UAE passport ranked world's strongest again in 2026 index

The UAE has retained its position as the world's most powerful passport in the 2026 Passport Index published by Arton Capital, ranking first globally for travel freedom and outperforming passports from many of the world's leading economies.

The Emirati passport achieved an overall mobility score of 182, allowing holders to travel to 138 countries without a visa, obtain a visa on arrival in 44 destinations, and requiring a pre-arranged visa for only 16 countries.

France and Spain shared second place in the annual index, while Singapore, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, Austria, Malaysia, Norway and Ireland ranked jointly in third. Malta, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, South Korea and Japan followed in fourth place.

The Passport Index measures a country's Global Mobility Score, assessing the number of destinations passport holders can enter through visa-free access, visas on arrival and electronic travel authorisations or e-visas issued within three working days. 

The methodology covers 199 travel destinations, including the 193 UN member states and six territories.

Arton Capital said the index is compiled independently using data collected directly from official government sources and updated in real time.

Where countries achieve identical mobility scores and visa-access profiles, the ranking is determined using the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Index, ensuring each passport is assigned a unique global position based on both mobility and national development indicators.