This year, Montenegro has been featured in the Henley & Partners report, marking an improvement in the global passport strength compared to 2024.

Every January, Henley & Partners releases the Henley Passport Index, which ranks world passports based on the number of destinations accessible without a visa. The index assesses 199 passports and 227 destinations, offering insightful and reliable data on global travel accessibility.

Owners of a Montenegrin passport can now travel to 129 destinations visa-free, an increase from 128 last year.

Montenegrin passport holders enjoy visa-free access to all European nations, except for Great Britain and Ireland. Additionally, they can travel without a visa to nearly all countries in South America, as well as Russia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Greenland, Madagascar, Egypt, and most recently, China.

In 2013, Montenegro ranked the highest at 39th in passport strength, while it experienced its worst placement in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, when it fell to 62nd place.

In regional standings, Slovenia ranks the highest at 10th place (185 visa-free destinations), followed closely by Croatia at 11th place (184 visa-free destinations).

Serbia holds the 34th position, allowing access to 139 visa-free destinations, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania are tied at 43rd place (123 visa-free destinations).

Northern Macedonia shares 40th place with Montenegro, offering its citizens travel to 129 visa-free destinations. Kosovo ranks at 63rd place (80 visa-free destinations).

Singapore Retains the Top Spot, US Continues Decline

The United States continued its long-term decline in the Henley & Partners index, now sitting in ninth place, with access to 186 countries visa-free.

Conversely, Singapore holds the title for the most powerful passport worldwide, enabling its citizens to visit 195 out of 227 countries without a visa. Japan follows closely in second place, allowing its passport holders to travel to 193 countries visa-free.

Japan improved its position from last year, moving from seventh to sixth. Notably, in 2014, it shared the top rank with the United Kingdom.

Increasing Isolationism and Reciprocity Issues

The continued decline in the US ranking can be attributed to a lack of reciprocity. While American passport holders can freely travel to 186 of the 227 countries, only citizens from 46 other nations can enter the US under the same criteria. This has placed the US at a distant 84th position in Henley’s openness index, which evaluates countries based on the ease of entry for foreign nationals.

Some experts attribute the decline to the “America First” policy. “Even before the recent elections, American political trends have skewed towards isolationism,” notes Ani Forzheimer, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Despite the US economy’s reliance on immigration, tourism, and trade, the prevailing narrative suggests that America should operate independently. If stringent border policies persist, not only will the mobility index decline further, but the US may also lose its standing globally, particularly with the rise of diplomatic influence from Asia.”

China’s Growing Mobility

In contrast to the US, Chinese citizens have experienced increased mobility over the past decade. China has climbed from 94th place in 2015 to 60th in the current Henley index. Last year alone, China granted visa-free access to 29 additional countries, improving its standing further.

A significant portion of migration inquiries received by Henley & Partners originate from the US, representing 21 percent of all requests in 2024.

Juerg Steffen highlights that his firm has more American clients than the next four countries—Turkey, the Philippines, India, and the UK—combined. “In the face of unpredictable instability, investors are reassessing their geopolitical strategies regarding residency and citizenship to optimize legal, economic, and social opportunities across different nations,” he says.

Top Five Decliners in 2025

In the last decade, 22 of the 199 countries have seen their rankings drop. Venezuela experienced the most significant decline, surpassed only by the US. Vanuatu, a small island nation in the Pacific, has also slipped six places during the past decade.

The British passport, which topped the index in 2015, now ranks 5th. Canada also stands out among the major losers, having dropped three places over ten years to settle at 7th.

Most Powerful Passports for 2025

Following Singapore and Japan, six countries share third place, offering visa-free access to 192 countries. These include Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Spain.

The fourth position is held by seven countries: Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

In fifth place, five countries enable travel to 190 countries: Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

At the Bottom of the List

At the very bottom of the index is Afghanistan, which lost visa-free access to two additional countries last year. Afghan passport holders can currently travel to just 29 countries without a visa.