The Most Powerful Passports in 2025

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According to the 2025 Nomad Passport Index, Ireland now holds the title for the world’s strongest passport. For the first time, this Northern European nation takes the No. 1 spot on the annual list published by Nomad Capitalist, a global tax and immigration consultancy. Ireland previously shared the top position in 2020 with Luxembourg and Sweden.

Serbia currently ranks 67th, with a total score of 86.50. The ranking reflects more than just visa-free access—it also considers Serbia’s approach to global taxation, dual citizenship, international perception, and personal freedoms.

“Ireland climbed to the top thanks to its strong global reputation, pro-business tax policies, and flexibility in citizenship,” said Javier Correa, research associate at Nomad Capitalist, in an interview with CNBC Travel.

Not Just About Visa-Free Travel

Unlike other indexes that focus solely on the number of countries a passport holder can enter without a visa, the Nomad Passport Index evaluates passports based on five weighted categories:

Visa-Free Travel (50%)
Tax System (20%)
Global Perception (10%)
Dual Citizenship Possibility (10%)
Personal Freedoms (10%) (e.g., press freedom, mandatory military service)

These factors aim to help individuals exploring second citizenship options better understand the true value of passports around the world. The guiding principle: “Go where you're treated best.”

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How Countries Are Ranked

The ninth edition of the list includes 199 countries and territories, using data from over 20 global sources, including each country's tax authorities, the UN Human Development Index, and the World Happiness Report.

European countries dominate, occupying nine of the top 10 positions, from Switzerland to Luxembourg and Malta. The UAE and New Zealand are the only non-European countries to crack the top 10.

Rising Stars and Falling Giants

Greece made a huge leap—from 6th to 2nd place—due to improvements in tax scoring, along with Slovenia (13th) and Spain (32nd).
The UAE, which topped the list in 2023 and held 6th in 2024, dropped to 10th after introducing new taxes that impacted its appeal among global entrepreneurs.
Lithuania, the Netherlands, Germany, and Hungary have all slid in the rankings.

Meanwhile, countries like Singapore and Japan, often found at the top of other passport indexes, rank lower on Nomad Capitalist’s list. Why? Both score poorly for dual citizenship. Japan severely restricts it, and Singapore doesn’t recognize it at all. Japan also ranks low in tax friendliness, while Singapore’s personal freedoms received only moderate ratings.

For example, Singapore ranks 126th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index (2024), and requires nearly two years of military service for male citizens and permanent residents at age 18.