There is a big news related to foreign travel for those holding Indian passport. There has been a significant improvement in the ranking of Indian Passport in the latest report of February 2026. India has now moved to 75th position in the Henley Passport Index, whereas last year it was at 85th position. With this new ranking, Indian citizens can now visit 56 countries of the world without any prior visa or with the facility of visa-on-arrival.
Ranking improvements and new changes
This month, ‘The Gambia’ has again been included in the list of countries where Indians can visit without a visa. With this the total number of countries has increased from 55 to 56. According to the report, even though there is one less country compared to last year, due to the falling ranking of passports in the rest of the world, India has benefited and has climbed up. India currently remains at 75th position along with Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Madagascar and Mauritania.
Which countries’ rules changed?
If you are planning to travel abroad, then it is important to know the changed rules of these countries:
The Gambia: Indian citizens can now stay here without visa for 90 days. For this, the passport should be valid for 6 months and it is necessary to have a return ticket.
Iran: Due to security reasons, Iran has stopped visa-free entry for Indians, now to go there, visa will have to be taken in advance.
Bolivia: Here, the e-visa system has now been implemented instead of visa-on-arrival, which is not considered ‘visa-free’ in the index.
How far ahead is India from neighboring countries?
The position of Indian passport is quite strong compared to Asia and its neighboring countries. Pakistan is at 97th position, Bangladesh at 93rd, Nepal at 95th and Sri Lanka at 91st position in this list. The most powerful passport in the world is that of Singapore, whose citizens can visit 192 countries without visa. Japan and South Korea are at second place. The ranking is based on IATA data that measures travel freedom and ease of documentation.
