The world awaits… but where can the PH Passport take you?

The Philippine passport has slipped one notch in the latest global passport power rankings, landing at 73rd for 2026, according to the Henley Global Passport Index.

This is a step lower than its 72nd position recorded in July last year, reflecting a modest decline in the number of destinations Filipinos can enter without securing a visa in advance.

Here are the 64 visa-free destinations for Philippine passport holders (2026):

• Barbados

• Bolivia

• Brazil

• Brunei

• Burundi

• Cambodia

• Cape Verde Islands

• Colombia

• Comoro Islands

• Cook Islands

• Costa Rica

• Côte d'Ivoire

• Djibouti

• Dominica

• Ethiopia

• Fiji

• Guinea-Bissau

• Haiti

• Hong Kong

• Indonesia

• Iran

• Israel

• Kazakhstan

• Kenya

• Kiribati

• Kyrgyzstan

• Laos

• Macao

• Madagascar

• Malawi

• Malaysia

• Maldives

• Marshall Islands

• Mauritius

• Micronesia

• Mongolia

• Morocco

• Mozambique

• Myanmar

• Nepal

• Nicaragua

• Niue

• Palau Islands

• Palestinian Territory

• Peru

• Rwanda

• Samoa

• Senegal

• Seychelles

• Singapore

• Sri Lanka

• St. Lucia

• St. Vincent and the Grenadines

• Suriname

• Taiwan

• Tajikistan

• Tanzania

• Thailand

• The Gambia

• Timor-Leste

• Trinidad and Tobago

• Tuvalu

• Vanuatu

• Vietnam

The annual index measures passport “power” based on mobility—specifically, how many countries and territories a passport holder can visit visa-free or with visa-on-arrival access.

Each visa-free destination counts as one point, using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), widely regarded as the most authoritative source for global travel information.

While the Philippines’ ranking highlights ongoing challenges for Filipino travelers, the global leaderboard underscores sharp contrasts in travel freedom around the world.

Singapore once again claimed the top spot, cementing its status as the world’s most powerful passport with visa-free access to 192 destinations. Close behind are Japan and South Korea, tied with a score of 188, followed by a strong cluster of European countries that continue to dominate the upper tiers of the index.

The top 10 most powerful passports for 2026 are:

1. Singapore – 192
2. Japan, South Korea – 188
3. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland – 186
4. Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway – 185
5. Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates – 184
6. Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, Poland – 183
7. Australia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom – 182
8. Canada, Iceland, Lithuania – 181
9. Malaysia – 180
10. United States – 179

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Afghanistan remains the world’s weakest passport, with holders able to travel visa-free to just 24 destinations—a stark reminder of how geopolitics, security, and diplomatic relations shape global mobility.

For Filipino travelers, the ranking serves as both a reality check and a point of reflection. While the Philippine passport still provides access to dozens of destinations, the slight dip highlights the importance of strengthened diplomatic ties and reciprocal visa agreements.