Travelling across borders with ease is increasingly dependent on our passports. Flying across countries with minimal restrictions and standing in shorter lines at the airport are becoming increasingly valuable privileges. The Henley Passport Index has released its latest report, featuring a list of countries that are among the group of the elite few passports.
Countries ranking top 5 in the Henley Passport Index
Asian countries hold the top three spots on the Henley Passport Index. Singapore takes first place, with access to 192 destinations out of 227 for the seventh consecutive year. Ranking second, with visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 188 countries, is a dual win between Japan and South Korea. A tie between Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland occupies the third spot, with an access score of 186.
A whopping 10 countries stand at the fourth spot, with access to 185 countries, requiring no visa prior to arrival: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway. And our very own country, the United Arab Emirates, stands fifth, alongside Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, and Slovenia, with 184 destinations offering visa-free/visa-on-arrival.
The UAE is climbing the ranks
The United Arab Emirates is notably mentioned as the country with the strongest performance in the 20-year history of the Henley Passport Index. Since 2006, the Emirates has added 149 visa-free destinations to its roster and climbed 57 places in the rankings. This, the Henley Passport Index report says, is a result of the UAE’s “sustained diplomatic engagement and visa liberalisation.”
UAE passport holders will now require a visa for 42 destinations. “Over the past 20 years, global mobility has expanded significantly, but the benefits have been distributed unevenly,” says Christian H. Kaelin, chairman at Henley & Partners and creator of the Henley Passport Index. “Today, passport privilege plays a decisive role in shaping opportunity, security and economic participation,” he continues, “with rising average access masking a reality in which mobility advantages are increasingly concentrated among the world’s most economically powerful and politically stable nations.”
What countries do UAE Passport holders need a visa for?
The UAE Passport will still need a visa prior to arrival for the following countries:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Anguilla
- Australia
- Beliza
- Benin (E-Visa)
- Bhutan (E-Visa)
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Congo (Dem. Rep.) (E-Visa)
- Côte d’Ivoire (E-Visa)
- Eritrea
- Falkland Islands
- Gabon (E-Visa)
- Gibraltar
- Guam
- India (E-Visa)
- Iraq (E-Visa)
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Mauritania
- Montserrat
- Myanmar
- Niger
- Nigeria (E-Visa)
- North Korea
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Papua New Guinea
- Puerto Rico
- Somalia (E-Visa)
- South Sudan (E-Visa)
- St. Helena (E-Visa)
- Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) (E-Visa)
- Togo (E-Visa)
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda (E-Visa)
- United States of America
- US Virgin Islands
- Venezuela
- Vietnam (E-Visa)
Courtesy: Shutterstock
Which is the world’s strongest passport?
- Singapore (192 destinations)
- Japan, South Korea (188 destinations)
- Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (186 destinations)
- Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway (185 destinations)
- Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates (184 destinations)
- Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, Poland (183 destinations)
- Australia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom (182 destinations)
- Canada, Iceland, Lithuania (181 destinations)
- Malaysia (180 destinations)
- United States (179 destinations)
Which is the world’s least powerful passport?
Afghanistan still ranks as the least powerful passport worldwide, with access to just 24 countries visa-free. Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen rank as the world’s least powerful passports alongside Afghanistan, according to the 2026 Henley Passport Index.
Passports across the world have been ranked quarterly for over 20 years. The International Air Transport Authority (IATA) extracts and gives data exclusively to rank countries. Henley & Partners utilises this large amount of data from the IATA to rank the number of countries to which passport holders can travel visa-free prior to arrival.