Canada ranks among the world’s top 10 most powerful passports for 2026

Henley & Partners just released their latest global passport rankings, and the Canadian passport continues to place among the top 10 most powerful passports worldwide.

The Henley Passport Index listed Canada as coming in eighth out of nearly 200 passports, offering visa-free travel to 181 destinations.

Canada once again ranks ahead of the US passport, which came in tenth place.

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Which passports rank among the top 10 most powerful in 2026?

A total of 38 passports made their way onto the top 10 list this year, thanks to ties across all slots except first, ninth, and tenth place.

Notably, 29 of the top-ranking passports belong to European countries.

Canada shares its eighth-place ranking with Iceland and Lithuania due to each country’s “Visa score.” This score indicates the number of destinations a passport holder can visit without needing a visa.

We covered three Henley & Partners passport rankings in 2025. In January, Canada held seventh place; in July it ranked eighth; in October it ended 2025 in ninth place—now, it’s climbed back up to its mid-2025 ranking.

The table below presents which passports ranked among the top 10 strongest passports in the January 2026 Henley Passport Index.

Rank	Passport	Number of visa-free destinations holders can access
1	Singapore	192
2	Japan	188
	South Korea
3	Denmark	186
	Luxembourg
	Spain
	Sweden
	Switzerland
4	Austria	185
	Belgium
	Finland
	France
	Germany
	Greece
	Ireland
	Italy
	Netherlands
	Norway
5	Hungary	184
	Portugal
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	United Arab Emirates
6	Croatia	183
	Czechia
	Estonia
	Malta
	New Zealand
	Poland
7	Australia	182
	Latvia
	Liechtenstein
	United Kingdom
8	Canada	181
	Iceland
	Lithuania
9	Malaysia	180
10	United States	179

The three most powerful passports this year belong to Asian countries, with the Singaporean passport continuing to maintain its top-ranking position with access to 192 destinations visa-free.

The South Korean passport remains in second place—but now shares its position with Japan (who previously came in third).

As for third place, it’s a tie between five European passports, all of which facilitate visa-free travel to 186 destinations:

• Denmark: Previously in fifth place, rose by two ranks.
• Luxembourg: Previously in fourth place, rose by one rank.
• Spain: Previously in fourth place, rose by one rank.
• Sweden: Previously in sixth place, rose by three ranks.
• Switzerland: Previously in sixth place, rose by three ranks.

In a significant rebound, the US passport has climbed back into the top 10 this year after briefly dropping to 12th last year—which was its first time outside the top 10 in two decades.

According to Henley & Partners, the past year saw the US record its steepest annual loss in visa-free access, and it has suffered the third largest ranking decline over the past 20 years. To compare: In 2014, the US passport came in at first place, tied with the United Kingdom.

Still, there’s a notable imbalance: while US passport holders can visit 179 destinations visa-free, the US grants visa-free entry to citizens of just 46 countries. That puts the country 78th of 199 on the Henley Openness Index—among the biggest mismatches globally between outbound mobility and inbound openness.

A look at the bottom: Afghanistan ranks dead last—the same as it did last year—offering visa-free travel to only 24 destinations.

Methodology

The Henley Passport Index draws on exclusive International Air Transport Association (IATA) data (enhanced by Henley & Partners) and ranks 199 passports across 227 travel destinations.

The index assigns each passport a “visa score,” calculated as the number of destinations that can be visited without a prior visa.

The score directly shapes the standings, deciding how each passport ranks against the rest—and ultimately determines the overall mobility of passport holders.

For the purposes of the index, a destination is treated as visa-free when it offers visa-free access, a visa on arrival, a visitor permit, or entry via electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). Any destination requiring a visa or e-visa is excluded from the visa-free total.

Applying for a Canadian Passport

To apply for a Canadian passport, you must be a Canadian citizen—either by being born in Canada, through naturalization, or through inheriting Canadian citizenship by descent.

In December 2025, Canada passed Bill C-3, removing the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent, and making thousands of lost Canadians eligible for Canadian citizenship.

CanadaVisa has launched a new online tool to help you check whether you may qualify for citizenship by descent under the updated legislation. If you’re eligible, you can apply to the federal government for proof of citizenship.

There are many benefits that come along with having a Canadian passport beyond visa-free travel to 181 destinations, including unrestricted freedom to travel in and out of Canada, permanent irrevocable status in Canada, and the right to vote in elections.

If eligible, you can apply for a Canadian passport at a Service Canada location, or by mail, and must include the following when you do so:

• The application form (PPTC 153);
• Proof of Canadian citizenship (birth certificate or citizenship certificate);
• Proof of identity (e.g., foreign passport); and
• Two passport photos (identical).

You are also required to have a guarantor and two references to complete your application.

Once you’ve submitted your application, you can expect to receive your passport within as little as 10 business days—provided you applied in person at a Service Canada location.

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