One of the most important aspects when determining which are the best passports in the world is the number of countries that allow their citizens to enter their territories without a visa. The Spanish passport is once again among the most valuable.

According to the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index, the Spanish passport is still among the top five on the list, as it currently allows visa-free travel to 189 countries.

The Henley Passport Index, produced by the London consultancy of the same name, is unique in that it is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the largest and most accurate database of travel information. The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. It is updated monthly and is considered the standard reference tool for citizens of the world and sovereign states when assessing the position of a passport in the spectrum of global mobility.

In fourth position, with visa-free access to 188 countries, are Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Without a doubt, being a citizen of a European country brings great benefits, as the 10 most valuable passports in the world include those of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Greece, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Iceland and Lithuania.

Meanwhile, the United States and the United Kingdom are losing ground in the ranking. They occupy sixth and ninth place respectively, although they are far from the first place they occupied in 2015.

The most curious note in this index of the world's most valuable passports is still the passport of the United Arab Emirates, which in the last 14 years has registered one of the greatest comebacks. It has risen many positions to reach, now in 2025, 8th place in the ranking.

On the other hand, in the saga of the ranking, once again this year, Afghanistan's passport is in last place, as it only allows travel to 25 countries without the need for a visa.

According to Christian H. Kaelin, president of Henley & Partner, the study has identified that there is a positive correlation between freedom to travel and other types of freedom, from economic to political, and even individual or human freedoms.

The ten most powerful passports

The ten least powerful passports

Other indexes

The Henley & Partners index receives exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which forms the basis of the Henley Passport rankings. In order to maintain the accuracy of the data provided by IATA in the face of constant updates to visa policy and to create detailed visa lists for the 199 passports in our database, the Henley & Partners research team cross-checks each passport against 227 potential travel destinations. To do this, they use reliable information from public sources, such as government resources and the mainstream media. This research process is continuous throughout the year. All this is combined with a rigorous monitoring system to detect relevant changes in visa policy.

However, the Arton Capital Passport Index is a different case, as it takes into account the passports of 193 member countries of the United Nations and six territories: Taiwan, Macao (SAR of China), Hong Kong (SAR of China), Kosovo, the Palestinian Territory and the Vatican. Territories annexed to other countries are excluded from the list.

The Arton Capital index places the United Arab Emirates at the top with a ‘visa-free score’ of 179 points, followed by France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria and Switzerland with 177 points.