Swiss passport ranked as one of the most powerful on Earth by Henley Index
By Jan de Boer
Though many internationals may be put off by the extensive requirements and cost of gaining citizenship in Switzerland, the latest Henley Passport Index has suggested that it may be worth it. The Swiss passport was ranked as the joint fifth best in the world, offering visa-free access to 190 different nations and territories.
Passport Index by Henley & Partners
Along with offering wintery weather and dark nights, January also hails the arrival of the annual Henley Passport Index. For 2025, the report ranked 199 passports by how useful they are for international travel, which is determined by whether they grant users visa-free access to 227 different travel destinations.
Each passport is given one point for every destination that the citizen can travel to without having to apply for a visa, and any place where entry is possible with a visa on arrival, an easily accessible visitors permit or an electronic travel authority (ETA).
No points are awarded for places where the holder needs a pre-arranged visa - one that cannot be claimed at airports, other ports of entry or border checkpoints - or where each entrant requires a pre-departure authorisation from the government.
Swiss passport maintains place in the top 5
Since the study was started in 2006, the quality of the Swiss passport - in the eyes of Henley & Partners at least - has been very up and down. From a high of fourth place in the very first report to a record low of 10th in 2010, the famous red document has gradually been improving its status, going from joint sixth at the start of 2023 to joint fifth at the beginning of 2024.
In the first report of 2025, Switzerland maintained its position as having the joint-fifth-best passport in the world, sharing the fifth rung with Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The Swiss passport offers visa-free travel to 190 destinations around the world, though accessing some African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries without pre-authorisation remains a challenge.
Switzerland just two visa-free destinations off the podium
The findings mean that the alpine nation is agonisingly close to the podium places, with third-placed countries like Germany, France, and Italy offering access to 192 destinations around the world. It also remains far off the bottom of the ranking, which was occupied by Afghanistan - their citizens are only able to access 26 different nations without a visa.
However, it may be some time before Switzerland can compete with Singapore in first place. For 2025, the country took first place on its own, after coming joint first in 2024. Singaporean citizens are now able to visit 195 different places without a visa, the highest number ever reported by the ranking.
The most powerful passports in the world revealed
In all, here are the most powerful passports on Earth as of the start of 2025:
- Singapore (195)
- Japan (193)
- Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain (192)
- Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden (191)
- Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190)
- Australia, Greece (189)
- Canada, Malta, Poland (188)
- Czechia, Hungary (187)
- Estonia, United States (186)
- Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates (185)
For more information, and to see how other passports ranked, check out the Henley & Partners website.
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Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016.
While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more