Concept
A passport opens a different number of borders, and this difference has long been measured. A "passport index" is a ranking that assigns each passport a number of destinations available without a prior visa and arranges countries in descending order. Behind the seemingly simple figure lie different methodologies, so the same passport often occupies three different positions in three rankings.
For a private client the index works as a quick reference point: it shows how much freedom of movement a given citizenship provides and how much a new passport adds to an existing set. Let us look at the three main rankings and what each of them actually measures.
Henley Passport Index
The most cited ranking is run by Henley & Partners. It draws on IATA data — the Timatic database airlines use to check visa requirements before boarding. Henley ranks 199 passports across 227 destinations and updates monthly as visa rules change. The counting logic is strict: a destination scores when entry is visa-free, by visa-on-arrival, or by an electronic authorisation without prior approval; if a standard visa or an e-Visa with advance clearance is needed, it scores zero.
In the 2026 update Singapore holds the top spot for the third year running — 192 of the 227 destinations are open to its holders. The UAE has risen to second, sharing it with Japan and South Korea (187 destinations each); the EU core together with Switzerland follows at around 185. The United Kingdom has slipped to sixth place (183) and the United States to tenth (179): both passports, which shared the top of the ranking just ten years ago, have moved noticeably down, and this has become a story in its own right in the business press.
Arton Capital Passport Index
The second well-known ranking is run by Arton Capital. Its Mobility Score combines visa-free entry, visa-on-arrival, ETA and fast e-Visas, and where scores tie, countries are further separated by the UN Human Development Index. The ranking updates almost in real time, so the top rows diverge from Henley's: since 2018 the UAE has consistently held first place — in 2026 its Mobility Score reached 182, a record for the entire history of the index, while Singapore and Spain share second place at around 175.
Nomad Passport Index
The Nomad Passport Index from Nomad Capitalist scores a passport on five factors: visa-free access, taxation of citizens, how the passport is perceived worldwide, tolerance of dual citizenship and personal freedom. Because tax and reputation carry weight, the picture shifts: in the 2025 ranking Ireland became the sole leader for the first time, followed by Switzerland — countries with a moderate tax and reputational burden overtake the pure mobility leaders here. This approach is closer to the logic of the five flags, because it also accounts for the cost of holding a passport — from taxes to reputation.
Where the indices come from and where they are heading
The very idea of measuring a passport's "strength" is young. Henley & Partners have run their ranking since 2006 — originally as the Visa Restrictions Index, built on IATA data; Arton Capital launched its interactive Passport Index in the mid-2010s, and Nomad Capitalist later added a tax and reputation dimension. Over these years the rankings turned from a curious statistic into a working tool for anyone planning a second passport and a change of residence.
Positions are not static, and over twenty years of observation the gap between the strongest and weakest passport has widened markedly: from 118 destinations in 2006 to 168 in 2026. Today Singapore opens 192 countries to its holders, while the bottom of the table — Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq — offers around two dozen. Henley calls this the "growing mobility gap" and notes that the trend keeps intensifying.
The main story of the last decade is the rise of the UAE. Over twenty years the country added almost 150 visa-free destinations and climbed dozens of places through systematic diplomacy and mutual visa waivers; the Gulf states and Asia are moving up alongside it. For a private client the takeaway is practical: the top of the rankings is no longer shaped by Europe alone, and citizenship by investment together with a change of residence shifts personal mobility faster than the ranking itself moves.
The reverse move is shown by the United States and the United Kingdom. As recently as 2014–2015 their passports shared the top; by 2026 they had fallen to tenth and sixth place. The 179 and 183 open destinations remain comfortable in themselves, but the direction of the trend is worth accounting for when planning a second passport: a document that is strong today can lose several places over ten years.
There is also something the mobility ranking does not capture at all — the tax and reporting cost of citizenship. A passport with citizenship-based taxation, like the US one, or with broad automatic data exchange under CRS in actual ownership, costs more than a formally weaker one. So mobility is best read together with tax residency: the index shows freedom of entry but says nothing about the cost of holding.
How to use indices in practice
The three rankings answer three different questions, so comparing absolute positions between them is pointless. Henley shows pure visa mobility, Arton adds destination quality through the HDI, Nomad weighs taxes and freedoms. For second passport planning it is more useful to look at the marginal gain: how many new destinations, and which ones, a new passport adds on top of those already held. Often the main value of a strong EU passport is the right to live and work in the Union, and mobility indices do not reflect this at all, while the pure gain in destinations may turn out to be modest.
Q/A
My passport sits twelfth in one ranking and thirtieth in another. Which one do I believe?
Both: they measure different things. Henley counts only destinations you can enter without a prior visa; Arton adds fast e-Visas to that, so its scale is wider; Nomad weighs five factors altogether, including taxation of citizens and how the passport is perceived. Across rankings, compare what each one measures, not the positions.
I hold an e-Visa for that country. Does it count as visa-free entry?
Not for Henley. A destination scores where no visa is needed at all, and also on a visa-on-arrival, a visitor's permit or an electronic travel authority (ETA). A standard visa, an e-Visa cleared with the government before departure, and a visa-on-arrival needing prior approval all score zero. "Electronic visa" and "visa-free" are not the same thing here.
I am acquiring a second passport from the top ten. How much will my mobility grow?
Usually less than it looks. A position in the table shows a passport's strength in isolation, ignoring what you already hold. What to count is the marginal gain: how many new destinations, and which ones, the second document adds on top of the first. Two strong passports overlap heavily, and the net addition is often modest.
My passport is in the top ten. Does that make it better on tax as well?
There is no connection. A mobility index measures freedom of entry and says nothing about the cost of holding: neither citizenship-based taxation, as in the US, nor reporting and automatic exchange under CRS enters into it. Nor does the right to live and work abroad — the main value of a strong EU passport is invisible to these rankings.
The ranking updated and my passport dropped two places. Should I react to that?
Not to a single snapshot. Henley recalculates monthly as visa rules change and Arton updates almost in real time, so a couple of places is ordinary noise. For a document acquired for decades, what matters is the direction of travel over several years rather than the place in one particular release.