UAE passport ranked world’s most powerful in 2026 Passport Index

The UAE passport is the most powerful in the world in the 2026 Passport Index, Gulf News reported, citing the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

Emirati citizens can access 182 destinations without a traditional visa in advance.

The ranking, developed by Arton Capital, reflects the UAE’s global standing and international confidence.

Which passport is the most powerful in the world in 2026?

The UAE passport ranks first in the 2026 Passport Index with a mobility score of 182. Singapore and Malaysia share second place with 175 destinations each, and Spain is third with 174. The UAE leads the second-placed pair by seven destinations and Spain by eight.

What does the UAE passport score of 182 include?

The UAE passport’s mobility score is made up of two groups of destinations. A total of 138 are visa-free, and 44 offer other qualifying simplified entry arrangements.

A further 16 destinations fall outside those categories.

How do the top 10 passports compare?

A large group of countries shares fourth place with 173 destinations each. They include Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Croatia, Norway, Ireland and Japan.

Malta, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia and South Korea share fifth place with 172. Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Lithuania are sixth with 171.

The United Kingdom and Cyprus share seventh place with 170. Canada, Liechtenstein and New Zealand are eighth with 169. Australia and Iceland are ninth with 168, and the United States ranks tenth with 167.

How does the Passport Index calculate its rankings?

Arton Capital developed the Passport Index to measure the travel freedom each passport offers. Scores are based on the number of destinations holders can reach without securing a conventional visa beforehand.

Unlike rankings that are updated periodically, the index works as a real-time platform. It revises its figures when countries introduce new visa exemptions or change entry requirements.

The index covers passports from 193 UN member states and six additional territories: Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, the Palestinian Territory and Vatican City. That brings the total to 199.

Each score counts access without a visa, visas on arrival, electronic travel authorizations and e-visas issued within three days.

When passports have identical scores, the ranking looks at their visa-free and visa-on-arrival sections. The UN Development Program’s 2018 Human Development Index is used as a further tie-breaker.