Canada Listed Among the World’s Top 10 Most Powerful Passports for 2026

Henley & Partners has released its latest global passport rankings, with Canada continuing to rank among the world’s top 10 most powerful passports.

According to the January 2026 Henley Passport Index, Canada is placed eighth out of nearly 200 passports worldwide, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 181 destinations. Canada once again ranks ahead of the United States, whose passport secured the tenth position this year.

Global Top 10 Passport Rankings for 2026

A total of 38 passports appear in the top 10 rankings due to multiple ties across most positions, except for first, ninth and tenth place. European countries dominate the list, accounting for 29 of the top-ranking passports.

Canada shares its eighth-place position with Iceland and Lithuania, with all three countries receiving the same “visa score,” which reflects the number of destinations passport holders can access without obtaining a visa in advance.

Canada’s position has fluctuated over the past year. The passport ranked seventh in early 2025, moved to eighth mid-year, dropped to ninth by the end of 2025 and has now climbed back to eighth place in the latest index.

The top three rankings in 2026 are led by Asian passports. Singapore continues to hold the top position, allowing visa-free access to 192 destinations. South Korea and Japan now share second place, while third place is jointly held by five European countries, each offering visa-free travel to 186 destinations.

These third-place countries include Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, all of which improved their rankings compared to the previous year.

US Passport Shows Recovery but Faces Long-Term Decline

The US passport has returned to the top 10 after falling to 12th place last year, its first time outside the top 10 in more than 20 years. Despite this rebound, Henley & Partners reports that the US experienced its steepest annual decline in visa-free access over the past year and remains among the countries with the largest long-term ranking drops.

Although US passport holders can travel visa-free to 179 destinations, the country grants visa-free entry to citizens of only 46 nations. This places the United States 78th out of 199 countries on the Henley Openness Index, highlighting a significant imbalance between outbound mobility and inbound openness.

At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan remains ranked last for another year, with visa-free access to just 24 destinations.

Methodology

The Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and evaluates 199 passports across 227 global destinations. Each passport is assigned a visa score based on the number of destinations that can be accessed without obtaining a visa beforehand.

Visa-free access includes destinations offering visa-free entry, visas on arrival, visitor permits or electronic travel authorizations (eTAs). Destinations requiring a visa or e-visa prior to travel are excluded from the total.

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