We’ll slip again with passport power rankings

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The United States is on the verge of falling out of the top 10 most powerful passports in the world.

The latest quarterly update of the Henry Passport Index, created by Henry & Partners, a London-based global citizenship and residential advisory firm, the US, which took the No. 1 position in 2014, ranked 10th in the rankings.

It is the lowest position in the United States in the 20-year history of the Index, using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to track the global freedom of movement of 199 passport holders to 227 countries and territories around the world. Henry also counts multiple countries with the same score as one spot in the ranking, so there are actually 33 countries on the list, surpassing the US.

Entering the second half of this year, Singapore has achieved No. 1 position as the world’s most powerful passport in 2025.

The owners of this most desirable travel document enjoy visa-free access to 193 of the 227 destinations around the world.

Naturally, Singapore does not hand out passports to foreigners like Candy. To apply for Singapore citizenship, you will need at least two years of permanent residency, reviews of “economic contributions” and other qualifications, and mandatory national services for male applicants.

Korea joined Japan in second place in the rankings, with an open door to 190 destinations, ensuring that Asian countries have a solid lead in the global mobility race.

Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain all have access to 189 destinations that do not require previous visas, along with Finland, in the third tier, stage 3.

Europe is also shaking beyond the fourth position in the rankings of seven countries: Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. All enjoy visa-free access to 188 destinations.

Greece, Switzerland and New Zealand are in fifth place. All of these allow visa-free access to 187 destinations.

On the other side of the list, at number 99, Afghanistan has no access to 25 visa-free destinations and remains trapped at 25 less destinations than earlier this year. Syria is at 98 (27 destinations) and Iraq is at 97 (30 destinations).

This is the yawning movement gap for 168 destinations between top rank and bottom passports.

The UK ranked number one in the rankings due to visa-free access to 186 destinations. Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta and Poland ranked 7th, while Canada, Estonia and the United Arab Emirates ranked 8th.

The United Arab Emirates is one of the index’s biggest success stories, rising from 42nd to 8th place in the last decade.

China has also jumped from 94 to 60 since 2015. This has been achieved without visa access to 29 countries in Schengen region of Europe.

“Active and strategic diplomacy”

The ninth place is shared by Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia, while the No. 10 is owned by Iceland, Lithuania and the United States. The US currently has visa-free access to 182 destinations around the world.

With provisions from the Trump administration’s recently enacted domestic policy bill, the United States will promptly require international visitors to pay a new “visa integrity fee” of at least $250, which was added to existing visa application fees. This fee applies to all visitors who need to obtain a non-immigrant visa to enter the United States.

Critics, including the American Travel Association, a national nonprofit that aims to increase travel to the United States, have panned new visa fees as a way to block visitors.

Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley and Partners, said in the release that the latest Henley Passport Index reveals an increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility.

“The integration we see is that access must be acquired and maintained through aggressive and strategic diplomacy, underscores that access must be maintained,” he said. “The number of countries that actively negotiate visa exemptions and foster mutual agreements continues to increase, but opposition applies to those that are less involved in such efforts.”

The Henley & Partners list is one of several indexes created by financial companies, ranking global passports based on the access they provide to their citizens.

The Arton Capital Passport Index considers 193 UN member states and six territories passports (Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestinian Territories, and Vatican). Areas annexed by other countries are excluded.

It is also updated in real time throughout the year, with the data collected through close monitoring of individual government portals.

Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2025 put the United Arab Emirates in the top spot, earning a 179 visa-free/Visa-on-Arrival score. Swoce is held by Spain with a score of 176.