On the global travel map, there is a small group of countries whose passports offer significantly more privileges, allowing moving abroad with minimal checks, fewer bureaucratic hurdles, and less waiting at borders.

According to the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index, the top of the ranking is occupied mostly by Asian countries. First appears to be Singapore, while Japan and South Korea share second place.

Singapore passport holders can travel visa-free to 192 countries and territories. They are followed by Japan and South Korea, whose citizens have free access to 188 destinations.

The index methodology allows more than one country to be ranked in the same position if they aggregate the same number of visa-free destinations. Thus, five European countries meet in third place: Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, with access to 186 countries.

The fourth place is also exclusively European, where eleven countries are listed with 185 visa-free destinations: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway.

In fifth place, with visa-free travel to 184 countries, are Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovakia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The spectacular rise of the UAE

The United Arab Emirates stands out as the country with the biggest improvement in the 20-year history of the Henley Passport Index. Since 2006, they have added 149 new visa-free destinations, gaining a total of 57 places in the global rankings.

As noted in the report, this development is attributed to the “continued diplomatic activity and gradual liberalisation of the visa regime” that the UAE has pursued in recent years.

The sixth place is occupied by Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, and Poland. Australia remains in seventh place, along with Latvia, Liechtenstein, and the United Kingdom.

However, the United Kingdom records the largest annual loss in the index, as its citizens can now travel visa-free to 182 destinations, eight fewer than a year ago.

Canada, Iceland, and Lithuania are in eighth place with 181 destinations, while Malaysia follows in ninth place with access to 180 countries.

Rounding out the top ten is the United States, which returned to 10th place with a score of 179, after falling out of the top ten at the end of 2025. The US trails the UK in the biggest annual drop, having lost visa-free access to seven destinations in the last 12 months.

The list of the world’s strongest passports in 2026:

1. Singapore (192 destinations)

2. Japan, South Korea (188)

3. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (186)

4. Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway (185)

5. Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates (184)

6. Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, Poland (183)

7. Australia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom (182)

8. Canada, Iceland, Lithuania (181)

9. Malaysia (180)

10. United States (179)