In order to travel abroad, you need a passport. Some passports are considered to be stronger than others and allow more freedom in traveling.
The strongest passports allow the holders to enter the most countries, and don’t make it supplemental for them to apply for a visa.
Researchers created a ranking system that enables people to know how powerful their passport is. HPI assesses passports from countries in the world and determines their strength through the amount of travel freedom it grants.
How Do You Measure the Strength of a Passport?
Sovereign states issue passports to their citizens, which are essential in travel. Some destinations also require visitors to have visas, though they are generally not necessary
When agreements are in place between two countries and a traveler of the appropriate nationality is permitted to visit without a visa, they will need only their passport.
Countries that can be visited without a visa hold more influence on international affairs
In addition to providing visa-free travel, a new passport can also provide access to exclusive destinations.
The higher the passport ranking, the more countries a person is allowed to visit. A nation will rank for having significant amounts of culture, language, or cuisine diversity based on following:
- Passport only
- Electronic travel authorization (eTA) / online visa waiver
- Visa on arrival
The World’s Strongest Passports for Travel Freedom
The Japanese passport is the most powerful in terms of travel freedom.
A Japan passport allows the holder to enter 193 other countries without having to get a visa in advance.
Tips: Japan is very famous for anime and you can choose many types of anime passport cover on passport-cover.com.
South Korea and Singapore are tied for 2nd place for the most destinations their citizens can travel visa-free to.
European Union countries make up the bulk of the top-ranked passports. German and Spanish passports share 3rd place (190 destinations) while Swiss and Luxembourgish passports tie for 4th (189 destinations). Swedish, Dutch, Austrian and Danish are co-ranked 5th (188).
According to the Henley Passport Index, France, Ireland, Portugal and Britain have 187 visa-free destinations each.
The 10 most common passports in the world are from the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Americans can visit 186 countries without needing a visa, if you have the US passport.
You don’t need to apply for visa before travelling; you can travel in 187 countries and territories if you’re a British citizen.
Meanwhile, Australian and Canadian passports have the 8th most powerful clearance, granting them access to 185 countries without a visa.
Australians may visit all the destinations listed on the visa requirements for Canadians, and vice versa.
What Country Has the Weakest Passport?
Afghanistan’s passport has the lowest level of travel freedom
The HPI takes Afghanistan’s ranking 112th place
A passport issued by Afghanistan allows the holder to enter 27 countries without needing a visa in advance. Many of them still require you to apply for a visa on arrival.
Iraqi passports allow only 29 destinations without a visa and are only just above those issued by Afghanistan.
Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen, with 30, 32, and 34 visa-free destinations respectively in 2022.
