A passport is a person's gateway to the great, big world with some holding more strength than others. For a passport to be deemed powerful, there are a number of factors it must adhere to, which include visa-free access and ease of obtaining the required visas.
Powerful passports allow for more travel to countries without needing a visa, allowing for stress-free travel at reduced costs. With this in mind, which countries are among the top 10 for the most powerful, who clinched the top spot, and which countries have seen a drastic fall in their power recently?
The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on these factors, influencing international opportunities, lifestyle, and career prospects.
The power of a passport continues to be a hot topic and looks to define global mobility while also providing holders with unparalleled travel freedom to travel without the worry of the constraints of visas required to do so.
The Henley Passport Index is the gold standard when it comes to ranking global passport power and sheds some interesting light on which nations were found to have the most influential and desirable travel documents of all.
Most interesting among the list was South Korea, United Arab Emirates and a number of Eastern European nations which have seen a rise in their passport strength compared to the previous years.
This was largely down to increased diplomatic agreements among these countries allowing for more freedom when travelling.
Across the board not much had changed compared to 2024 with the UK remaining in the same position, USA’s ranking however did she a change and went from 8th position in 2024 to 9th position in 2025 with 186 visa-free countries available to them.
According to the Henley Passport Index, the top 10 most powerful passports in 2025 are:
