There are many factors that affect the freedom of movement and validity of a passport. Page Henley Passport Index (HPI), created by Henley & Partners, is considered the aggregator and statistics on passport strength. This site evaluates all passports from all over the world for the freedom of movement that passports allow.
But which country’s passport is the most powerful in the world? Experts of Global CitiZen Discovered the full list of the most powerful passports globally in this article.
The most powerful passports in the world in 2022
Immigration experts say the most powerful passport in the world has been selected according to the Henley Passport Index (HPI) and also based on a number of criteria. Among them are: Visa-free access to different countries, taxes on citizenship, restrictions on passports, worldwide popularity of national awareness, ability to own two nationality, personal freedom, freedom of the press, degree of government surveillance and mandatory military service requirements. According to these criteria, the top strongest passports globally are:
- Japan
- Singapore, Korea
- Germany, Spain
- Finland, Italy, Luxembourg
- Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden
- France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom
- Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, USA
- Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta
- Hungary
- Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia
In 2022, the most influential passport in the world with the strongest travel freedom belongs to the passport of Japan. The Japanese passport grants its holder visa-free entry to 193 countries and territories.
Singapore and Korea share second place. Passports issued by these countries offer visa-free entry to 192 countries and territories worldwide.
Germany and the countries of the European Union (EU) account for most of the top-ranked passports. Passport Virtue and Spain third place (190 visa-free countries). At the same time, the passports of Finland, Italy and Luxembourg are tied for fourth place (189 countries without visas). ‘s passport Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden 5th place (188 countries).
‘s passport France, Ireland, Portugal and UK currently ranked sixth in the world is allowed to enter 187 countries without a visa.
No surprise to see ‘s passport USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the top 10 of power passports. The number of countries that require US citizens to apply for a visa is very small. US passport holders can travel to 186 countries without a visa.
Similarly, UK citizens are still sometimes required to apply for a visa, but there are 187 countries and territories visa-free for UK citizens. Meanwhile, Australian and Canadian passports ranked 8th in the top 10 strongest passports in the world, allowing holders to enter 185 countries visa-free.
Hungary comes in 9th place with 183 visa-free countries. Last place in the TOP-10 belongs to Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia, with 182 countries and territories exempt from visa entry.
What is the passport ranking procedure?
The more countries a citizen of a passport holder can visit without a visa, the stronger the passport of this country will be.
The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on the number of countries that passport holders can visit without a visa. (including visas issued at the embassy and visa online). According to HPI, a passport is more valuable if it allows its holder to enter a large number of countries when only one or more of the following is needed:
- Only 1 passport needed:
- Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) / Electronic Visa Waiver:
- Visa on arrival at the airport.
Ranking of passports in the Henley Passport ranking
According to the Henley Passport Index 2022, the top 10 most powerful passports have changed very little since the last ranking. Japan ranks first in the Passport Index and has an all-time high number of visa- or visa-free countries and territories. Japanese passport holders currently have access to 193 countries and territories.
The UK is currently in sixth place with 187 countries, while the UAE maintains its 15th spot – the highest share ever recorded for the second-largest Arab economy since joining in ranking index in 2006.
Qatar and Kuwait rank 57th and 59th in the Henley Passport Strength Index, respectively, while Saudi Arabia is ranked 68th. With the UK’s new ETA program coming into force in 2023, all public GCC residents will be exempted from visas when traveling within the UK.
Indian passport holders can travel freely to 60 countries as India ranks 87th in 2022. On the other hand, Pakistan is visa-free/visa-on-arrival in 32 countries and ranks 109th in Ranking of the Passport Index.
