🔗 Share this article

Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.