Canadian passport grows stronger in latest global rankings
Canada’s passport continues its upward trajectory in the latest Henley Global Passport Rankings—now moving up from eighth to seventh place globally, since the start of the year.
Canadians now enjoy visa-free travel to 182 destinations worldwide.
The Canadian passport also remains the strongest in North America, soundly outranking the American passport, which has remained at tenth place globally since the start of the year.
Singapore continues to retain the top spot for the world’s strongest passport.
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Throughout 2025, the Canadian passport fluctuated in its ranking, starting the year in seventh place, dropping to eighth in July, and ending the year at ninth.
The recent improvement in the passport’s ranking is therefore part of a wider positive trajectory that started in January of this year.
Top 10 passports
From the start of 2026, the Henley rankings have already seen some notable shifts in the world’s strongest passports.
In total, 38 countries ranked among the top ten (facilitated by several tied rankings), with the majority (29) of top-ranking passports coming from Europe.
Despite this, Asia contributed four of the strongest passports in the ranking, and five passports in the top ten overall.
North America and Oceania contributed two passports each:
| Rank | Country | Visa-Free Destinations |
|---|---|---|
| | ||
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The spread from first to tenth place in the rankings remains unchanged at just 13 visa-free travel destinations.
The largest jump in the rankings comes from the United Arab Emirates, which is now tied with Japan and South Korea for the title of world’s second-strongest passport, despite starting 2026 at fifth place.
The Malaysian passport also experienced great improvements in ranking, jumping from ninth place to sixth place overall since the start of the year.
Of note is Sweden’s now isolated position at third place, previously sharing the ranking with Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland at the start of 2025. The latter countries' passports now place fourth in the latest rankings.
Methodology
The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a visa in advance.
The ranking relies primarily on travel data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is then supplemented and verified through Henley & Partners’ own research and publicly available sources.
The index evaluates 199 passports against 227 travel destinations worldwide, and it is updated monthly to reflect changes in visa policies, making it one of the most comprehensive and frequently updated measures of global travel freedom.
Recent diplomatic wins helped strengthen Canada’s passport
Canada’s improvement in the March update of the Henley Passport Index was supported by recent improvements in travel access, most notably the introduction of visa-free entry to China for Canadian passport holders.
As of February 17, 2026, Canadians can travel to China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days for purposes such as tourism, business, personal visits, exchange trips, or transit.
The policy is set to remain in effect until at least December 31, 2026.
Previously, China was one of the few major destinations that required Canadians to obtain a visa in advance, often involving lengthy processing times.
This newly granted access has helped increase the number of destinations Canadians can visit without a prior visa, from 181 (previously earning eighth place on the Henley rankings) to the current 182 destinations visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival.
How to get a Canadian passport
For most foreign nationals, the path to a Canadian passport involves:
- Becoming a permanent resident of Canada;
- Meeting the physical presence requirement (1,095 days in the last five years) and other eligibility criteria to apply for Canadian citizenship;
- Applying for Canadian citizenship, completing the Canadian citizenship test, and taking a sworn oath of citizenship;
- Obtaining proof of citizenship through a citizenship certificate; and
- Using proof of citizenship to apply for a Canadian passport.
Some foreign nationals who have Canadian parents or grandparents may be able to apply for citizenship by descent directly.
The recent passing of Bill C-3 expands eligibility for those who can apply for proof of citizenship under citizenship by descent.
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- Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
- Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
