Canadian passport ranks among the ten most powerful in the world in 2026

Henley & Partners has published its latest global passport ranking, and the Canadian passport continues to hold a place among the ten most powerful passports in the world.

The Henley Passport Index ranks Canada eighth out of nearly 200 passports, allowing visa-free travel to 181 destinations.

Canada once again ranks above the United States passport, which sits in tenth place.

Which passports rank among the ten most powerful in 2026?

A total of 38 passports made this year’s top 10 list, thanks to tied scores across every position except first, ninth and tenth.

Notably, 29 of the highest-ranked passports belong to European countries.

Canada shares eighth place with Iceland and Lithuania on the basis of each country’s “visa score”. This score indicates the number of destinations a passport holder can reach without a visa.

We reported on three Henley & Partners passport rankings during 2025. In January, Canada held 7th place; in July it ranked eighth; in October it closed 2025 in 9th place, and Canada has now climbed back to its mid-2025 position.

The table below sets out which passports rank among the ten strongest in the January 2026 Henley Passport Index.

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

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

The South Korean passport holds second place—but now shares it with Japan (previously third).

As for third place, this is a tie between five European passports, all of which allow visa-free travel to 186 destinations:

• Denmark: previously fifth, up two places.
• Luxembourg: previously fourth, up one place.
• Spain: previously fourth, up one place.
• Sweden: previously sixth, up three places.
• Switzerland: previously sixth, up three places.

In a notable recovery, the United States passport has climbed back into the top 10 this year after briefly falling to 12th last year—its first time outside the top 10 in two decades.

According to Henley & Partners, the United States recorded the sharpest annual decline in visa-free travel access over the past year, and the country has suffered the third-largest fall in the rankings over the past 20 years. For comparison: in 2014 the United States passport stood in first place, level with the United Kingdom.

There remains a notable imbalance, however: while United States passport holders can reach 179 destinations visa-free, the United States grants visa-free entry to the citizens of only 46 countries. That places the country 78th out of 199 in the Henley Openness Index—among the largest gaps worldwide between outbound mobility and openness to entry.

Looking at the bottom of the table: Afghanistan ranks last—as it did last year—offering visa-free travel to just 24 destinations.

The full Henley passport power list can be consulted here.

Methodology

The Henley Passport Index draws on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) (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 reached without a visa obtained in advance.

This score directly affects the ranking, determining how each passport places against the rest—and ultimately defining the overall mobility of its holders.

For the purposes of the index, a destination counts as visa-free where it offers visa-free travel rights, a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or entry through an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA). Any destination requiring a visa or an electronic visa is excluded from the visa-free total.

Applying for a Canadian passport

To apply for a Canadian passport, applicants must be Canadian citizens—by birth in Canada, through naturalisation, or by inheriting Canadian citizenship by descent.

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

CanadaVisa has launched a new online tool to help applicants check whether they may qualify for citizenship by descent under the updated law. If eligible, applicants can apply to the federal government for a citizenship certificate.

Holding a Canadian passport brings many benefits beyond visa-free travel to 181 destinations, including unrestricted freedom of movement into and out of Canada, irrevocable permanent resident status in Canada, and the right to vote in elections.

If eligible, applicants can apply for a Canadian passport at a Service Canada location, or by post, and must include the following when doing so:

• The application form (PPTC 153);
• Proof of Canadian citizenship (a birth certificate or citizenship certificate);
• Proof of identity (for example, a foreign passport);
• Two passport photographs (identical).

Applicants are also required to have a guarantor and two references in order to complete their application.

Once the application has been submitted, applicants can expect to receive their passport within at least 10 business days—provided they applied in person at a Service Canada location.