🔗 Share this article

Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report so far.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements like how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a microchip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.