According to the new Henley Passport Index, which has been released for the year 2026, there has been a rise in India’s passport ranking in the world. This indicates that there are now more ways for Indians to travel than previously because of an increase in the overall number of countries to which they can travel as tourists. At the same time, there has been a decrease in the number of countries that can be accessed without visas in some cases, and thus may affect some Indians’ plans to travel.
In 2026, India has significantly improved its position in the global mobility table; however, there has also been a decrease in the number of countries to which Indians can currently travel without applying for a visa in advance.
Passport strength is determined by how many countries a passport holder can enter without needing to apply for a visa prior to entering these countries. This includes: visa-free countries, countries with visas on arrival, and countries where you obtain an electronic travel authorisation, etc. Although the number of visa-free countries available to citizens of India has decreased over the past year, India has improved its position relative to all other countries because they lost more visa-free countries than did India.
Two Countries Withdraw Visa-Free Privilege
Iran will no longer grant ordinary Indian passport holders the privilege of being able to get entry into Iran without first having to apply for a visa. This change will be effective November 2025 and has been made as a result of multiple prior incidents of fraudulent visa use and allegations of human trafficking for commercial purposes involving Indian citizens being allegedly recruited to come to Iran under false pretenses and then exploited after they arrived; therefore, Indian citizens will now need to obtain a visa prior to travelling to Iran, and as a result of this change, Iran will now not be included in the indices of countries where Indians can go without previously obtaining a visa or an electronic visa on arrival.
This is important because historically, Indian citizens had been allowed to travel to Iran for the purpose of tourism/business/pilgrimage without needing to obtain a visa in advance. The loss of this privilege will create the need for additional steps for Indian citizens wishing to enter Iran for business or pleasure and will create an additional burden in terms of both time and expense to those wishing to visit Iran.
Bolivia will no longer allow Indian citizens to arrive in Bolivia without obtaining an e-visa prior to travel. Historically, Indians were allowed to enter Bolivia without a prior visa as long as they were requesting an electronic visa on arrival. Effective January 2026, Bolivia has required Indian citizens to apply for and obtain an electronically issued e-visa prior to travelling to Bolivia for purposes which traditionally would permit entry under a visa or visa on arrival.
Impact on Travellers
Bolivia is no longer on the list of countries eligible for visa exemptions or visa-on-arrival due to the “technical change in the visa application process” for visitors from India. To now travel to Bolivia, Indian passport holders will have to complete a formal digital application for their visa, increasing time away from work and making travel to Bolivia less economical. Thus, Bolivia will no longer factor into the Henley Passport Index when counting Indian passport holders’ number of visa-free/visa-on-arrival countries.
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Recent Updates
India has improved its rank on the Henley Passport Index; however, the total number of visa-free/visa-on-arrival destinations for Indian passport holders has declined compared to 2025.
As of December 2022, Indian passport holders are eligible for visa-free/visa-on-arrival travel to a total of 56 countries versus 57 in 2025. (Note: Some reports of the number of countries eligible for visa-free/visa-on-arrival travel for Indian passport holders have reported slightly different numbers due to date fluctuations in the database.
Visa-free/visa-on-arrival travel from India to both Iran and Bolivia has recently been eliminated, making it more complicated and costly for Indian visitors to travel to these two countries.
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Broader Context
The Henley Passport Index rates countries according to the number of places passport holders can enter without obtaining a visa beforehand. In order to determine its rating, the Henley Passport Index considers all countries where there is visa-free travel, there is visa-on-arrival travel, and there are electronic travel authorizations. The ranking of a country can also be improved despite declining in the absolute number of visa-free countries if its overall ranking is increasing faster than other countries.
Therefore, although travel routes for Indian passport holders will become marginally more difficult for routes previously eligible for visa waivers, the overall strength of the Indian passport has improved.
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