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Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), but the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements like the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.