How to Check Your Passport’s Strength (Step-by-Step Guide)

Checking your passport’s strength is one of the most effective ways to understand your international mobility—and the process is now quick, digital, and backed by real-time data. Whether you want to evaluate travel opportunities, plan visa-free routes, or compare your passport’s ranking globally, tools like the Henley Passport Index, Passport Index by Arton Capital, and Global Citizen Solutions’ Global Passport Index make it simple.

This detailed step-by-step guide explains how to check your passport’s strength in 2025, interpret your score, and use it to optimize business, travel, or residency planning.​

Step 1: Understand What “Passport Strength” Really Means

A passport’s strength refers to the number of destinations its holder can enter without a pre-arranged visa. These include:

• Visa-free access: Entry without any visa required.

• Visa-on-arrival: Visa obtained upon entry into the destination.

• Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): Online pre-authorizations processed before travel.

Each of these entry types contributes to a “mobility score.” The more destinations that grant easy entry, the stronger the passport.​

Why Mobility Scores Matter

Mobility scores are more than a travel statistic; they also affect:

• Ease of business: Faster visa access for meetings and deals.

• Travel freedom for digital nomads: Fewer bureaucratic barriers.

• Residency and citizenship planning: Choosing where to invest or relocate.

Indexes like Henley, Arton, and VisaGuide use official aviation and immigration data—primarily from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)—making them the gold standard in passport comparison.​

Step 2: Choose a Reliable Passport Ranking Source

In 2025, several passport ranking platforms provide real-time global data. The three most trusted sources are:

Other valuable secondary databases include VisaGuide.World Passport Index, Guide Passport Index, and Nomad Passport Index, which incorporate lifestyle and residency benefits alongside mobility.​

Step 3: Check Your Passport on the Henley Passport Index

Step-by-Step:

1. Visit henleyglobal.com/passport-index.

2. Enter your country in the search bar or scroll through the alphabetical list.

3. Read the mobility score displayed next to your passport’s image.

4. Find your global rank. Each score corresponds to the number of destinations accessible visa-free or via visa-on-arrival.

5. Explore detailed insights. By clicking your country, you can view:

   • Total destinations accessible

   • Trend over recent years

   • Comparative ranking versus peers or neighbors

Example (2025):

• Ireland and Germany: Access to 189 destinations (Rank 3).

• Singapore: 193 destinations (Rank 1).

• U.S.: 182 destinations (Rank 12, first time outside top 10).

The Henley system counts identical scores as shared ranks, and is updated quarterly using IATA’s Timatic database.​

Step 4: Use the Arton Capital “Passport Index” for Live Comparisons

The Passport Index by Arton Capital (passportindex.org) offers real-time mobility tracking across 199 passports.

Step-by-Step:

1. Go to passportindex.org.

2. On the homepage, you’ll see a global map and a “Rank by Mobility Score” list.

3. Type your country in the search bar to see your mobility score.

4. Click the “Compare” tab to assess up to four passports side-by-side.​

5. Review the breakdown:

   • Visa-free destinations

   • Visa-on-arrival and eTA access

   • Required visas and restricted countries

The platform’s Mobility Score (MS) is calculated by combining:

• Visa-free destinations (highest weight)

• Visa-on-arrival and eTA destinations

• Human Development Index (HDI) adjustments for socioeconomic context.​

Example:

If your passport has visa-free access to 140 destinations, visa-on-arrival to 30, and eTA for 10, its Mobility Score (MS) will be 180. Countries with similar MS are ranked further using their HDI to distinguish development-driven global privilege.​

Step 5: Analyze the Global Passport Index (Advanced Mobility Score)

The Global Passport Index by Global Citizen Solutions stands out for those who view passports as investment or relocation tools.

It combines three sub-scores:

1. Enhanced Mobility Index (EMI) – counts visa-free and visa-on-arrival access.

2. Investment Index (II) – rates business and foreign ownership policies.

3. Quality of Life Index (QLI) – measures sustainability, safety, education, and human rights.​

Step-by-Step:

1. Visit globalcitizensolutions.com/global-passport-index.

2. Enter your passport country.

3. Read your composite score, which averages the three indices.

4. Use comparison filters to explore other passports or simulate dual citizenship combinations.

This method helps entrepreneurs, investors, and digital nomads assess not only travel access but also national appeal for relocation and business development.​

Step 6: Compare Historical Data and Trend Changes

For a deeper understanding, evaluate how your passport has evolved over time. Historical ranking analysis shows whether your country’s diplomatic network is expanding or contracting.

Where to Check:

• Henley Historical Charts: Within each passport profile, scroll to see yearly ranking data since 2006.​

• Passport Index Trend Tab: Displays how your score changes monthly when new visa agreements are signed.​

• Guide Passport Index Reports: Offers neutral historical comparison for all 199 passports.​

Example:

India ranked 71st in 2006 but 85th in 2025, reflecting gradual but inconsistent diplomatic progress. Meanwhile, European countries (Germany, Sweden, Finland) maintained steady top positions due to regional alignment.​

Step 7: Interpret What the Rankings Mean for You

Passport indexes don’t just offer numbers—they reveal the geopolitical, economic, and diplomatic realities affecting travel and opportunity.

The Rankings Reflect:

• Bilateral visa policies: Reciprocity agreements can boost or weaken scores.

• Global stability and security measures: Countries under sanctions or travel bans often drop.

• Economic partnerships: EU and ASEAN members usually benefit from shared travel privileges.

• Governance credibility: Lower risks of overstays or asylum abuse improve a passport’s reputation.

For example, EU and Schengen passports dominate global mobility rankings (188–191 destinations), while the U.S. and U.K. have experienced declines due to stricter visa reciprocity and post-Brexit policy shifts.​

Step 8: Use Comparison Tools for Personal Strategy

Planning Multi-Country Trips:

Platforms like Passport Index allow you to highlight visa overlaps, showing where multiple citizenships offer maximum flexibility.​

Residency or Citizenship Planning:

• Use the Global Passport Index to identify countries offering stronger travel and investment potential.​

• Consider citizenship-by-investment pathways (CBI/RBI programs) listed under European and Caribbean programs for mobility upgrades.​

Business Applications:

Frequent travelers can evaluate visa efficiency in trade hubs such as Singapore, Dubai, or Brussels—using your passport’s score to optimize logistics and compliance time.

Step 9: Verify Real-Time Changes

Global mobility is dynamic. Changes in foreign policy, border management, or international relations can instantly shift a passport’s strength.

How to Stay Updated:

• Subscribe to Henley Passport Index quarterly reports.

• Follow Passport Index for live mobility score changes (Arton updates weekly).

• Set alerts for new trade or visa treaties on your government’s foreign affairs site.​

For investors or travel professionals, monitoring these changes enables strategic adaptation—especially when planning residency or citizenship diversification.

Step 10: Interpreting Key Formulas Used in Rankings

Different indexes use distinct formulas, but common components include:

Understanding these formulas helps users analyze why two passports with similar visa-free counts may still rank differently—high HDI countries usually score higher in global reliability and access.​

Step 11: Combine Insights for a Holistic Mobility Profile

Your passport rank isn’t just about border access. Combine Henley’s data (visa access), Arton’s (real-time trends), and Global Citizen Solutions’ (economic value) to build a complete personal mobility strategy.​

For frequent travelers or investors:

• Use Henley to measure strategic travel freedom.

• Use Arton to monitor dynamic geopolitical shifts.

• Use Global Citizen Solutions to assess life-quality integration.

Step 12: Keep Documentation Updated

To maximize passport benefits, ensure:

• At least six months’ validity on your passport before international entry.

• Digital security chips and biometric data updated according to ICAO standards.

• Proper multiple-entry visas or eTAs obtained for any “limited access” destinations.

Border control systems like the upcoming EU Entry/Exit System (EES) require valid biometric identification for travel between Schengen and third countries.​

Conclusion: Knowledge is Mobility

Knowing your passport’s strength empowers smarter planning, whether for business, study, or lifestyle migration. By using authoritative indexes—Henley for accuracy, Passport Index for interactivity, and Global Passport Index for depth—you can benchmark your global access, monitor changes, and make informed citizenship or residency decisions.

In 2025, where mobility equals opportunity, understanding your passport’s ranking is not just about travel freedom—it’s about shaping your global footprint with knowledge and strategy.