New Zealand’s passport rises back up world rankings

The New Zealand passport is more valuable. Photo / Auckland Airport

New Zealand has continued its rise in a ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, RNZ reports.

The Henley Passport Index, organised by a consulting firm that describes itself as “the global leader in residence and citizenship by investment”, releases the list based on global travel freedoms using data from the International Air Transport Association.

New Zealand is tied with several other nations in fifth place, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Portugal, and Belgium.

The ranking is the highest for New Zealand since 2015. It peaked at four in 2014 but dipped as low as eighth in 2018 and 2019.

Holders of New Zealand passports can get visa-free access to 190 out of 227 destinations worldwide, according to the index.

Singapore tops the list for the second year in the row. It has been first or second on the list for the last eight years.

At the tail end of the list are countries including Yemen, Iran, and Syria, with Afghanistan at the bottom ranked 106th, with only 26 countries allowing visa-free access.

In the 2024 index, released last January, New Zealand placed equal sixth alongside Czechia, Poland, and Australia. At that time, it had visa-free access to 189 countries.

Top 10 Passports for 2025

1. Singapore - 195 (number of countries passport-holders have visa-free access to)

2. Japan - 193

3. Finland - 192

3. France - 192

3. Germany - 192

3. Italy - 192

3. South Korea - 192

3. Spain - 192

4. Austria - 191

4. Denmark - 191

4. Ireland - 191

4. Luxembourg - 191

4. Netherlands - 191

4. Norway - 191

4. Sweden - 191

5. Belgium - 190

5. New Zealand - 190

5. Portugal - 190

5. Switzerland - 190

5. United Kingdom - 190

6. Australia - 189

6. Greece - 189

7. Canada - 188

7. Malta - 188

7. Poland - 188

8. Czechia - 187

8. Hungary - 187

9. Estonia - 186

9. United States - 186

10. Latvia - 185

10. Lithuania - 185

10. Slovenia - 185

10. United Arab Emirates - 185

- RNZ with additional reporting.