Powerful Passports.
The International Air Transport Authority (IATA), which forms the basis of the Passport Index. In order to maintain the accuracy of the data provided by IATA in the face of constant updates to visa policy, and in order to create detailed visa lists for all 199 passports in our database , our research team uses publicly available and reliable online sources to cross-check each passport against all 227 possible travel destinations. This research process is ongoing throughout the year. It is coupled with a rigorous monitoring system to pick up relevant visa-policy shifts. This index is basically an analysis of the worlds powerful passports.
Conditions and criteria for Powerful Passports
For each travel destination, if no visa is required for passport holders from a country or territory, then a score with value = 1 is created for that passport. A score with value = 1 is also applied if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination. These visa-types require no pre-departure government approval, because of the specific visa-waiver programs in place. These passports are amongst the world’s powerful passports as their holders have more travel freedom.
Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder has to obtain a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) before departure, a score with value = 0 is assigned. A score with value = 0 is also assigned if passport holders need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival, a scenario we do not consider ‘visa-free’.
The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required (value = 1), under the conditions defined above.
The index assumes the following when classifying passports as Powerful Passports
The passport is valid.
The passport is ‘normal’ rather than diplomatic, emergency, or temporary.
The passport holder is an adult citizen of the issuing country, traveling alone rather than in a tourist group.
The passport holder meets all the basic requirements for entry (for example, holding a hotel reservation or having proof of sufficient funds).
The passport holder does not meet any complex requirements for entry (for example, possessing a government-issued letter).
The passport holder has had all the necessary inoculations or vaccination.
The passport holder is arriving at and departing from the same airport.
The passport holder is seeking a short stay rather than a transit stay in the destination country or territory.
The duration of the short stay is between three days and several months.
The port of entry is a major city or capital, in cases where this is required.
Entry to the destination country is for tourist or business purposes.
Glossary
Visa-free: You do not need a visa to enter these destinations
Visa on arrival: You need a visa to enter these destinations, but you can apply for and receive the visa upon arrival at the airport (no pre-departure approval necessary)
e-Visa: You need a visa to enter these
destinations, but you can apply for it online, and the visa you receive is electronic (pre-departure approval necessary)
Visa required: You need a traditional visa to enter these destinations, and you need to apply for it in person
Visa-free score: The total number of destinations for which you do not require a visa
Visa list: The list of destinations that a specific passport can access visa-free, with an electronic visa (e-Visa), with a visa on arrival, or with a traditional visa. The most powerful passports have more visa free travel destinations
