When it comes to unrestricted travel around the world and shorter queues at immigration, some passports offer significantly greater freedom of movement than others. According to the Henley Passport Index 2026, Cyprus ranks 14th, providing its citizens with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 174 destinations. Greece holds an even stronger position, sharing fourth place with several other European countries.
The Henley Passport Index ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can visit without a prior visa. It is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and created by the London-based global citizenship and residence consultancy Henley & Partners.
Top-Ranked Passports
The top three passports in 2026 belong to Asian countries. Singapore holds first place, while Japan and South Korea are tied in second. Citizens of Singapore can visit 192 countries and territories without a visa. Japan and South Korea allow visa-free access to 188 destinations.
Several European countries share the same score, and thus share the same ranking. Five countries share third place: Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, each with visa-free access to 186 destinations.
The fourth position is dominated by European countries, including Greece, with a score of 185, alongside Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Fifth place, with a score of 184, is held by Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The rise of the UAE
The UAE has shown the strongest performance in the 20-year history of the Henley Passport Index. Since 2006, it has added 149 visa-free destinations and climbed 57 places in the ranking. This achievement is attributed to the UAE’s ongoing diplomatic activity and liberalisation of its visa policies.
Sixth place is shared by Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, and Poland, all with visa-free access to 183 destinations. Australia remains in seventh place along with Latvia, Liechtenstein, and the United Kingdom. The UK has experienced the largest annual decline, losing visa-free access to eight destinations in the past 12 months, now allowing 182 destinations.
Canada, Iceland, and Lithuania are eighth, with access to 181 destinations. Malaysia occupies ninth place with 180 destinations.
The United States returns to tenth place with 179 destinations, after briefly falling out of the top ten in late 2025. However, more than one country can share the same rank, meaning 37 countries actually outrank the US in 2026, one more than at the end of 2025. The US also experienced the third largest drop in ranking in the past two decades, behind Venezuela and Vanuatu, falling six places from fourth to tenth.
At the lower end of the ranking, Afghanistan remains last, 101st, with visa-free access to only 24 destinations. Syria is 100th with 26 destinations, and Iraq is 99th with 29 destinations.