India’s passport ranked 80th in January of this year, which makes the latest leap in a month more significant. With this change, Indian passport holders can now visit around 56 countries without a visa, through simplified electronic authorisations, or with a visa-on-arrival. That is still less than the 57 destinations noted in 2025, but it is an increase from the 55 in January 2026.
Two countries withdraw visa-free access
Despite the higher index ranking, Iran and Bolivia removed their visa-free or visa-on-arrival policies for Indian nationals in 2026. Consequently, the overall count of easy-entry locations has dropped from 57 to around 55. Indian tourists must now apply for visas in advance due to stricter entry rules in both countries.
Following reports of fraud and trafficking, Iran restricted visa-free entry for regular Indian passport holders in November 2025. India’s Ministry of External Affairs claimed that people have been abducted for ransom after being enticed to Iran with false job offers.
Meanwhile, Bolivia switched to an e-visa system that requires an online application and approval prior to departure. However, Indian citizens were previously eligible for a visa-on-arrival, which counts under the index methodology. As a result, Bolivia no longer meets the index’s requirements for visa-free travel because this requires prior approval.
India’s ranking improvement
The Henley ranking is not absolute, which means a country’s ranking is determined by the performance of other passports in addition to its own score. India is ranked among peers with similar scores, such as Algeria or Niger; the top 74 slots are awarded to those that surpass 56, even by a single point.
India now offers visa-free travel to 56 countries, including The Gambia, which was added in February.
What is Henley Passport Index?
The Henley Passport Index, published by Henley and Partners, ranks 199 passports from 227 different travel destinations. The ranking is determined by the number of places that passport holders can visit without initially receiving a visa.
Every location that permits entry without prior authorisation awards one point to each passport. The ranking of index includes visa-free entry, visa-on-arrival services, and specific electronic travel authorisations, based on data from the International Air Transport Association.
A destination receives a zero if a traveller needs to apply for a visa in advance through an embassy or finish the entire pre-departure e-visa process that requires approval prior to travel.
A visa-free score is calculated by adding up all of the points. Next, countries are listed from highest to lowest. Two nations share the same rank number if their scores are identical.
