The 10 most powerful passports in the world in 2023
- The Henley Passport Index ranks the most powerful passports in the world for visa-free travel.
- Japan ranked no. 1, with access to 193 countries. The US passport can access 186 countries.
Thinking of visiting Bhutan, Australia, or Egypt this year with a US passport? Not so fast — or at least not before securing a visa. Some of the best places to travel to in 2023 require US citizens to obtain a visa before take-off, an inconvenience in planning that long-awaited international getaway.
US passport holders can access 186 countries globally without a visa, putting it in seventh place among world passports on the global mobility spectrum, according to the 2023 Henley Passport Index.
The index is an annual ranking of passports based on how many countries their holders can access without a visa and is based on data from the International Air Transport Authority.
For the sixth year in a row, Japan came in the top spot with its passport that allows holders to travel to 193 countries without first securing a visa. Asian countries dominated the top of the list, with Singapore and South Korea tying for second place, as their passports let them access 192 countries sans visa. Germany and Spain followed with access to 190 countries.
Passports from sixteen other countries provide more global mobility than a US passport, four fewer countries than last year's ranking. The US shared its seventh place ranking with Belgium, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland.
Of the top 50 best passports for international travel in 2023, only eight countries offer citizenship-by-investment programs, in which applicants can obtain passports in exchange for an approved investment within the country, Insider reported.
Below are the countries with the most powerful passports, ranked by ascending number of visa-free travel options.
The source for all information below is the Henley Passport Index.
10: Travelers can visit 182 countries without a visa in 2023 if they have a passport from Lithuania or Slovakia.
9: Poland and Hungary passport holders can visit 184 countries without a visa in 2023.
8: Holders of Australia, Canada, Greece, and Malta passports can visit 185 countries without a visa in 2023.
7: Travelers can visit 186 countries without a visa in 2023 if they have a passport from Belgium, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, or the US.
6: France, Ireland, Portugal and UK passport holders can visit 187 countries without a visa in 2023.
5: Holders of Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden passports can visit 188 countries without a visa in 2023.
4: Travelers can visit 189 countries without a visa in 2023 if they have a passport from Finland, Italy, or Luxembourg.
3: Germany and Spain passport holders can visit 190 countries without a visa in 2023.
2: Holders of South Korea and Singapore passports can visit 192 countries without a visa in 2023.
1: Travelers can visit 193 countries without a visa in 2023 if they have a passport from Japan.
Advertisement