Destinations that do not require a passport
Travelers to these destinations can feel like they can get away without having to pack a passport.
There is such a thing as pass power ranking. And, spoiler alert, a US passport isn't at the top.
According to the Henley Passport Index 2024, citizens in six countries are now considered to hold the world's best-performing passports: Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
This is the first time in its 19 years of existence that six countries share the top spot, meaning its owners can travel visa-free to most global destinations – their citizens can visit 194 of 227 destinations without a visa.
With access to 193 destinations, South Korea, Sweden and Finland are close behind. Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands share third place with visa-free travel to 192 destinations.
US citizens have the seventh most powerful passport and can visit 188 destinations without a visa. In 2014, the US took the top spot alongside the UK.
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For those who are not citizens of these countries, the good news is that the overall trend of the index over the past two decades has been toward greater freedom to travel.
“The average number of destinations travelers can enter visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” said Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and inventor of the passport index concept, issued a press release.
The 2024 Henley Passport Index covers 199 passports and 227 destinations and bases its ranking on “exclusive and official data” from the International Air Transport Association.
The fastest riser in the index is the United Arab Emirates, which has added 106 destinations to its visa-free tally over the last decade. It rose from 55th in 2014 to 11th this year.
However, the global mobility gap between the most powerful and weakest countries has never been greater. The first-place countries can travel to 166 more destinations than the last-place country, Afghanistan, whose citizens can only travel visa-free to 28 countries. Above Afghanistan are Syria and Iraq, which offer visa-free travel to 29 and 31 destinations, respectively.
The most powerful passports in the world according to the Henley Passport Index 2024:
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected].