Mohsin Naqvi delighted as Pakistan passport’s global ranking improves

Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi on Thursday hailed Pakistan’s latest achievement on the global stage after the national passport rose from 103rd to 98th place in the Henley Passport Index, marking one of its strongest placements in recent years.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the minister, in a tweet, termed the improvement a landmark development and vowed that the government would continue efforts to enhance Pakistan’s global mobility ranking.

The Henley Passport Index 2026 shows that Pakistan now has visa-free, visa-on-arrival (VOA) or Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) access to 31 destinations worldwide.

The advancement reflects expanding diplomatic outreach and new international agreements that are facilitating greater travel freedom for Pakistani nationals.

Pakistani passport holders can now visit 31 destinations across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Oceania without the need for a traditional visa, making leisure, business and short-term travel considerably easier.

Destinations offering visa-free entry include Barbados, Dominica, Haiti, Micronesia, Montserrat, Rwanda, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu. Countries providing visa-on-arrival access include Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Nepal, Niue, Palau Islands, Qatar, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, and Tuvalu. The nations offering eTA access are Kenya, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka.

These additions offer Pakistani travellers access to tropical beaches, African savannahs, South Asian cultural hubs and Pacific island nations, reducing administrative hurdles and broadening global mobility options.

To support this increasing travel freedom, Pakistan last year introduced a Digital Integrated Dashboard enabling real-time monitoring of passport applications, printing, and delivery.

The national passport also underwent a significant redesign, incorporating cultural and historical landmarks from all four provinces.

The modernised layout blends enhanced security features with artistic elements, showcasing Pakistan’s heritage in line with international design standards.

Global rankings remain dominated by Asian and European nations. Singapore maintains its position as the world’s strongest passport for the third consecutive year, offering visa-free access to 192 destinations. J

apan and South Korea follow with 188, while Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland share third place with access to 186 destinations.

Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates form the top five. The United States slipped to tenth place, offering access to 179 destinations.