Most powerful passports in the world: Check out the top 10 rankings 2022

Henley & Partners released the Hanley Passport Index 2022 Global Rankings on July 19, 2022. It is considered the most authentic ranking of all the world’s passports.

This Index uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This travel information database is the largest and most accurate one. It helps to rank passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

Methodology of the Henley Passport Index

The Henley Passport Index is created after taking data from International Air Transport Authority which is then enhanced and updated using Henley & Partner’s in-house research teams and other online data from open sources. The Index includes passports from 199 different countries and 227 distinct travel destinations, updated quarterly.

Conditions and criteria for the Henley Passport Index

The standards and requirements used to create the Henley Passport Index are as follows:

A value=1 is given to a passport if,

• passport holders from a country or territory require no visa to visit any travel destination
• a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) can be obtained while entering a destination

These destinations are considered Visa-Free.

A value=0 is given to a passport if,

• a visa or a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) needed to be obtained by the passport holder before departure
• a passport holder requires pre-departure government approval to get access on arrival

These destinations are not considered Visa-Free.

After gathering all this information, the final score for a passport is counted after adding the number of destinations that can be accessed Visa-Free using that passport.

The Henley Passport Index also helps in assuming the following:

• Validity/Authenticity of the Passport.
• Ensuring the passport is ‘normal’ and not diplomatic, emergency, or temporary.
• The person who holds that passport is an adult citizen of the issuing country and is travelling alone rather than in a tourist group.
• All the basic requirements to enter the country have been met by the passport holder.
• The passport holder does not possess complex requirements like a government-issued letter for entry.
• The passport holder correctly does all the necessary vaccinations and immunizations.
• Arrival and departure are made from the same airport by the passport holder.
• Ensuring the person holding the passport seeks a short stay in the destination country or territory rather than a transit stay.
• The minimum duration of the short stay should be three days which can be further extended to several months.
• A significant city or capital should be chosen as the port of entry, wherever required.
• Whether the passport holder is travelling as a tourist or for business purposes.

Global Passport Ranking 2022 (Q3): World’s Top 10 Most Powerful Passports

Among the Asian countries, the top three positions are taken by Japan which provides easy access to 193 countries, followed by Singapore and South Korea, providing visa-free access to 192 countries each.
India is ranked in the 87th position for easy and hassle-free access to 60 countries. Its neighbour Pakistan is at the fourth last position (Rank 109) with access to 32 countries.
The least powerful among the 199 passports that are part of the Henley Passport Index is Afghanistan, with rank 112, which allows visa-free access to only 27 countries.