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In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.