Source: Radio New Zealand
The Henley Passport Index for 2026 ranks New Zealand 24th-equal in the world in terms of destinations passport holders can travel to without a prior visa. Customs / supplied
Global rankings show New Zealand’s passport is less powerful than last year.
The Henley Passport Index for 2026 ranks New Zealand 24th-equal in the world in terms of destinations passport holders can travel to without a prior visa.
People with New Zealand passports have easy access to 183 countries, compared to 190 last year. Countries in which travellers can get a visa on arrival are included in the calculation.
The ranking puts New Zealand in the sixth tier, on par with nations such as Croatia, Estonia and Poland and in front of the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
Last year New Zealand was in 17th-equal place, in the fifth tier with easy access to 190 countries.
Singapore remains the most powerful passport in the world, with access to 192 countries without a prior visa, followed in second-equal place by Japan and South Korea.
Henley said its rankings were based on “exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database” and enhanced by its own research team.
The top passports were:
- 192 countries – Singapore
- 188 – Japan, South Korea
- 186 – Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
- 185 – Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy ,Netherlands, Norway
- 184 – Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates
- 183 – Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, Poland
- 182 – Australia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom
- 181 – Canada, 180 Iceland, Lithuania
- 180 – Malaysia
- 179 – United States
The weakest passports belonged to Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Holders of an Afghan passport only have easy access to 24 countries.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
