🔗 Share this article

In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five among 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot 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 number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.