The Worst Passports in the World

Table of Contents


Some passports are worse than others. They offer far less visa-free travel around the world. That means that you have to make sure you have a visa before getting on a plane or crossing a border for most countries you decide to visit. Which countries have the worst passports?

Top 12 Worst Passports

Some passports are worse than others. They offer far less visa-free travel around the world. That means that you have to make sure you have a visa before getting on a plane or crossing a border for most countries you decide to visit. Which countries have the worst passports? Here’s our Top 12 Worst Passports list, updated for 2019.

 

12. Eritrea, Ethiopia Palestinian Territory – 44 Countries

Questions of statehood and negotiations or confrontations with neighbour Israel make Palestine an unstable place with few countries offering Palestinian citizens visa-free travel. Eritrea and Ethiopia have fallen slightly on the list, rising to 44 countries from 42. We’ll focus on Palestine:

Visas for Pakistanis

2015 Map from Presentation Magazine. Red = Visa Yellow = Visa on Arrival Green = No visa

Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement
Bangladesh Visa on Arrival Ethiopia eVisa Malaysia No Visa Senegal Visa on Arrival
Bolivia No Visa Gabon eVisa Maldives Visa on Arrival Seychelles Tourist Registration
Cambodia eVisa Guinea-Bissau Visal on Arrival or eVisa Mauritania Visa on Arrival Somalia Visa on Arrival
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival India eVisa Micronesia No Visa Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorization
Comoros Visa on Arrival Indonesia No Visa Mozambique Visa on Arrival St. Vincent and the Grenadines No Visa
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Iran Visa on Arrival or eVisa Nicaragua No Visa Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Cuba Tourist Card Jordan No Visa Palau Visa on Arrival Togo Visa on Arrival
Djibouti eVisa Laos Visa on Arrival Qatar eVisa Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Dominica No Visa Lesotho eVisa Rwanda Visa on Arrival or eVisa Uganda Visa on Arrival or eVisa
Ecuador No Visa Macao Visa on Arrival Saint Lucia Visa on Arrival Venezuela No Visa
Eswatini No Visa Madagascar Visa on Arrival Samoa Visa on Arrival Zimbabwe Visa on Arrival or eVisa

Note that the visa policies of these countries towards Eritrean and Ethiopian passports will be slightly different.

 

9. Bangladesh – 43 countries

Bangladeshi Passport by Governmental Work [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[Public Domain]

The last time we did this list, Bangladesh wasn’t on it, though it was in the Top 20 in terms of fewest countries its passport got visa-free access to. It seems a few more countries have decided to add visa restrictions for reasons we can only guess at.

Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement
Bahamas No Visa Fiji No Visa Malaysia eVisa Samoa Visa on Arrival
Barbados No Visa Gabon eVisa Maldives Visa on Arrival Seychelles Tourist Registration
Bhutan No Visa Gambia No Visa Mauritania Visa on Arrival Somalia Visa on Arrival
Bolivia Visa on Arrival Grenada No Visa Micronesia No Visa Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorization
Cambodia Visa on Arrival or eVisa Guinea-Bissau Visa on Arrival or eVisa Mozambique Visa on Arrival St Vincent and the Grenadines No Visa
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival Haiti No Visa Myanmar eVisa Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Comoros Visa on Arrival Indonesia No Visa Nepal Visa on Arrival Togo Visa on Arrival
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Jamaica No Visa Qatar eVisa Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Djibouti eVisa Kenya eVisa Rwanda Visa on Arrival or eVisa Uganda Visa on Arrival
Dominica No Visa Lesotho No Visa Rwanda Visa on Arrival or eVisa Vanuatu No Visa
Ethiopia eVisa Madagascar Visa on Arrival Saint Kitts and Nevis No Visa

 

7. Iran and Sudan – 42 Countries

Sudanese Passport By Serongadamwiki (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[Public Domain]

Iran jumps up the list after more of the world seeks to censure them. Sudan has suffered internal strife and ethnic conflict including 2 civil wars and the war in the Darfur region. With a poor human rights record and refugees and those guilty of war crimes, it is no surprise that a Sudan passport does not get you lots of visa-free travel. Iran is in slightly better shape than Sudan in terms of countries which require no visa whatsoever (12 for Iran and 9 for Sudan) but we’ll focus on Sudan for the list.

Visas for Sudanese

Map from Presentation Magazine. Red = Visa Yellow = Visa on Arrival Green = No visa

Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement
Bangladesh Visa on Arrival Ethiopia eVisa Malaysia No Visa Seychelles Tourist Registration
Benin No Visa Gabon eVisa Maldives Visa on Arrival Somalia Visa on Arrival
Ghana Visa on Arrival Mauritania Visa on Arrival St Vincent and the Grenadines No Visa
Cambodia Visa on Arrival Guinea-Bissau Visa on Arrival or eVisa Micronesia No Visa Syria No Visa
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival Haiti No Visa Mozambique Visa on Arrival Tanzania Visa on Arrival
Comoros Visa on Arrival Iran Visa on Arrival Nepal Visa on Arrival Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Kenya eVisa Palau Visa on Arrival Togo Visa on Arrival
Djibouti eVisa Lebanon Visa on Arrival Qatar eVisa Turkey eVisa
Dominica No Visa Lesotho eVisa Rwanda Visa on Arrival or eVisa Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Ecuador No Visa Macao Visa on Arrival Saint Lucia Visa on Arrival Uganda Visa on Arrival or eVisa
Eritrea Visa on Arrival Madagascar Visa on Arrival Samoa Visa on Arrival

Note: The countries which allow Iranians to travel without a visa are slightly different than these countries.

 

 

6. Yemen – 39 Countries

Yemen Passport by Rakoon [CC0], from Wikimedia Commons

by Rakoon [Public Domain]

Yemen has jumped two spots since last we did this list because of the ongoing civil war. Given what’s going on, it’s actually surprising the country isn’t higher up on this list.

Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement
Cambodia Visa on Arrival or eVisa Guinea-Bissau Visa on Arrival or eVisa Micronesia No Visa Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorization
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival Haiti No Visa Mozambique Visa on Arrival St. Vincent and the Grenadines No Visa
Comoros Visa on Arrival Laos Visa on Arrival Nepal Visa on Arrival Sudan No Visa
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Lebanon Visa on Arrival Palau Visa on arrival Syria No Visa
Cuba Tourist Card Lesotho eVisa Palestinian Territories No Visa Tajikistan Visa on Arrival or eVisa
Djibouti eVisa Macao Visa on Arrival Qatar eVisa Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Dominica No Visa Madagascar Visa on Arrival Rwanda Visa on Arrival or eVisa Togo Visa on Arrival
Ecuador No Visa Malaysia No Visa Samoa Visa on Arrival Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Ethiopia eVisa Maldives Visa on Arrival Seychelles Tourist Registration Uganda Visa on Arrival
Gabon eVisa Mauritania Visa on Arrival Somalia Visa on Arrival

Given the situation in Yemen currently it’s a safe assumption that further visa restrictions may be placed upon passport holders. Always check with the Embassy before travelling.

 

5. Somalia – 38 Countries

Civil wars, battling warlords, Islamic extremists. Add in Somali pirates hijacking large vessels on open waters to demand huge ransoms and you have a country that topped the Failed States Index from 2008 to 2013. Visa-free travel is only available to 38 countries according to the Visa Restrictions Index.

Visas for Somalis

2015 Map from Presentation Magazine. Red = Visa Yellow = Visa on Arrival Green = No visa

Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement
Bangladesh Visa on Arrival Gabon eVisa Mauritania Visa on Arrival Seychelles Tourist Registration
Benin No Visa Ghana Visa on Arrival Mauritius Visa on Arrival Singapore No Visa
Bolivia Visa on Arrival or eVisa Guinea-Bissau Visa on Arrival or eVisa Micronesia No Visa Somalia Visa on Arrival
Burkina Faso Visa on Arrival Haiti No Visa Mozambique Visa on arrival Sri Lanka ETA
Cambodia Visa on Arrival or eVisa India eVisa Myanmar eVisa St Vincent and the Grenadines No Visa
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival Iran Visa on Arrival Nepal Visa on Arrival Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Comoros Visa on Arrival Laos Visa on Arrival Palau Visa on Arrival Togo Visa on Arrival
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Lesotho eVisa Philippines No Visa Turkey Visa on Arrival or eVisa
Djibouti eVisa Macao Visa on Arrival Qatar eVisa Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Dominica No Visa Madagascar Visa on Arrival Rwanda Visa on Arrival or eVisa Uganda No Visa
Ethiopia eVisa Maldives Visa on Arrival Samoa Visa on Arrival Zambia Visa on Arrival or eVisa
Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement
Bangladesh Visa on Arrival Ethiopia eVisa Malaysia No Visa Seychelles Tourist Registration
Benin No Visa Gabon eVisa Maldives Visa on Arrival Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorization
Ghana Visa on Arrival Mauritania Visa on Arrival St Vincent and the Grenadines No Visa
Burkina Faso Visa on Arrival Guinea-Bissau Visa on Arrival Micronesia No Visa Sudan Visa on Arrival
Cambodia Visa on Arrival or eVisa Haiti No Visa Mozambique Visa on Arrival Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival Laos Visa on Arrival Palau Visa on Arrival Togo Visa on Arrival
Comoros Visa on Arrival Lebanon Visa on Arrival Palestinian Territories No Visa Turkey eVisa
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Lesotho eVisa Qatar eVisa Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Djibouti eVisa Macao Visa on Arrival Rwanda Visa on Arrival or eVisa Uganda Visa on Arrival or eVisa
Dominica No Visa Madagascar Visa on Arrival Samoa Visa on Arrival

Somalian visas are likely re-evaluated continually so it is best to check back frequently with the relevant embassies.

 

4. Syria – 36 countries

A country wracked by civil war with violent extremism – the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has been among the most violent terrorist groups ever – and extreme instability. This restricts Syrian citizens from visa-free travel in much of the world. Holders of Syrian passports can visit 36 visa-free:

Visas for Syrians

2015 Map from Presentation Magazine. Red = Visa Yellow = Visa on Arrival Green = No visa

Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement
Bangladesh Visa on Arrival Ethiopia eVisa Malaysia No Visa Seychelles Tourist Registration
Cambodia Visa on Arrival Gabon eVisa Maldives Visa on Arrival Somalia Visa on Arrival
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival Guinea-Bissau Visa on Arrival or Evisa Micronesia No Visa Sudan No Visa
Comoros Visa on Arrival Haiti No Visa Mozambique Visa on Arrival Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Iran No Visa Palau Visa on Arrival Togo Visa on Arrival
Cuba Tourist Card Lebanon Visa on Arrival Palestinian Territories No Visa Turkey eVisa
Djibouti eVisa Lesotho eVisa Qatar eVisa Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Dominica No Visa Macao Visa on Arrival Rwanda Visa on Arrival or eVisa Uganda Visa on Arrival or eVisa
Ecuador No Visa Madagascar Visa on Arrival Samoa Visa on Arrival Yemen Visa on Arrival

Discrepancies between the Visa Free Index and this table may reflect the fluid situation in Syria. Check with the Embassy before travelling.

 

3. Pakistan – 35 countries

Pakistani Passport By Mike35741 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

by Mike35741 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

The country that Obama Bin Laden used to lay low for years after 9/11 is not overflowing with reciprocal visa-free travel arrangements with its fellow nations. Even if the Pakistani diaspora is spread around the world. This means that a Pakistani passport gets you visa-free travel to just 36 countries:

Visas for Pakistanis

2015 Map from Presentation Magazine. Red = Visa Yellow = Visa on Arrival Green = No visa

Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement
Azerbaijan eVisa Gabon eVisa Micronesia No Visa Somalia Visa on Arrival
Guinea-Bissau Visa on Arrival or eVisa Mozambique Visa on Arrival St Vincent and the Grenadines No Visa
Cambodia Visa on Arrival or eVisa Haiti No Visa Myanmar No Visa Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival Kenya eVisa Nepal Visa on Arrival Togo Visa on Arrival
Comoros Visa on Arrival Lesotho eVisa Palau Visa on Arrival Trinidad and Tobago No Visa
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Madagascar Visa on Arrival Qatar No Visa Turkey eVisa
Djibouti eVisa Malaysia eVisa Rwanda Visa on Arrival or eVisa Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Dominica No Visa Maldives Visa on Arrival Samoa Visa on Arrival Uganda Visa on Arrival or eVisa
Ethiopia eVisa Mauritania Visa on Arrival Seychelles Tourist Registration Vanuatu No Visa

 

2. Iraq – 32 Countries

Iraqi Passport By NobleNoble (Own workOwn work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

by Noble / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

As the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS) battles with Iraqi forces it is now over a decade and a half since Iraq was first engulfed in war or civil war and conflict as a result of the US invasion. Who is in charge of what has continually changed during that time, though there is relative peace over the last year. That means Iraqi citizens have visa-free travel available to them in 32 countries:

Visas for Iraqis

2015 Map from Presentation Magazine. Red = Visa Yellow = Visa on Arrival Green = No visa

Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement Country Requirement
Cambodia Visa on Arrival Ethiopia e-Visa Madagascar Visa on Arrival Qatar e-Visa Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival Gabon e-Visa Malaysia No Visa Rwanda Visa on Arrival or e-Visa Togo Visa on Arrival
Comoros Visa on Arrival Guinea-Bissau Visa on Arrival or e-Visa Maldives Visa on Arrival Samoa Visa on Arrival Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Haiti No Visa Mauritania Visa on Arrival Seychelles Tourist Registration Uganda Visa on Arrival
Djibouti e-Visa Lebanon Visa on Arrival Micronesia No Visa Somalia Visa on Arrival
Dominica No Visa Lesotho e-Visa Mozambique Visa on Arrival Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorization
Ecuador No Visa Macau Visa on Arrival Palau Visa on Arrival Tanzania Visa on Arrival

The total number of countries in these tables is less than the official Visa Requirement Index total of 33, so always check with the Embassy before travelling.

 

1. Afghanistan – 29 Countries

No surprise that the country torn apart by decades of civil wars and religious strife and that has centuries of instability, conquest, and rebellion should be at the top of our list. Who controls what part of the country is difficult to tell at times and refugees as well as terrorists are constantly crossing the border into neighbouring countries. The list of visa-free countries that holders of Afghan passports can travel to is the lowest in the world at.

Visa options for Afghanis

2015 Map from Presentation Magazine. Red = Visa Yellow = Visa on Arrival Green = No visa

Country Requirement Country Requirement Country REquirement
Bangladesh Visa on Arrival Guinea-Bissau Visa on Arrival Qatar e-Visa
Haiti No Visa Rwanda Visa on Arrival or e-Visa
Cambodia Visa on Arrival Lesotho e-Visa Samoa Visa on Arrival
Cape Verde Visa on Arrival Macao Visa on Arrival Seychelles Tourist Registration
Comoros Visa on Arrival Madagascar Visa on Arrival Somalia Visa on Arrival
Cote d’Ivoire Pre-Enrolment Maldives Visa on Arrival St Vincent and the Grenadines No Visa
Djibouti e-Visa Mauritania Visa on Arrival Timor-Leste Visa on Arrival
Dominica No Visa Micronesia No Visa Togo Visa on Arrival
Ethiopia e-Visa Mozambique Visa on Arrival Tuvalu Visa on Arrival
Gabon e-Visa Palau Visa on Arrival Uganda Visa on Arrival

As with Iraq, it is best to frequently check with the relevant embassies to see what the latest visa requirements are.

 

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