OTTAWA, The ability to enter the world without a visa has surpassed that of Americans for bearers of Canadian passports. According to the Henley Passport Index, Canada is ranked ninth in terms of the number of nations that its residents can travel to without a visa. The U.S. passport comes in at number twelve.

According to Henley's ranking system, which places nations in blocs when they have visa-free access to the same number of nations, both nations came in at number seven. The change, according to Henley and Partners, which has published the ranking for 20 years, is partly due to nations enforcing reciprocal limitations on American tourists in reaction to increased restrictions on U.S. visas or onerous entrance criteria. Canadians do not need a visa to enter Belarus, Papua New Guinea, or Uzbekistan, unlike holders of U.S. passports. They also do not need a visa to enter Bolivia or Rwanda.

Disaggregating the data on the passport index, Canada ranks 32nd for visa-free travel, while the United States is 37th. Both nations were placed 26th last year. China's quick ascent in visa-free travel from 94th place in 2015 to 62nd place in 2024 was highlighted by the passport index, even if the Chinese passport fell to 64th place this year.

Henley added that in the last year, China has made quick strides toward more openness by allowing visitors from 30 more nations to enter the country without a visa. According to the report, China now grants visa-free entrance to citizens of 76 countries, 30 more than the US. Countries reimposing visa requirements are partly to blame for Canada's own decline in ranking. For instance, following an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Ottawa to relax its rules for Brazilian citizens, Brazil reintroduced the visa requirement for Canadians this year.

Watch for Top 5s of Today!

Highlights

---