As of March 2024, India’s current passport rank is 82, where valid passport holders can travel visa-free or by availing a visa-on-arrival to 62 destinations, according to the Henley & Partners Passport Index.

According to The Passport Index, India’s current passport rank is 67, allowing valid passport holders to travel to 73 countries either visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival.

Most of the popular passport indices have published their passport rankings for the year 2024 and avid travellers are scrambling to find out how India has fared in them!

With countries relaxing the covid norms, knowing the Indian passport rank is certainly an important affair for those who frequently visit other countries – be it for business or leisure. 

In this article, we will inform you about the passport rank of India, the list of visa-free countries Indian passport holders can travel to, the top and least passport-ranking countries.

1. Henley Passport Index - Established in 1997, Henley & Partners is a global leader that ranks world passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The Henley Passport Index compares the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations.
2. Global Passport Power Rank - The Passport Index, established by Arton Capital in 2014, is reputed as the go-to resource for information about passport power worldwide. It includes 199 passports and ranks them based on their Mobility Score (MS).

Let’s take a look!

When it comes to passports, people either view them as their gateway to the entire world or as a barrier to their travel freedom. Passport Ranking is a system where a particular country’s passport is ranked according to the number of countries their holders can visit without applying for a visa.

As mentioned previously, we refer to two major indices for this data: The Henley Passport Index and The Global Passport Index.

The method of calculation for both indices differs, hence the difference in ranking positions. Both indices consider 199 countries' visa access for the Indian passport.

For Henely Passport Index:

The passport is given a score of 1 in cases where:

1. No visa is required
2. Visa-on-Arrival (VOA) is available
3. Visitor’s permit is available or,
4. An electronic travel authority (ETA) is available.

A score of 0 is allotted in case a passport holder must apply for an e-visa or mandatory visa is required before departure. No score is allotted if you need a pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival.

For Global Passport Index:

To determine the individual rank of each passport, a three-tier method is applied:

1. Mobility Score (MS): This includes visa-free (VF), visa on arrival (VOA), eTA and e-visa (if issued within 3 days) 
2. Visa Free portion of their score vs Visa-on-Arrival 
3. United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index 2018 (UNDP HDI) is used as a tiebreaker.

Now that you know the rank of the Indian passport and which countries Indian passport holders can visit easily – you are one step closer to finalising your trip abroad.

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