UAE passport is second strongest globally, reveals latest rankings

The UAE passport jumped 8 ranks to secure the second position globally and first in the Middle East in the 2026 Henley & Partners Passport Index, allowing its holder to visit 187 destinations without a visa.

It is worth noting that over the past ten years, the UAE passport's ranking has risen by 36 positions, from 38th place in 2016, and now ranks alongside the passports of Japan and South Korea.

The study conducted by Henley & Partners ranks the world's passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a prior visa, based on official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

In the global ranking of passports, Singapore holds the first position globally as the world's strongest passport, allowing its holder to enter 192 countries without a visa, followed by the UAE, Japan, and South Korea in the second place, then Sweden in third place, and Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland in fourth place, followed by Austria, Greece, Malta, and Portugal in fifth place globally.