The world’s most powerful passports for 2023 revealed; check India’s rank

For every country that a passport allows its holder to enter without requiring a visa, or simply by obtaining a visa on arrival instead of getting pre-departure approval, it scores a point.

By: Lifestyle Desk

New Delhi | Updated: July 20, 2023 11:18 AM IST

3 min read

After evaluating all countries of the world, Henley creates a ranking of all the passports on the basis of the number of destinations their holders can visit visa-free with inputs from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), updating the report every quarter. (Source: Freepik)

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Singapore has overtaken Japan to become the world’s most powerful passport, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. Singapore’s passport allows visa-free entry to 192 global destinations out of 227 around the world, whereas Japan which held the top position for five years – dropped to third place as the number of visa-free destinations for its passport decreased.

After evaluating all countries of the world, Henley creates a ranking of all the passports on the basis of the number of destinations their holders can visit visa-free with inputs from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), updating the report every quarter. For every country that a passport allows its holder to enter without requiring a visa, or simply by obtaining a visa on arrival instead of getting pre-departure approval, it scores a point.

Germany, Italy, and Spain all move up to 2nd place with visa-free access to 190 destinations, and Japanese passport holders join those of six other nations – Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden – all in 3rd place with access to 189 destinations without a prior visa.

The United States, which previously held the top ranking nearly a decade ago, has now slid two places to eighth. On the other hand, the United Kingdom, after experiencing a decline due to Brexit, has jumped to fourth place, a position it last held in 2017.

Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the Henley Passport Index, with a visa-free access score of just 27, followed by Iraq (score of 29), and Syria (score of 30), the three weakest passports in the world.

Meanwhile, India has improved its position by five spots from last year and is currently ranked 80th on the index along with Togo and Senegal, with visa-free access to 57 countries.

Dr Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley and Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept said in a press release that only eight countries globally have less visa-free access today than they did a decade ago while others have been more successful in securing greater travel freedom for their citizens.

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ALSO READ | Henley Passport Index 2023: With India on this spot, Indians can travel visa-free to 59 destinations

Here is the list of the top 10 most powerful passports in the world:

1. Singapore
2. Germany, Italy and Spain
3. Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden
4. Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom
5. Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland
6. Australia, Hungary and Poland
7. Canada and Greece
8. Lithuania and The United States
9. Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia
10. Estonia and Iceland

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