What is Passport Index / Henley Index? Definition & Guide
Rankings that measure the travel freedom of passports based on the number of countries the holder can access without a prior visa.
Passport indices rank the world's passports by the number of destinations the holder can access without a prior visa (visa-free or visa-on-arrival). The Henley Passport Index, maintained by Henley & Partners using IATA data, is the most widely cited. Other indices include the Arton Capital Passport Index and the Nomad Passport Index.
As of 2025, the top-ranked passports (Singapore, Japan, several EU countries) provide visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 190+ destinations. The US passport provides access to approximately 186 destinations. Caribbean CBI passports (St. Kitts, Dominica, Grenada) provide access to approximately 145 to 155 destinations. Turkish citizenship provides access to approximately 110 destinations.
For investment migrants, the passport index is relevant when evaluating citizenship by investment programs. The primary utility of a second passport is the ability to travel to countries that restrict access for holders of the applicant's current passport. An EU passport obtained through a Portuguese or Greek Golden Visa citizenship path ranks among the strongest in the world.
The indices update quarterly as countries change their visa policies. A passport's ranking can improve or decline based on bilateral agreements, geopolitical events and the issuing country's diplomatic relationships.
Why It Matters for Golden Visa Applicants
The passport index helps Golden Visa applicants quantify the travel benefit of a second citizenship. For Americans, whose passport already ranks among the top ten globally, the marginal travel benefit of a Caribbean CBI passport is modest. However, an EU passport obtained through a Portuguese or Greek Golden Visa citizenship path provides access to EU freedom of movement, which the US passport does not grant. Applicants should compare the travel access of their current passport against the passport they would receive through a CBI or Golden Visa citizenship pathway to determine whether the investment is justified by travel benefits alone.
Example
"The Henley Index showed that a Portuguese passport provided visa-free access to 191 destinations, five more than his US passport, plus full EU freedom of movement."