US passport no longer ranked as most powerful
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The US passport has fallen to 12th place in the 2025 Henley Passport Index, losing visa-free access to several countries. Singapore now holds the top spot for strongest passports.
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US passports are arranged for a photograph in Tigard, Ore., on Dec. 11, 2021 (AP)
The US passport has reached its lowest strength ever, based on Henley and Partners, who reported that it is no longer ranked among the top ten most powerful travel documents.
Henley and Partners describes itself as a global leader in residence and citizenship planning, provides its services to wealthy individuals and their advisers, and has also developed the Henley Passport Index.
Henley and Partners said in a press release that "for the first time since the Henley Passport Index was created 20 years ago, the United States is no longer ranked amongst the world’s Top 10 most powerful passports."
"Once unrivalled at No.1 in 2014, the American passport has now slumped to 12th place, tied with Malaysia, with visa-free access to only 180 of 227 destinations worldwide," the firm added.
According to the press release, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan now make up the top three, with their passports respectively providing visa-free access to 193, 190, and 189 countries.
"The decline of the US passport and its most recent drop from 10th to 12th position on the index has been driven by a series of access changes. The loss of visa-free access to Brazil in April due to a lack of reciprocity, and the US being left out of China’s rapidly expanding visa-free list, marked the start of its downward slide," the press release added.
The US passport was dealt its "final blow" after Somalia launched its eVisa system and Vietnam opted to exclude the United States from its latest visa-free additions.
