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Canada Remains One of the World’s Top 10 Most Powerful Passports in 2026
Henley & Partners has published the January 2026 edition of its global passport rankings, with the Canadian passport once again securing a place among the world’s top 10 most powerful passports.
In the latest Henley Passport Index, Canada ranks eighth out of nearly 200 passports, granting its holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 181 destinations worldwide. Canada continues to rank ahead of the United States, whose passport placed tenth this year.
Top 10 Passport Rankings in 2026
This year’s index features 38 passports within the top 10 due to ties across most ranking positions, with only first, ninth and tenth places remaining untied. European countries dominate the rankings, accounting for 29 of the passports listed in the top tier.
Canada shares its eighth-place position with Iceland and Lithuania. All three countries received the same visa score, which represents the number of destinations that passport holders can access without needing to obtain a visa in advance.
Canada’s ranking has shifted over the past year. The passport held seventh place at the start of 2025, moved to eighth mid-year, dropped to ninth by the end of 2025 and has now returned to eighth place in the January 2026 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 |
Asian passports continue to lead the rankings. Singapore maintains its position as the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 192 destinations. South Korea and Japan now jointly occupy second place, while third place is shared by five European countries Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland each allowing visa-free travel to 186 destinations.
Several of these European passports improved their standings compared to the previous year, reflecting broader mobility gains across the region.
US Passport Returns to Top 10
After briefly falling to 12th place last year, the US passport has re-entered the top 10 rankings in 2026. However, Henley & Partners notes that the United States experienced its steepest annual decline in visa-free access over the past year and has recorded the third-largest ranking drop over the last two decades.
Despite its tenth-place ranking, the US passport allows visa-free travel to 179 destinations. In contrast, the country grants visa-free entry to citizens of only 46 nations, placing the United States 78th out of 199 countries on the Henley Openness Index. This highlights a significant imbalance between outbound travel freedom and inbound openness.
At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan remains the lowest-ranked passport for another consecutive year, offering visa-free access to just 24 destinations.
How the Henley Passport Index Is Calculated
The Henley Passport Index is compiled using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and evaluates 199 passports across 227 global destinations. Each passport is assigned a visa score based on the number of destinations that can be accessed without obtaining a visa prior to travel.
Visa-free access includes destinations that offer visa-free entry, visas on arrival, visitor permits or electronic travel authorizations (eTAs). Destinations requiring a visa or e-visa before travel are excluded from the total.
Canadian Passport Eligibility
A Canadian passport is available only to Canadian citizens, including those born in Canada, naturalized citizens or individuals who acquired citizenship by descent. Recent legislative changes have expanded eligibility for citizenship by descent, potentially allowing more individuals to qualify for Canadian citizenship.
Eligible applicants may apply for a Canadian passport in person at a Service Canada location or by mail. Required documents include proof of citizenship, proof of identity, a completed application form, passport photographs and information for a guarantor and references. Processing times can be as short as 10 business days for in-person applications, depending on the service option selected.