Pakistan witness an improvement in its passport ranking in the annual Henley Index. The country’s passport ranking has improved from 103 in 2025 to 98 in 2026, as per the latest figures released on Thursday.
According to the latest rankings, Pakistan’s travel document was placed 98th on the list, tied with Yemen. It ranked higher than Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Iraq scored 99 points, Syria had 100, and Afghanistan was ranked at 101st.
The ranking showed Pakistan’s passport allowing visa-free access to 31 countries, including visa on arrival. Singapore maintained the highest position in the list with visa-free access to 192 countries, followed closely by Japan and South Korea with 188. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland all landed on third spot with visa-free access to 186 countries.
According to the index, Pakistani passport holders have free visa access to Barbados, Cook Islands, Dominica, Haiti, Micronesia, Montserrat, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu. While visa on arrival was available for Brunei, Cambodia, Cape Verde islands, Comoro islands, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Nepal, Niue, Palau islands, Qatar, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, and Tuvalu. Pakistani passport holders can also avail an electronic travel authorization for Kenya, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s passport ranking improving from 126th to 98th is a strong achievement and this momentum will continue, InshaAllah. https://t.co/2PM0UjNo3F
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) January 15, 2026
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi shared the news on his social media account of X and said that “Pakistan’s passport ranking improvement from 126th to 98th is a strong achievement and this momentum will continue, Inshallah.”
In another news, the Trump administration has announced a suspension of immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, including Pakistan, as part of a broader move to tighten US immigration policy. The decision, first reported by Fox News on Wednesday, was based on an internal State Department memo, though officials have not provided detailed justification or a timeline for the pause.
According to the report, the suspension will take effect from January 21 and will apply only to immigrant visas, including those issued for employment and family reunification in the United States. Non-immigrant visas — such as student, tourist and short-term travel visas — will not be affected. This means travellers attending major events like this summer’s FIFA World Cup in the US will still be eligible to apply.
