🔗 Share this article

Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected 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.

The Indian government has not commented on the report so far.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, India's passport ranking.