Brunei’s passport ranks highly in Asia for travel freedom, offering visa-free access to 166 destinations worldwide, as highlighted in the October edition of the Henley Global Mobility Report by Henley & Partners.
This report, which serves as a benchmark for global travel accessibility, places Brunei among Asia’s top 10 most powerful passports, emphasizing its strength in facilitating easy international travel for its citizens.
Leading the region are Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. Singapore tops the list with visa-free access to 195 out of 227 countries and territories, while Japan and South Korea follow closely, allowing entry to 192 and 191 destinations, respectively. The United Arab Emirates ranks fourth in the region with access to 185 destinations, followed by Malaysia at fifth with 183 destinations.
Other notable passports include Hong Kong, which allows visa-free access to 171 destinations, just ahead of Brunei. In comparison, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, and China provide visa-free access to 107, 99, 94, and 85 destinations, respectively.
At the lower end of the rankings are Nepal, Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, and Afghanistan, whose citizens have more restricted mobility due to stringent visa requirements.
The Henley Passport Index evaluates 199 passports globally, basing its rankings on the number of visa-free destinations accessible to each nationality. This index, updated regularly, tracks changes in visa policies and has become an important measure of global mobility and travel freedom.
