The World's Most Powerful Passports of 2025 Are Also Some of the Prettiest

Every year, the Henley Passport Index studies travel around the world to create a list of the most powerful passports you can hold. It’s a globally recognized ranking system that looks at how many destinations each passport allows the holder to visit without a pre-approved visa. It’s based on data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and supplemented by ongoing research, and reflects not just practical traveler data, but broader global trends in freedom of movement and international partnership.

 

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The first rankings of 2025 are out, and there aren’t too many surprises. Singapore’s passport ranked as the most powerful passport for the second year in a row, and Japan dropped to second after spending the last seven years winning the title of world’s most powerful passport. (Countries can be tied in the rankings). France, Finland, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Spain all tied with the third most powerful passport in the world, and several countries tied for fourth, all swept by Europe: Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

The US ranked 29th on the list but was ranked as the ninth most powerful passport in the world, tied with Estonia. It reflects a steady decline since 2016. That could be related to several causes, including the US’s perceived political unwillingness to participate in global agreements (for example, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord or the Iran Nuclear Deal), political rhetoric emphasizing “America First” that may be perceived as  hostile to other countries, and reciprocation for the US’s stricter immigration and travel rules, which included complete bans on citizens from several nations.

There are 199 countries in the world that can issue passports, creating extreme variety when it comes to design, images, color scheme, and more. But interestingly, the word’s most powerful passports are also some of the most beautiful — perhaps indicating the designers at a government level know people around the world will be admiring their designs.

Here’s what each of the most powerful passports in the world looks like in 2025.

1. Singapore

Singapore passport holders get access to 195 countries around the world without the need to secure a visa in advance. And that means your chances are high of seeing one of the country’s passports in the wild. It’s recognizable for its vivid red cover. Inside, there are full-page images of recognizable landmarks spread across the open pages, such as Gardens by the Bay, Marina Barrage, and the Botanic Gardens, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designed in 2017.

2. Japan

Japan holds the second position, granting its citizens access to 193 destinations without prior visa approval. It’s not just one of the most powerful passports in the world but also one of the most elegant, with a deep red cover with the national emblem (a chrysanthemum) embossed in gold. The interior pages showcase traditional Japanese art and landscapes, such as cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji, rendered in subtle tones. They’re all by Katsushika Hokusai, a well-known expert in woodblock art, called ukiyo-e. At the end of 2024, Japan introduced new passports with a plastic photo/ID page, but the design is the same otherwise.

3. Italy

Italy also ranks third and, like all EU passports (except for Croatia), is red. The cover has the national emblem (a five-pointed star encircled by a cogwheel and olive branches) pressed in shiny gold on the front. The inside cover has a purple image of a famous Roman statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback, which is replicated, along with artistic representations of other sides, in faded colors on the blank pages for stamps.

3. Germany, France, and Spain

Like Italy’s passports, the German passport has a deep red cover and a gold-embossed federal eagle on the cover, symbolizing the nation’s unity and freedom. Inside, an interior page has a colorful image of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate — but you can only see it using a special light, which helps prevent counterfeiting.

The Spanish passport features a burgundy cover, consistent with the EU standard, displaying the Royal Coat of Arms of Spain and inscriptions in Spanish: “Unión Europea,” “España,” and “Pasaporte.” Inside, one page has an image of a Spanish aerocar, designed by Leonardo Torres Quevedo. It’s an early predecessor to cable cars, designed in 1915. The French passport is similar, with the French emblem on the front and interior pages showing islands and regions of France.

3. Finland

Uusi #passi ja #henkilökortti otetaan käyttöön vuodenvaihteessa. Ulkoasun pääosassa on pohjoinen luonto tuntureineen ja lumihiutaleineen. pic.twitter.com/v4ijnV0UGq

— Suomen poliisi (@SuomenPoliisi) November 28, 2016

Finland has one of the most powerful passports in the world, and one of the prettiest, with beautiful images from the Finnish Archipelago Sea splashed across the blank stamp pages. Inside, under UV light, images of the northern lights and a snowflake appear, adding both aesthetic appeal and enhanced security features. It also has another fun feature: if you flip through the pages, an image of a swan shown on the pages appears to be flying — fitting, as the whooper swan is the national bird of Finland.

3. South Korea

The current South Korean passport was designed in 2021 and displays on the cover the National Emblem of the Republic of Korea: the Taegeuk symbol encircled by petals of the mugunghwa, the national flower. The interior pages are adorned with images of South Korea’s national treasures and cultural heritage sites, including depictions of traditional artifacts and historical landmarks. The design was actually done by one person: Professor Kim Su-jung from the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University, who won a design contest held by the government.

5. New Zealand

New Zealand Passport
byu/LudicrousPlatypus inPassportPorn

Okay, it didn’t make the top 10. But New Zealand’s passport cover is so darn pretty that we felt like it’s prudent to include. It ranks fifth on the list of the world’s most powerful passports, tied with Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, and the UK. It’s one of the world’s few black passports, and has one of the most striking covers, with the right edge displaying multiple large silver fern leaves. Inside, images relate to the country’s diverse environments, from rainforests to rugged coastlines, as well as images of early navigation and travel, something the Indigenous Māori people are well known for. The cover bears the name of the country both in English (“New Zealand”) and Māori (“Aotearoa”).