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How many countries can Brits visit without a visa?

Kalila Sangster
Updated ·2-min read
Mexican map with thousands of peso notes ready for going on vacation.
The UK came in at number eight in a ranking of the most powerful passports in the world. (Getty)

The power of the UK passport has fallen to its lowest position since world rankings began in 2006, and yet Britons can visit 184 countries across the world without a visa. The same as US, Norway, Greece, and Belgium – who along with the UK came in at number eight in the ranking.

Holders of these passports do not need any prior visa to visit 184 countries, though the list also includes countries that grant e-visas or visas on arrival.

The Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a visa, based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

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The UK passport took the top spot as the world’s most powerful in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015, but began to slip after the EU referendum to third place in 2016, fourth in 2017, fifth in 2018 and sixth in 2019.

The most powerful passport in the world in 2020 belongs to Japan — Japanese passport holders can visit 191 countries visa-free.

Read more: The world's most liveable cities revealed

Singapore fell one place to number two, with visa-free access to 190 countries. Germany and South Korea came joint third, able to visit 189 destinations without a visa.

Finland and Italy tied at number four and Denmark, Luxembourg, and Spain came in at number five.

Holders of Afghanistan’s passport have the least travel freedom in the world, with the ability to travel to just 26 countries without a visa.

Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Pakistan, and Yemen also ranked within the bottom five. Indian passport holders meanwhile can visit 58 countries without needing a prior visa.

Ranked: world’s top 10 most powerful passports:

  1. Japan — access to 191 countries visa-free

  2. Singapore — 190

  3. Germany and South Korea — 189

  4. Finland and Italy — 188

  5. Denmark, Luxembourg, and Spain — 187

  6. France and Sweden — 186

  7. Austria, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland — 185

  8. Belgium, Greece, Norway, UK, and US — 184

  9. Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Malta, and New Zealand — 183

  10. Hungary, Lithuania, and Slovakia — 181

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