The most powerful passports in the world for 2024

Travel freedom around the world has greatly increased over the past 20 years, with people now enjoying visa-free access to 111 destinations on average compared to 58 in 2006. We take a look at the Henley Passport Index’s most powerful passports for 2024 and explain how having a network of onboard couriers with unprecedented global mobility enables ACS Time Critical to expedite your shipments around the world.

What is the Henley Passport Index?

The Henley Passport Index is a global ranking of 199 passports based on how many destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. Launched in 2006, the list is compiled by London-based global citizenship and residency consultancy Henley & Partners, using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) supported by continuous in-house research to monitor visa policy updates.

Released annually and updated every month, the index rates a passport’s power according to the visa-free travel freedom enjoyed by its holders. Each passport’s total score equals the number of destinations where citizens either don’t need a prior visa or can obtain a visa, visitor’s permit or electronic travel authority (ETA) on arrival.

This year’s most powerful passports

Six countries share the top spot for the first time in the official index for 2024, with previous leaders Japan and Singapore now joined by EU members France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Passport holders from each of the most-connected countries can visit a record-breaking 194 out of 227 destinations around the globe without the need for additional travel documents.

Asia and Europe’s stronghold continues further down the list as of the latest monthly update in May 2024, with Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea and Sweden sharing the runner-up position followed by Belgium, Denmark and the UK in joint third place. The US passport has fallen to sixth place, with visa-free visitation to 189 countries, having last tied with the UK for first place back in 2014.

How we use passport power to move shipments around the world

As a logistics solutions provider with a dedicated onboard courier service, at ACS Time Critical we pay close attention to the Henley Passport Index. We have an extensive network of couriers holding powerful passports on standby around the world, ready to fly almost anywhere on the planet at a moment's notice without waiting for a visa.

What’s more, we’ve made sure many of our hand-picked flyers already have the required documentation to travel at short notice to the few harder-to-reach areas that even the strongest passports can’t access visa-free – meaning you can rest assured that wherever your delivery needs to go, we’ve got you covered.

Having a global presence and unrivalled travel freedom means we can get time-critical shipments on the move faster than anyone else. Each delivery is dispatched in double-quick time and we make sure our couriers have access to a range of air and ground transportation, allowing us to meet even the tightest deadlines when every second counts.

Why use ACS Time Critical?

When you need a consignment delivered fast, ACS Time Critical’s onboard courier service is the quickest way of getting it from A to B. From sensitive documents to vital automotive parts, our supervised hand-carry solutions are meticulously tailored to offer trackable door-to-door delivery for all your urgent shipments.

As well as having the freedom to travel pretty much anywhere, our couriers are among the most experienced in the business, with eighty percent holding industry-recognised Gold or Platinum High-Flyer status. Each courier in our network also qualifies for increased excess baggage, priority unloading, later check-in and seat reservations, so you can trust us to oversee the smooth transit of each and every shipment.

Our global network of offices and superior buying power mean we can always offer our customers the most cost-effective solutions, regardless of where your consignment is located. What’s more, our team is available 24/7 to answer any questions you have and provide timely progress updates whilst your delivery is in transit, giving you total peace of mind that you’ll know exactly what’s happening from start to finish. Speak to our team at ACS Time Critical to find out more about our onboard courier services and tailor-made logistics solutions.