<p>For the first time in 20 years, the US passport has fallen out of the top 10 most influential passports, according to the Henley Passport Index. Once ranked first in 2014, the US is now tied for 12th with Malaysia, with citizens of both countries enjoying visa-free access to 180 out of 227 countries and territories. The Henley Passport Index, which is compiled by the London-based Henley &amp; Partners in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks passports based on how many countries can be visited without needing a visa. The greater the number of visa-free destinations, the 'stronger' the passport.</p><h2><strong>Singapore tops the ranking</strong></h2><p>In 2025, the rankings are dominated by Asian countries. Singapore holds the top position, allowing its citizens to travel without a visa to 193 countries. South Korea follows closely behind at second, with 190 destinations, while Japan secures the third spot, offering visa-free travel to 189 countries. Meanwhile, traditional Western powerhouses, like the US and UK, are losing their dominance. The US passport now ranks below several European countries, such as Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.</p><h2><strong>India's position&nbsp;</strong></h2><p>India's passport has slipped down to 85th place in 2025, as compared to 80th last year. The number of countries that Indian nationals can visit without a visa has increased, with recent additions like Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and several African and Caribbean nations.</p><h2><strong>China's rising status</strong></h2><p>China's passport has also made significant strides, improving from 94th place in 2015 to 64th in 2025. This increase reflects new visa-free agreements with several countries in South America, the Gulf region, Russia, and Europe.</p><h2><strong>Why the US passport has weakened?</strong></h2><p>The decline in the US passport's ranking is due to various international visa changes. Brazil's decision to end its visa-free access for US citizens in April 2025, along with the US being excluded from the expanding visa-waiver lists of China and Vietnam, contributed to its fall. On the other hand, Germany and France are among the European countries that now enjoy visa-free travel to China.</p><h2>Top 10 most powerful passports in 2025</h2><ul><li>Singapore (1)</li><li>South Korea (2)</li><li>Japan (3)</li><li>Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland (4)</li><li>Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands (5)</li><li>Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden (6)</li><li>Australia, Czech Republic, Malta, Poland (7)</li><li>Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, UAE, UK (8)</li><li>Canada (9)</li><li>Latvia, Liechtenstein (10)</li><li>Iceland, Lithuania (11)</li><li>USA, Malaysia (12)</li><li><strong>India (85)</strong></li></ul>

US passport slips from top 10 as Singapore, South Korea, and Japan dominate global rankings. Check where India is on the list

For the first time in 20 years, the US passport has fallen out of the top 10 most influential passports, according to the Henley Passport Index. Once ranked first in 2014, the US is now tied for 12th with Malaysia, with citizens of both countries enjoying visa-free access to 180 out of 227 countries and territories. The Henley Passport Index, which is compiled by the London-based Henley & Partners in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks passports based on how many countries can be visited without needing a visa. The greater the number of visa-free destinations, the 'stronger' the passport. Singapore tops the ranking In 2025, the rankings are dominated by Asian countries. Singapore holds the top position, allowing its citizens to travel without a visa to 193 countries. South Korea follows closely behind at second, with 190 destinations, while Japan secures the third spot, offering visa-free travel to 189 countries. Meanwhile, traditional Western powerhouses, like the US and UK, are losing their dominance. The US passport now ranks below several European countries, such as Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. India's position India's passport has slipped down to 85th place in 2025, as compared to 80th last year. The number of countries that Indian nationals can visit without a visa has increased, with recent additions like Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and several African and Caribbean nations. China's rising status China's passport has also made significant strides, improving from 94th place in 2015 to 64th in 2025. This increase reflects new visa-free agreements with several countries in South America, the Gulf region, Russia, and Europe. Why the US passport has weakened? The decline in the US passport's ranking is due to various international visa changes. Brazil's decision to end its visa-free access for US citizens in April 2025, along with the US being excluded from the expanding visa-waiver lists of China and Vietnam, contributed to its fall. On the other hand, Germany and France are among the European countries that now enjoy visa-free travel to China. Top 10 most powerful passports in 2025 Singapore (1) South Korea (2) Japan (3) Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland (4) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands (5) Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden (6) Australia, Czech Republic, Malta, Poland (7) Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, UAE, UK (8) Canada (9) Latvia, Liechtenstein (10) Iceland, Lithuania (11) USA, Malaysia (12) India (85)

<p>The US passport drops to 12th place in 2025, falling behind several Asian and European countries. Singapore now holds the top spot for visa-free access</p>

Together with the introduction of modern e-passports featuring biometric chips, this system ensures security, convenience, and smooth passage across borders, aligning India’s passport framework with global standards.

Why Indian passport comes in four colours? Understanding the meaning behind each one

<p>What do you do with an expired passport? The correct answer is: get it renewed. However, in India's Kerala, an old man was left flabbergasted by how his family used his old passport.</p>

<p>A video of the incident shared on social media platform X has left netizens in splits. It shows an ordinary passport's transformation into something extraordinarily imaginative or ordinary — your choice.</p>

<h2><strong>What happened?</strong></h2>

<p>X user D Prasanth Nath received a video as a WhatsApp forward. The content? Something too funny to not share.</p>

<p>In it, you can see an Indian passport, which at first look, seems like your run-of-the-mill travel document. However, a closer look reveals that it is a treasure trove of contact numbers.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-want-to-give-space-a-socially-conscious-makeover-push-for-renaming-magellan-galaxies-658473">Astronomers want to give space a socially conscious&nbsp;makeover, push for renaming Magellan galaxies</a></strong></p>

<p>Nath, in his post, shares that the passport belongs to an elderly man. The man had submitted it for renewal, completely unaware of its contents.</p>

<p>Watch the video here:</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">An elderly gentleman submitted his Passport for renewal. He was not aware of what someone in his house did.<br />
<br />
The officer has still not recovered from the shock after seeing this.<br />
(It's is Malayalam, but you will understand the same)<br />
<br />
Rcvd from WA <a href="https://t.co/0dw62o9Csm">pic.twitter.com/0dw62o9Csm</a></p>
— D Prasanth Nair (@DPrasanthNair) <a href="https://twitter.com/DPrasanthNair/status/1719905801295597626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Unknown to him, someone in his family had used it as a makeshift phone book, meticulously scribbled with seemingly important contacts. These numbers are accompanied by the names of the people they belong to, all written in Malayalam.</p>

<p>Not only that, the passport was also "optimally" used for budgeting purposes. The last pages have some calculations that could very well be an account of household expenses.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-joe-biden-makes-another-gaffe-addresses-vice-president-kamala-harris-as-president-658470">Watch: Joe Biden makes another gaffe, addresses Vice President Kamala Harris as 'president'</a></strong></p>

<p>Sharing the now-viral video that already has more than 895,000 views, Nath wrote: "An elderly gentleman submitted his passport for renewal. He was not aware of what someone in his house did. The officer has still not recovered from the shock after seeing this."</p>

<p>"It's is (in) Malayalam, but you will understand the same," he added.</p>

<h2><strong>Internet reacts</strong></h2>

<p>Netizens were quick to react to the one-minute video, with one user calling it the "Optimum use of resources".</p>

<p>Another left a tongue-in-cheek comment, "If you can't travel at least make use of the pages properly."</p>

<p>Yet another said, "Found some real use for passport!"</p>

<p>One user went a step ahead and used the video to promote sustainability, saying, "Someone put the empty pages in a passport to good use. Instead of issuing every passport with too many empty pages most of which may never be used, go paperless and digital. Time to drop the 18th-century habit of hand-stamping passports with ink and rubber typefaces."</p>

<p>Others, however, didn't find the video funny and pointed out that a passport is government property, and the owner is "likely to be questioned" for defacing it.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


What do you do with an expired passport? The correct answer is: get it renewed. However, in India's Kerala, an old man was left flabbergasted by how his family used his old passport.

What do you do with an expired passport? The correct answer is: get it renewed. However, in India's Kerala, an old man was left flabbergasted by how his family used his old passport. A video of the incident shared on social media platform X has left netizens in splits. It shows an ordinary passport's transformation into something extraordinarily imaginative or ordinary — your choice. What happened? X user D Prasanth Nath received a video as a WhatsApp forward. The content? Something too funny to not share. In it, you can see an Indian passport, which at first look, seems like your run-of-the-mill travel document. However, a closer look reveals that it is a treasure trove of contact numbers. Also read | Astronomers want to give space a socially conscious makeover, push for renaming Magellan galaxies Nath, in his post, shares that the passport belongs to an elderly man. The man had submitted it for renewal, completely unaware of its contents. Watch the video here: An elderly gentleman submitted his Passport for renewal. He was not aware of what someone in his house did. The officer has still not recovered from the shock after seeing this. (It's is Malayalam, but you will understand the same) Rcvd from WA pic.twitter.com/0dw62o9Csm — D Prasanth Nair (@DPrasanthNair) November 2, 2023 × Unknown to him, someone in his family had used it as a makeshift phone book, meticulously scribbled with seemingly important contacts. These numbers are accompanied by the names of the people they belong to, all written in Malayalam. Not only that, the passport was also "optimally" used for budgeting purposes. The last pages have some calculations that could very well be an account of household expenses. Also read | Watch: Joe Biden makes another gaffe, addresses Vice President Kamala Harris as 'president' Sharing the now-viral video that already has more than 895,000 views, Nath wrote: "An elderly gentleman submitted his passport for renewal. He was not aware of what someone in his house did. The officer has still not recovered from the shock after seeing this." "It's is (in) Malayalam, but you will understand the same," he added. Internet reacts Netizens were quick to react to the one-minute video, with one user calling it the "Optimum use of resources". Another left a tongue-in-cheek comment, "If you can't travel at least make use of the pages properly." Yet another said, "Found some real use for passport!" One user went a step ahead and used the video to promote sustainability, saying, "Someone put the empty pages in a passport to good use. Instead of issuing every passport with too many empty pages most of which may never be used, go paperless and digital. Time to drop the 18th-century habit of hand-stamping passports with ink and rubber typefaces." Others, however, didn't find the video funny and pointed out that a passport is government property, and the owner is "likely to be questioned" for defacing it. (With inputs from agencies)

'Found some real use for passport!' Internet is in splits over THIS unusual use of a passport. Watch!

<p>India&#39;s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday (December 23) announced a slew of new provisions aimed at streamlining and easing the passport application process.</p>

<p>Of the many changes that have been introduced, two stand out in particular. From now on, the applicant will need to provide the name of only one parent (and not both) or that of a legal guardian while applying for a passport. Also, documents like PAN card, Aadhar card, driving licence, election photo identity card, matriculation (Class X) certificate&nbsp;and school-leaving certificates will now be accepted as proof of date of birth.</p>

<p>The provision of allowing the name of only one parent and not both is essentially aimed at enabling single parents to apply for passports for their children. It is also aimed at tackling situations wherein an applicant doesn&#39;t want the name of either of the parents to be printed on the passport.</p>

<p>Till now, as per the provisions of Passport Rules, 1980, all applicants born on or after January 26, 1989 had to mandatorily submit the birth certificate as the proof of their date of birth while applying for a passport.</p>

<p>Following the amended rules, it has now been decided that applicants would be allowed to submit any one of the documents from a list of newly included categories.</p>

<p>Under the newly-introduced changes, the total number of annexes prescribed in the Passport Rule, 1980 have also been brought down from the present 15 to nine. While annexes A, C, D, E, J, and K have been removed, certain annexes have been merged. Further, from now on, all the annexes that are required to be given by the applicants would be in the form of a self-declaration on a plain paper and would not require any attestation.</p>

<p>Also, married applicants who are unable to provide the prescribed marriage certificate or joint affidavit with spouse due to marital discord, separation or without formal divorce decree by the court or due to total desertion by the spouse, while applying for the issue or renewal of a passport, will now not be required to provide the Annexure K or any marriage certificate.</p>

<p>Additionally, the passport application form, from now on, will not require the applicant to provide the name of the spouse in case they have separated or divorced. Such applicants would not be required to provide the Divorce Decree.</p>

<p>Orphaned children who do not have any proof of date of birth will now be allowed to submit a declaration given by the head of the orphanage or the care home on their official letterhead of the organisation confirming their age.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Furthermore, sadhus and sanyasis (spiritual persons) will now be allowed to apply for a passport with the name of their spiritual guru mentioned in the passport application in lieu of their biological parent&#39;s name subject to their providing of at least one public document such as Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India, PAN card, Adhaar Card, etc wherein the name of the Guru has been recorded against the column for parent&#39;s name.</p>

<p>The government will soon publish the necessary notifications in the Official Gazette to give effect to these changes. Instructions are also being issued to the Passport Issuing Authorities in India and abroad on these revised regulations.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


People with no age proof, separated or divorced individuals and orphans, are but a few beneficiaries of the relaxed norms

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday (December 23) announced a slew of new provisions aimed at streamlining and easing the passport application process. Of the many changes that have been introduced, two stand out in particular. From now on, the applicant will need to provide the name of only one parent (and not both) or that of a legal guardian while applying for a passport. Also, documents like PAN card, Aadhar card, driving licence, election photo identity card, matriculation (Class X) certificate and school-leaving certificates will now be accepted as proof of date of birth. The provision of allowing the name of only one parent and not both is essentially aimed at enabling single parents to apply for passports for their children. It is also aimed at tackling situations wherein an applicant doesn't want the name of either of the parents to be printed on the passport. Till now, as per the provisions of Passport Rules, 1980, all applicants born on or after January 26, 1989 had to mandatorily submit the birth certificate as the proof of their date of birth while applying for a passport. Following the amended rules, it has now been decided that applicants would be allowed to submit any one of the documents from a list of newly included categories. Under the newly-introduced changes, the total number of annexes prescribed in the Passport Rule, 1980 have also been brought down from the present 15 to nine. While annexes A, C, D, E, J, and K have been removed, certain annexes have been merged. Further, from now on, all the annexes that are required to be given by the applicants would be in the form of a self-declaration on a plain paper and would not require any attestation. Also, married applicants who are unable to provide the prescribed marriage certificate or joint affidavit with spouse due to marital discord, separation or without formal divorce decree by the court or due to total desertion by the spouse, while applying for the issue or renewal of a passport, will now not be required to provide the Annexure K or any marriage certificate. Additionally, the passport application form, from now on, will not require the applicant to provide the name of the spouse in case they have separated or divorced. Such applicants would not be required to provide the Divorce Decree. Orphaned children who do not have any proof of date of birth will now be allowed to submit a declaration given by the head of the orphanage or the care home on their official letterhead of the organisation confirming their age. Furthermore, sadhus and sanyasis (spiritual persons) will now be allowed to apply for a passport with the name of their spiritual guru mentioned in the passport application in lieu of their biological parent's name subject to their providing of at least one public document such as Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India, PAN card, Adhaar Card, etc wherein the name of the Guru has been recorded against the column for parent's name. The government will soon publish the necessary notifications in the Official Gazette to give effect to these changes. Instructions are also being issued to the Passport Issuing Authorities in India and abroad on these revised regulations. (WION)

India eases passport application norms

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US passport slips from top 10 as Singapore, South Korea, and Japan dominate global rankings. Check where India is on the list

Why Indian passport comes in four colours?

'Found some real use for passport!' Internet is in splits over THIS unusual use of a passport. Watch!

India eases passport application norms