Henley & Partners and the Global Passport Index

The Global Passport Index collects the results obtained by the Henley & Partners research team, as well as exclusive data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), to determine the best passports in the world.

It is worth mentioning that the Global Passport Index puts countries that issue visas or electronic authorizations to all passengers at their port of entry in the same group as those without a visa requirement.

Other companies besides Henley & Partners manage their own passport rankings. For example, financial advisory firm Arton Capital has their own Passport Index which ranks travel documents by global rank, individual rank and mobility score.

Didn’t see your passport among the best or worst? Check back soon since we will update our list every time Henley & Partners updates theirs. Can’t wait? Visit the official Global Passport Index website to download the full list or search for passports by country.