When you’re travelling abroad, you might be focused on checking if your passport is valid and packed in your luggage but have you ever wondered what the most powerful passport in the world is?

The Henley Passport Index compares and ranks the “visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations.”

In the index, the countries which don’t need a visa are given a score of 1 as well as those countries where you can get a visa on arrival or a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.

Countries which require a visa or where a passport holder has to get an e-Visa before their departure are given a score of 0, according to the Henley Passport Index website.

The website adds: “This also applies if you need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival.

“The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required (value = 1).”

Which passport is the most powerful in the world in 2023?

The Henley Passport Index is updated quarterly and currently shows Singapore as having the most powerful passport in the world.

Here are the global passport rankings at the time of writing along with the score given (up to a score of 20).

You can keep up to date with the index via the website.

Passports with a score of 1:

  • Singapore

Passports with a score of 2:

  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Spain

Passports with a score of 3:

  • Austria
  • Finland
  • France
  • Japan
  • Luxembourg
  • South Korea
  • Sweden

Passports with a score of 4:

  • Denmark
  • Ireland
  • Netherlands
  • United Kingdom

Passports with a score of 5:

  • Belgium
  • Czech Republic
  • Malta
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Portugal
  • Switzerland

Passports with a score of 6:

  • Australia
  • Hungary
  • Poland

Romford Recorder: The most powerful passport in the world is currently SingaporeThe most powerful passport in the world is currently Singapore (Image: Getty Images)

Passports with a score of 7:

  • Canada
  • Greece

Passports with a score of 8:

  • Lithuania
  • United States

Passports with a score of 9:

  • Latvia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia

Passports with a score of 10:

  • Estonia
  • Iceland

Passports with a score of 11:

  • Liechtenstein
  • Malaysia

Passports with a score of 12:

  • Cyprus
  • United Arab Emirates

Passports with a score of 13:

  • Bulgaria
  • Monaco
  • Romania

Passports with a score of 14:

  • Croatia

Passports with a score of 15:

  • Chile

Passports with a score of 16:

  • San Marino

Passports with a score of 17:

  • Andorra
  • Hong Kong

Passports with a score of 18:

  • Argentina

Passports with a score of 19:

  • Brazil

Passports with a score of 20:

  • Brunei

You can find the full Henley Passport Index and the current rankings listed via the website.