🔗 Share this article

In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned although nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has increased the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position on the index has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

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