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Earlier this year, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (52), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements like the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.