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In recent months, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means 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 – the year the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, 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 count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the US passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.