It’s not just the color of the outside or the number of pages inside, as each country negotiates with others, some passports become more powerful. Whether citizens are able to flash their passport and breeze past customs or if it’s easy to get a visa upon arrival, every single country’s passport has its own unique set of regulations.
Passport Index, which ranks the world’s passports each year to identify which are the most powerful, released their most recent rankings in January. Several countries tie each other in the global access they provide their passport holders, so to get into the top 25, a country must rank at least as the sixth most powerful.
Here are the 25 most powerful passports in the world.
6. Australia
Australians can use their passport to get into 169 countries without a visa, making it a three-way tie for sixth most powerful in the world.
6. South Korea
6. Greece
5. New Zealand
5. Canada
5. Ireland
5. Malaysia
4. Japan
The Japanese passport will get its citizens into 173 countries around the world without a visa.
4. Portugal
The Portuguese can visit 172 countries around the world without a visa, garnering them the title of fourth most powerful passport.
4. Luxembourg
4. Austria
Austrians have the fourth most powerful passport in the world.
4. Belgium
Belgian citizens can flash their passports at 174 countries and get visa-free access.
4. Netherlands
The Dutch can get into 174 countries without a visa.
4. Italy
Italians tied for fourth most powerful passport.
3. United States
What may seem surprising to many Americans is that their passport is only the third most powerful in the world—and it’s tied with seven other countries for that place.
3. United Kingdom
In 2015, the U.K. had one of the most powerful passports in the world. It has since dropped to a tied third place when other countries began relaxing their visa requirements.
3. Norway
Norway also tied for third most powerful passport in the world.
3. Switzerland
Switzerland gives its citizens the third most powerful passport in the world.
3. Spain
3. France
French citizens can go to 175 countries around the world without a visa with their third place most powerful passport.
3. Finland
Finland’s passport tied with seven other countries as the third most powerful in the world.
3. Denmark
2. Sweden
Sweden is a close-behind second. The Swedish passport gets citizens into 176 countries around the world without a visa.
2. Singapore
Singapore residents can claim their titles as owners of the second most powerful passports in the world.
1. Germany
German residents are owners of the most powerful passports in the world. Germans can visit 177 countries around the world without needing a visa. They have had the most powerful passport in the world since 2014.
