Want to know if a country will require a visa? This is the page you need to know.
A visa is an authorization granted by a country, usually to a foreign citizen, to allow them to enter and remain in its territory for a specific period and for a specific purpose. Travelers are attentive to these conditions and documentation before boarding a plane. But if you want to know exactly whether a territory requires a visa, there's a website and app you should be familiar with. Which one is it?
Passport Index is the original interactive platform that ranks all the world's passports by their strength and level of visa-free access . Developed by the consulting firm Arton Capital, this site has become the go-to tool for understanding how "strong" a passport is. Passport Index ranks countries' passports based on how many destinations their citizens can visit visa-free, with access to a visa upon arrival (Visa on Arrival), or via electronic authorization (eTA).
(READ: Which 5 EPSs are eligible to operate in Colombia?)
The tool uses a scoring system called "Visa-Free Score," which adds up all the countries and territories accessible without prior consular processing. For example:- If a passport allows entry to 145 countries without a visa, its score will be 145.
- The greater the number of free accesses, the higher the passport's ranking.
The platform also allows you to compare passports across countries, view year-over-year changes, and see which nations have the most powerful or most restrictive passports. Which passports currently lead the ranking?
Passport index
Passport index
According to the latest update available in 2025, the passports that top the global Passport Index ranking are:
1. United Arab Emirates – visa-free access to over 180 countries.
2. Germany, France, Italy, Spain – access to between 170 and 179 countries.
3. Singapore, South Korea, Japan – with a score similar to the Europeans.(READ: What does it mean for a person not to have social media, according to psychology?)
The best-ranked Latin American passports include:1. Chile and Argentina , with access to more than 160 countries.
2. Colombia, with approximately 138 visa-free or visa-friendly destinations.
What is this tool for?
United States Visa
Source: iStock
Passport Index is useful for:
- Frequent travelers , who can check entry requirements in seconds.
- People interested in dual citizenship , who want to compare the advantages of different passports.
- Investors or expatriates who evaluate residency options based on their immigration status.
- Governments and media outlets , which consult the rankings to analyze international openness.
The site also includes interactive maps, country updates, global statistics, and a handy passport comparison tool. (READ: These are the EPSs that could disappear in Colombia by 2025)
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