Strongest passport in the world

Last update: 8 July 2023

It’s a great year to have a Singaporean passport! Singaporean citizens currently have the most powerful document for international travel at their fingertips. The Singaporean passport is currently ranked 1st place according to the Guide Passport Ranking Index. This indicates that holders of Singapore passport are able to travel to 193 visa-free countries throughout the world. This is the highest number of visa-free countries granted by any passport in 2023. Singaporean passport holders can travel to countries and regions like Brazil, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States with visa-free access, visa-on-arrival, or electronic travel authorization (eTA). It’s a veritable golden ticket for 2023!

Other powerful passports this year include South Korea, United Kingdom, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy, and Japan. Holders of the South Korean passport have visa-free access to 190 countries, while the British, Finnish, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Italian, and Japanese passports offer holders access to 189. Holders of all nine passports can enjoy enhanced mobility and access to international destinations compared to the vast majority of other countries in the world.

Strongest passports in the world

Here is the list of the strongest passports in the world:

1. Singapore (193 visa-free destinations)

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2. South Korea (190 visa-free destinations)

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3. United Kingdom, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Japan (189 visa-free destinations)

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4. Austria, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark (188 visa-free destinations)

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5. USA, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Norway (187 visa-free destinations)

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6. Australia, Portugal, Malta, Switzerland, New Zealand (186 visa-free destinations)

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7. Greece (185 visa-free destinations)

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8. Hungary, Czech Republic (184 visa-free destinations)

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9. Poland (183 visa-free destinations)

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10. Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Slovakia, Iceland (182 visa-free destinations)

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The Austrian, Luxembourgish, Dutch, and Danish passports all provide visa-free access to 188 countries, but with slight differences. For example, holders of the Austrian, Luxembourgish, and Dutch passports have access to 146 visa-free destinations, 29 visa-on-arrival destinations, and 13 eTA destinations, while those with the Danish passport can access more visa-free destinations (147), but fewer eTA destinations (12). The overall ranking of these passports is the same within the context of the global ranking process.

How Are Passports Ranked?

So, how exactly does the ranking process work? Determining the top passports in the world largely depends on how easily holders can access various destinations. Each country has a visa policy for travelers coming from other countries. Some require extensive paperwork and documentation, while others open their doors to travelers from many destinations. Measuring the strength of a passport depends on how many countries a holder of that passport can access without obtaining a visa. This ranking is determined by the number of countries that are considered visa-free destinations. The strongest passports in the world have the most access to visa-free countries and therefore have the highest rankings.

The term visa-free access refers to those destinations a traveler can enter in one of three ways: visa-free (i.e., countries that allow the passport holder to enter without a visa, visa-on-arrival (i.e. countries that allow the passport holder to enter by obtaining a visa upon arriving in the country), and electronic travel authorization (eTA) (i.e. authorization acquired online before traveling).

The ranking of each passport around the world is the same as the sum of these three criteria. By adding up all the visa-free, visa-on-arrival, and eTA visa destinations, a rank is assigned to the passport that places it in relation to all other international passports. This ranking number is then used to create a comprehensive, ordered list of all passports from best to worst in terms of international accessibility. The top-ranked passport is the passport with access to the most visa-free countries. This year, Singapore takes the cake with the most powerful passport in 2023.

See the full list of global passport ranking for 2023.