The Henley Passport Index: Visa-Free Travel Defined

The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s 199 passports according to the number of destinations (out of a total of 227) their holders can access without a prior visa. The 20-year-old index is based on exclusive official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) — the largest, most accurate travel information database — and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team.

In order to create this ranking, the Henley Passport Index makes a distinction between visa-required and visa-free destinations for each passport, and assigns each a score of 0 or 1 respectively, according to a predetermined and historically applied methodology which defines what it classifies as visa-free and visa-required in international travel.

What Is Considered Visa-Free Travel?

Visa-free travel refers to the privilege granted to passport holders of certain countries to enter another country or territory for short stays without requiring a visa. This arrangement is usually based on bilateral agreements between nations, or unilateral visa policies aiming to promote tourism, trade, and diplomatic ties.

Countries offering visa-free access typically set specific conditions, such as limiting the duration of stay (for example, up to 90 days) and requiring travelers to meet certain entry requirements, such as holding a valid passport, proof of sufficient funds, and onward travel arrangements.

The Henley Passport Index also considers a destination as visa-free if it permits one to travel there without having to apply for a visa in advance — namely, if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival (VOA), or an electronic travel authority (ETA) for that destination.

Why Is Visa on Arrival or VOA Considered Visa-Free?

A VOA is a streamlined visa option that allows travelers to obtain an entry permit upon arriving at their destination country. This arrangement eliminates the need for pre-approval from a consulate or embassy before traveling, offering a convenient alternative for eligible visitors.

While this is technically a visa, the key distinguishing feature of a VOA is that it allows one to travel to the destination without any pre-approval or paperwork. It generally only requires travelers to complete a form and pay a fee upon arrival. For this reason, namely, ease of travel with no pre-approval required, a VOA scores a 1 on the Henley Passport Index, the same as visa-free access.

Why Is an ETA or Electronic Travel Authority Considered Visa-Free?

An ETA is a digital entry requirement used by several countries to pre-screen travelers who already have visa-free access before they board a flight or arrive at the border. It functions as a form of pre-clearance, ensuring that individuals meet the basic entry criteria before commencing their journey.

The ETA is part of the host country’s border management system, allowing authorities to vet travelers before they embark on their journey. Many countries are increasingly introducing ETAs to manage, track, and process travelers who hold passports from countries to which they offer visa-free access. An ETA is typically linked electronically to the traveler’s passport and is valid for a specific period.

As an ETA is explicitly not a visa, and is generally managed through an automated process, it also scores 1 on the Henley Passport Index, the same as visa-free access.

As travel systems and border management become increasingly digitized, ETAs are being more widely implemented globally.

What Is Not Considered Visa-Free?

The Henley Passport Index does not consider a destination to be visa-free if it requires a traveler to obtain a visa before departure. There are two key types of visas that are included in this category: the standard visa and the electronic visa (e-Visa).

A standard visa is an official document issued by a country’s consulate or embassy, typically stamped or affixed onto the traveler’s passport. It permits the holder to enter, stay, or transit through the issuing country for a specified duration. Obtaining a traditional visa usually involves an application process at a diplomatic mission, submission of supporting documents, and sometimes an in-person interview, as well as a fee. Processing times can vary widely depending on the type of visa, the applicant’s nationality, and the issuing country’s policies.

One key characteristic of traditional visas is their physical nature. A visa is typically a sticker or stamp placed in the traveler’s passport, and some visas may include biometric details such as a photograph or fingerprints. Additionally, traditional visas are often associated with higher application fees and longer processing times compared to their digital counterparts.

Why Is an E-Visa Not Considered Visa-Free?

An e-Visa is a digital version of a traditional visa, which is applied for and issued online. This eliminates the need for physical visits to embassies or consulates, making the process more convenient and accessible for some travelers.

To obtain an e-Visa, applicants typically complete an online form, upload required documents and pay a fee electronically. Once approved, the e-Visa is sent via e-mail, and travelers are usually required to print or keep a digital copy for presentation upon arrival.

While e-Visas may appear very similar in format and process to ETAs, the major difference is that e-Visas are actual visas (just electronic) and require more comprehensive approval criteria and pre-authorization to travel compared to ETAs (which are explicitly for those travelers who already have visa-free access to a destination).

As both traditional visas and e-Visas must be applied for and approved before one can travel or board a plane, they are both considered ‘visa required’ by the Henley Passport Index and get a score of 0.

Visas Versus Passport Checks

While having any form of visa-free access simplifies international travel, sparing travelers from the administrative and often costly burden of applying for visas, it does not mean unrestricted entry. It is important to remember that all travelers, regardless of visa requirements, must still have an official travel document, such as a passport that will be checked at the point of entry, and that immigration authorities can still deny entry at their discretion.

In some countries, passport checks are becoming digitized and automated and may require additional input from the traveler. For example, all travelers to Singapore are required to complete the Singapore Arrival Card three days before arriving in Singapore as part of the automated arrivals process.

The automated Entry/Exit System that has been introduced across Europe ahead of the launch of ETIAS is another example. It is a requirement for all non-EU travelers, regardless of visa requirements, and will capture passport details as well as traveler biometrics, in place of a traditional passport stamp.

The Henley Passport Index Visa-Free Score: How Visa-Free Access Is Ranked

In the Henley Passport Index, each passport is ranked according to the number of destinations it can access visa-free, or its visa-free score.

All scores are binary, (visa-free = 1 or visa required = 0), with no additional weighting or calculations applied and passports that achieve the same total score are assigned the same rank. When two or more passports share a rank, the passport with the next lowest score receives the next consecutive rank number, regardless of how many passports occupy the rank above.

By assigning the next consecutive rank number to the subsequent passport, regardless of how many share the rank above, the Index maintains a continuous and intuitively comprehensible ranking sequence. This prevents artificial inflation of rank positions and preserves the logical relationship between scores and ranks. Skipping ranks, by contrast, would imply a performance gap that does not exist — suggesting unwarranted differentiation between passports with a difference in score of just 1 point.

Maintaining continuous ranks provides a more accurate representation of the actual distribution of global mobility and ensures clarity and comparability across reporting periods. This method ensures that the Henley Passport Index remains statistically coherent, easy to interpret, and faithful to the underlying data distribution.

Tracking 199 passports and 227 different travel destinations, the Henley Passport Index uses over 45,000 data points to give a snapshot of the complexities of international travel. Visa-free access is a dynamic and shifting space that is constantly in flux due to changes in immigration policies, international relations, and geopolitical shifts. The index aims to shed some light on this complexity and provide a useful tool for those who are interested in international travel.