The Worst Passports in the World
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:
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](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Bangladeshi_Passport_Cover.jpg)
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](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Sudan_passport_cover.JPG?uselang=en-gb)
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.
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](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Republic-of-yemen-passport-non-biometric-01.JPG/426px-Republic-of-yemen-passport-non-biometric-01.JPG)
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.
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:
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](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Pakistan_Passport.jpg/347px-Pakistan_Passport.jpg?uselang=en-gb)
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:
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](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Cover_of_Iraqi_Passport.jpg?uselang=en-gb)
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:
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.
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.
