Passport Rankings Disagree: How to Read Henley, Arton and the Numbers Behind Them
ByMulti Mulk Newsdesk·Published on:·6 min read
Anyone comparing second passports will quickly meet a problem: the headline numbers do not agree. Depending on the index, the publication and the month, the world's strongest passport is Singapore's or the UAE's, the UAE is placed anywhere from second to fifth, and the Turkish passport sits somewhere between 46th and 51st. None of these sources is necessarily wrong. They measure different things at different dates. This note sets out what the main rankings say in 2026, where they diverge, and how an investor should use them.
What the 2026 Henley figures show
The Henley Passport Index, compiled by Henley & Partners from International Air Transport Association data, ranks 199 passports against 227 destinations, according to VisasNews. Its January 2026 edition, as reported by Voyages d'Affaires, put Singapore first with 192 destinations, Japan and South Korea joint second on 188, and a group of five European states on 186. The same report placed the UAE fifth on 184, the United Kingdom seventh on 182 and the United States tenth on 179.
Later updates moved the middle of the table. VisasNews reports that the April 2026 update, dated 13 April, left Singapore on 192 and lifted the UAE to joint second with Japan and South Korea. It gave that group 187 destinations. A July-dated summary on Visual Capitalist shows the same trio on 188. Those two secondary sources differ by one destination, which is typical of a list that is revised continuously.
Why Henley and Arton give different winners
The Arton Capital index tells a different story. CNN reported in October 2025 that Arton's Global Passport Power Rank placed the UAE first on a score of 179, with Singapore and Spain tied second on 175. One 2026 summary from Ancova cites a UAE score of 182 on Arton's measure, again ahead of Singapore and Spain on 175.
The difference lies in what each index counts. Ancova describes Arton's score as adding visa-on-arrival access and electronic travel authorisations to visa-free entry. Several other 2026 pages describe Henley's treatment of visa-on-arrival and electronic authorisations differently from one another, and some say they are counted while a pre-approved e-Visa is not. We would not rely on any of those secondary summaries for the exact rule. The practical lesson is simple: two indexes can rank the same passport very differently because they define "access" differently, so compare like with like.
A third point matters for families who travel for business. A high score does not describe the experience at the border. VisasNews notes that an index is a useful indicator but does not replace official checks before travel. Permitted length of stay, onward-ticket rules and registration requirements all sit outside the headline number.
The long-run picture: Gulf up, West flatter
The most useful reading of the rankings is the trend rather than a single month. Voyages d'Affaires, quoting Henley's own commentary, says the US and UK were jointly first in 2014 and both have lost ground since. It adds that the US returned to the top 10 in January after briefly leaving it at the end of 2025. CNN reported that the October 2025 edition had the US outside the top 10 for the first time in the index's history, tied 12th with Malaysia.
Visual Capitalist, citing Henley & Partners, says the UAE has added 153 visa-free destinations over 20 years. Another 2026 summary from Ancova puts the gain at about 149 destinations and a climb of roughly 57 places. The two figures differ, but both point the same way. The UAE's rise was driven, in that account, by diplomatic agreements rather than geography.
Voyages d'Affaires also reports that, in Henley's analysis, the US passport gives access to 179 destinations while the US admits visa-free entry to only 46 nationalities. That reciprocity gap is a reminder that outward mobility and inward access are separate questions, and that visa policy is set by governments that can change it.
Where the Turkish passport sits
For readers weighing Turkish citizenship by investment, the first thing to know is that published figures vary. Pages we reviewed place the passport at 46th, 49th, 51st or 52nd on Henley's table, with scores of 112 to 114 destinations. Some of that spread is real movement between editions. Some is the result of pages that were last updated months ago.
A September 2026 summary on Imtilak Real Estate gives 49th place and 112 destinations, counting visa-free entry, visa on arrival and electronic travel authorisations. It also notes that visas are still required for the Schengen area, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. That is a property-industry source rather than Henley itself, so treat the figure as indicative. The Schengen point is covered on our page Does a Turkish passport give Schengen access?
Against that, a Turkish passport is still a large step up for holders of weaker documents. Ancova cites January 2026 Henley figures of about 88 destinations for Saudi Arabia, 111 for Qatar and 96 for Kuwait. It puts Caribbean investment passports at roughly 145 to 155, with St Kitts and Nevis around 155. These are again secondary figures, but they show the range an investor is choosing between. Our Türkiye versus Caribbean comparison sets out how the programmes differ beyond travel scores.
How to use a ranking in a real decision
A ranking is a starting point. Before relying on one, it helps to work through a few questions.
- Where do you actually travel? A passport that scores well overall may add little if your trips are concentrated in a few countries you can already enter.
- Which index, and which date? Name both. Treat undated figures with caution.
- What does the score include? Check whether visa on arrival and electronic authorisations are counted, and whether your key destinations need pre-approval.
- What else does the passport bring? Residence rights, tax consequences, military service rules and whether your current country allows dual nationality can matter more than a few extra destinations. Our second passport page outlines these considerations.
- How stable is the access? Visa waivers can be granted or withdrawn at short notice, as the 2025 and 2026 movements for the US and the UAE show.
What this means for investors
The strongest conclusion the data supports is modest. Passport power is shifting: Gulf and Asian passports have gained, and the older Western leaders have drifted down from their 2014 peak. For someone holding a passport with limited access, a second nationality can change travel considerably. The size of that change depends on the specific passport, the date of the ranking and the way the index is built.
Programme rules, thresholds and processing practice also change, and a ranking does not tell you whether you would qualify. If you are considering a second passport, a residence permit or a property purchase linked to either, speak to an adviser about your own circumstances. You can start through our contact page or the Turkish citizenship eligibility review. Nothing here is a guarantee of approval, timing or outcome.
Sources
- VisasNews — Most “powerful” passports in 2026: the ranking has just been updated
- Voyages d'Affaires — Henley Passport Index: the 2026 ranking
- Visual Capitalist — The World’s Strongest and Weakest Passports in 2026
- CNN — US drops out of world’s most powerful passport top 10 list for the first time
- Ancova — The World's Most Powerful Passports in 2026, Ranked
- Imtilak Real Estate — Turkish passport visa free countries in 2026
Cover photo: ClickerHappy on Pixabay.
