Indian passport holders: Good news! Now Indian passport holders can enter 59 countries visa-free – See full list

India has made a big jump to reach 77th position in the Henley Passport Index. Earlier India was at 85th position. This jump in India’s ranking has come due to Indian passport holders getting visa-free entry to 59 destinations of the world.

Henley Passport Index: India has made the biggest jump in the Henley Passport Index. India has moved up from 85th place to 77th in the last six months. The index ranks the world’s most powerful passports based on how many countries a country’s passport holder can enter without a visa. India’s jump is part of a trend in recent years where traditionally powerful countries such as the US and the United Kingdom are on the decline and others such as India and Saudi Arabia are steadily moving upward.

Impact of US-UK policies

Dr Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners, said this is the result of new patterns of migration influenced by changing US and UK policies. “Americans now lead the way in seeking alternative residency and citizenship options worldwide, and British citizens are also among the top five worldwide. As the US and UK pursue inward-looking policies, we are seeing a significant increase in their citizens’ desire for global access and security,” Steffen was quoted as saying in a press release.

Singapore’s passport is the most powerful

According to the passport index, Singapore still remains the most powerful passport in the world. Its citizens can get visa-free entry to 193 out of 227 destinations in the world. Whereas, Afghanistan remains the worst passport in the world, where visa-free access is available to only 25 destinations in 25 countries.

How India’s position improved

India has reached 77th place in the passport index and has visa-free access to 59 destinations. The main reason for this is the weakness of the US and UK passports. Stephen, CEO of Henley, said that the status of a country’s passport reflects its influence in diplomacy and international relations. Stephen said, “Your passport is no longer just a travel document – it is a reflection of your country’s diplomatic influence and international relations.”

Saudi rises, US-UK slips

Saudi Arabia has made the biggest jump in the passport index in the last six months and added four more destinations to its visa-free list. On the other hand, both the US and Britain have slipped one place each. Britain is in sixth place and the United States is in tenth place. Henley & Partners said in a release that the United States is at risk of dropping out of the top 10 countries for the first time.

Two new countries added to the visa-free travel list are the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Visa-free travel list for Indians:

  • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
  • St. Lucia
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Zimbabwe
  • Sri Lanka
  • Vanuatu
  • Somalia
  • Sierra Leone
  • Seychelles
  • Senegal
  • Tuvalu
  • Samoa
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Qatar
  • Timor-Leste
  • Rwanda
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Philippines
  • Madagascar
  • Haiti
  • Macao (SAR China)
  • Dominica
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Djibouti
  • Grenada
  • Cook Islands
  • Laos
  • Kiribati
  • Kenya
  • Kazakhstan
  • Comoro Islands
  • Jordan
  • Fiji
  • Jamaica
  • Cape Verde Islands
  • Ethiopia
  • Cambodia
  • Iran
  • Indonesia
  • Burundi
  • Angola
  • Barbados
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritius
  • Micronesia
  • Mongolia
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Niue
  • Palau Islands

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