The UAE passport has tied as the eighth most powerful in the world, with visa-free access to 184 destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. It ranks above the US and Canada in terms of passport strength.
The US passport fell out of the top 10 most powerful for the first time in its 20-year history.
“The declining strength of the US passport over the past decade is more than just a reshuffle in rankings – it signals a fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics,” Christian H Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners.
“Nations that embrace openness and co-operation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind.”
Once ranked first in 2014, the US now sits in 12th place, tied with Malaysia, allowing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 180 countries and territories.
The US lost visa-free access to six destinations since January, and a further two since July. It lost access to Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Brazil, Somalia and Myanmar. It was also not added to the visa-free lists of China, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam, while other top-ranking passports were, according to Henley & Partners.
Meanwhile, Asian countries including Singapore, South Korea and Japan dominate the top ranks. Singapore leads with visa-free access to 193 destinations, followed by South Korea with 190, and Japan with 189.
It is followed by Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland, which all tie for fourth place with visa-free access to 188 countries. Austria ranked fifth, along with Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland and the Netherlands, with access to 187 countries.
The UAE passport is tied in eighth place along with the UK, Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia and Slovenia, according to the index findings. It was ranked in 11th place last year. Visa-free access to 184 destinations marks an increase of 151 countries since the index began in 2006.
In the rest of the Middle East, the Bahrain passport was ranked as the 88th strongest, Oman 87th and Kuwait 99th, while the Qatar passport was ranked 111th.
The Afghanistan passport was ranked the weakest in the world and offers visa-free access to only 24 countries.
The drop in US passport strength coincides with stricter immigration and travel policies under US President Donald Trump.
Reciprocity plays a big role in a country’s rankings, Henley & Partners said, pointing out that while US passport holders can access 180 destinations visa-free, the US allows only 46 other nationalities to enter its borders without a visa.
Countries that offer their citizens broad travel freedom but limit visa-free entry for others, such as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, have seen their passport strength stagnate or decline over recent years.
For the past 20 years, the Henley Passport Index has been tracking global freedoms for 199 passports and 227 countries and territories around the world, using data from the International Air Transport Association.
The most powerful passports for 2025
- Singapore (193 destinations)
- South Korea (190)
- Japan (189)
- Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland (188)
- Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands (187)
- Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden (186)
- Australia, Czech Republic, Malta, Poland (185)
- UAE, UK, Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia (184)
- Canada (183)
- Latvia, Liechtenstein (182)
- Iceland, Lithuania (181)
- US, Malaysia (180)
