The Best Passports in the World

One of the main concerns we have when travelling overseas is whether we need a visa or not. If we need a visa, then we have to think about the cost and how long before the trip we should apply. Add to that the fact that people of certain nationalities have to attend an interview in person at the consulate. Can you imagine? It’s in situations like this that we wish we had one of the best passports in the world!

That’s because some nationalities, those on the other side of the spectrum, have the privilege to travel to most countries without a visa. With that in mind, I often update this post showing which are the best passports in the world. Who are those nationals to whom most doors are open?

The Best Passports In The World

Back in January 2017, the best passport in the world is the German one. Back then, Germans could travel to 158 countries totally visa-free or get the visa on arrival. Sounds great, right? Then, after a while, Singapore took the top position as the world’s best passport. These changes occur due to bilateral agreements, change of regulations, etc.

As of September 2019, the United Arab Emirates have the best passport in the world. UAE nationals can currently travel visa-free to 177 countries – that’s almost 20 countries more than Germany 2 years ago!

Most of the following positions are occupied by multiple countries, for the simple reason that several countries can travel to the same number of destinations without a visa.

Right behind the UAE, in second place, we’ll find Finland, Luxembourg and Spain. People from these countries can travel to 169 countries or territories without a visa. So, what about your country? Where’s the UK, where’s the USA, Australia and India, for example?

Just check out the top 45 countries with best passports for travel and below that, let’s take a look at the least privileged nationalities for travel.

Top 45 Best Passports in The World

1- United Arab Emirates (Can travel to 177 countries without a visa or with visa on arrival)

2- Finland, Luxembourg and Spain (Can travel to 169 countries without a visa or with visa on arrival)

3- Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal,  South Korea, USA (168 countries)

4- Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland (167 countries)

5- Czechia, Hungary, Lithuania, Singapore and United Kingdom (166 countries)

6- Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia (165 countries)

7- Australia, Latvia, Letonia (164)

8- Cyprus and Romania (163 countries)

9- Bulgaria and Malaysia (162 countries)

10- Croatia and Monaco (161 countries)

11- Brazil, Chile and Liechtenstein (159 countries)

12- Argentina (158 countries)

Now, what about those nationalities that have to endure a visa application almost every time they need to travel overseas? Can you imagine having to apply for a visa, showing your bank statement, going to a consulate every time you book a holiday? That’s the reality for most people in the world, so let’s see which countries occupy the bottom 10 positions. Any guesses? For this one, I thought it would be more interesting to do it in descending order. 🙂

Passports That Most Need Visas For Overseas Travel

10- Congo (Dem. Rep.), Kosovo, Lebanon, Nigeria and South Sudan (They can travel to 50 countries without a visa)

9- North Korea (They can travel to only 49 countries visa-free)

8- Bangladesh, Eritrea and Ethiopia (48 countries)

7- Iran and Lybia (47 countries)

6- Palestinean Territories and Sudan (46 countries)

5- Yemen (43 countries)

4- Somalia (40 countries, compared to 30 in 2017)

3- Pakistan and Syria (39 countries, 11 more than in 2017)

2- Iraq (36 countries, compared to 28 in 2017)

1- Afghanistan (They can travel to only 34 countries visa-free, compared to 23 in 2017)

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Afghanistan is at the bottom of the list. The good news is that the Afghan government is trying to modernise their passports, in the hope to get more reliability and give the country a better reputation.

If your country is not on any of these lists, you can check out this site that does the annual survey.

What’s your nationality and what’s your position on the list? Tell us in the comments!