If you just love travelling abroad, you know your adventures wouldn’t be possible without one vital element – your passport. While a passport is nothing but a document for most travellers, not all passports are created equal. In fact, having the best passport in the world is a clear advantage for travellers.
Some are stronger than others and provide the traveller with more options and the greatest travel freedom. Some countries have the most powerful passport in the world, and such a document makes numerous destinations available to the holder.
The strongest passport in the world offers the benefit of bypassing extra entry requirements, such as visas and allowing the holder to travel wherever they want to go freely.
READ MORE: We analyse the Revolut travel survey to find out what travel might look like in the next few years
Your travel freedom is affected by different factors that directly determine the strength of a passport. When determining how strong your country’s passport is, the main index is the Henley Passport Index or HPI. HPI determines the strength of a passport and its rank according to the number of countries holders can access without needing additional documents, such as visas, including online visas and embassy visas.
How to rank the best passport in the world
What does it mean to have a powerful passport? We looked at a number of factors and considered what it means to travel in today’s ‘new normal’.
While there are many countries that claim to have the most powerful passport in the world, we developed these rankings ensuring that the passports satisfied the following entry criteria:
- Passport only
- Online visa waiver and/or electronic travel authorization (eTA)
- Visa on arrival
Top 10 countries with the strongest passport in the world
- Japan
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Finland
- Denmark
- France
- Belgium
- Australia
- Canada
- Hungary
Let’s take a closer look at these top 10 countries with the best passport in the world:
Japan
Japan is considered the country with the best passport in the world. Those holding a passport from Japan are free to travel to 193 countries abroad without a visa in 2021, which is why the Japanese passport is the most powerful in the world.
READ MORE: Discover the land of the Rising Sun with our Japan Travel Guide
Singapore
Singapore is 2nd when it comes to the strongest passport in the world. If you hold a Singapore passport, you’re allowed to access 192 countries worldwide without a visa in 2021.
READ MORE: Explore the Red Dot with our Singapore Travel Guide
South Korea and Germany
A passport from South Korea allows the holder to visit 191 countries abroad in 2021 without any additional travelling requirements. There is only one more country with a passport of the same strength – Germany.
Finland
Finland comes 4th along with Spain, Luxembourg, and Italy. The holders of passports from these countries are allowed to access 190 countries without a visa in 2021.
Denmark and Austria
Denmark and Austria have strong passports that allow holders to visit 189 countries without a visa in 2021.
France, Sweden, Portugal, Netherlands, and Ireland
Holders of a French passport can travel to 188 countries all over the world without a visa or any other travel requirements. There are four more countries with a passport of the same strength – Sweden, Portugal, Netherlands, and Ireland.
Belgium, U.S.A, United Kingdom, Norway, and New Zealand
Belgian passport allows the holder to visit 187 countries without a visa in 2021. It is followed by countries such as the U.S., United Kingdom, Norway, and New Zealand.
Australia, Malta, Greece, and the Czech Republic
Coming in 8th, Australia has one of the best passports in the world that allows the holder to enter 186 countries without a visa in 2021. The strength of the Australian passport is closely followed by Malta, Greece, and the Czech Republic.
READ MORE: Explore the land Down-Under with our Australia Travel Guide
Canada
Holders of a passport from Canada can enter 185 countries without a visa or any additional travel requirements in 2021.
Hungary
With visa-less access to 183 countries, Hungary comes in 10th in this race for the strongest passport in the world.
Which country has the weakest passport in the world?
The weakest passport in the world by travel freedom comes from Afghanistan. It is placed in 110th place by the HPI, and it allows the holder to access only 26 destinations without providing additional travel documents such as a visa.
Some of those destinations still require the traveller to apply for a visa on arrival. Aside from Afghanistan, countries like Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen round out the top 5 weakest passports in 2021.
Japan comes in first place with the most powerful passport in the world, closely followed by Singapore, South Korea, Finland, and Denmark. If you hold a passport from these countries, you are free to travel to most destinations without any additional travel requirements. What passport do you hold and where do you plan on travelling next?
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