The UAE passport has ranked second on the Henley & Partners Passport Index for 2026, giving holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 188 destinations worldwide. The UAE shares the position with Japan and South Korea, while Singapore leads the index with access to 192 destinations.
The trajectory is as notable as the ranking itself. When the index launched in 2006, the UAE passport sat in a mid-table position. It has since added 153 destinations to its visa-free list, one of the steepest climbs recorded by any country over the index’s history.
Henley & Partners chairman Dr. Christian Kaelin said passport strength has become a primary measure of a country’s geopolitical weight, adding that the most powerful passports typically belong to countries that function as hubs for investment, trade, and security partnerships.
The 2026 report also recorded a broader improvement in global travel freedom. The average number of destinations accessible without a visa has risen from 58 twenty years ago to 108 in 2026, a shift the index attributed to expanding bilateral agreements despite a period of rising geopolitical tension.
