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 11 Worst Passports list, updated for 2018.
11. 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. The number of countries that do so is 44:
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 | Maldives | Visa on Arrival | Somalia | Visa on Arrival |
| Benin | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Guinea-Bissau | Visa on Arrival or e-Visa | Mauritania | Visa on Arrival | Sri Lanka | ETA |
| Bolivia | No Visa | India | eVisa | Micronesia | No Visa | St Vincent and the Grenadines | No Visa |
| Cambodia | eVisa | Indonesia | No Visa | Mozambique | Visa on Arrival | Swaziland | No Visa |
| Cape Verde | Visa on Arrival | Iran | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Nicaragua | No Visa | Tanzania | Visa on Arrival |
| Comoros | Visa on Arrival | Jordan | No Visa | Palau | Visa on Arrival | Timor-Leste | Visa on Arrival |
| Cote d’Ivoire | Pre-Enrolment | Laos | Visa on Arrival | Qatar | eVisa | Togo | Visa on Arrival |
| Djibouti | eVisa | Lesotho | eVisa | Rwanda | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Tuvalu | Visa on Arrival |
| Dominica | No Visa | Macao | Visa on Arrival | Saint Lucia | Visa on Arrival | Uganda | Visa on Arrival or eVisa |
| Ecuador | No Visa | Madagascar | Visa on Arrival | Samoa | Visa on Arrival | Venezuela | No Visa |
| Ethiopia | eVisa | Malaysia | No Visa | Seychelles | Tourist Registration | Zimbabwe | Visa on Arrival or eVisa |
8. Eritrea / Ethiopia / Yemen – 44 Countries
![Eritrean Passport By Noble (Own 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://www.canadianimmigration24.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Cover_of_Eritrean_Passport.jpeg)
by Noble / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
We’ll focus on Eritrea, as Ethiopia and Yemen are treated essentially in terms of visa requirements.
Eritrea is a collection of various former kingdoms and vassal states of the former Ethiopian and Ottoman Empires. Eritrea had to fight its way to independence with Ethiopia in the early 1990s and fought Ethiopia again in the late 1990s. It has had conflicts with neighbouring Djibouti as well. So as a recent, conflict-torn member of the UN, it’s not surprising that an Eritrean passport does not offer its holder a lot of visa-free travel. You can travel visa-free to 44 countries:
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 |
7. Sudan – 44 Countries
![Sudanese Passport By Serongadamwiki (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.canadianimmigration24.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Sudan_passport_cover.JPG)
[Public Domain]
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. You can travel visa-free to 44 countries:
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 |
| Bolivia | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | 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 | Moldova | No Visa | 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 | Visa on Arrival or 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 |
The table might not quite reflect current visa policies. Always check with the Embassy first.
6. Libya – 43 Countries
![Libyan Passport By Maher27777 (Own work) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.canadianimmigration24.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/300px-Kingdom_of_Libya_Passport.jpg)
[Public Domain]
The land of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi has been torn apart by 2 civil wars in recent years and unrest abounds as factions – including radical Islamic extremists – fighting for power cause instability and violence. As expected, a Libyan passport does not open many doors; only 38 countries allow visa-free access to Libyan citizens:
2015 Map from Presentation Magazine. Red = Visa Yellow = Visa on Arrival Green = No visa
| Country | Requirement | Country | Requirement | Country | Requirement | Country | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | No Visa | Ethiopia | eVisa | Malaysia | No Visa | Seychelles | Tourist Registration |
| Benin | No Visa | Gabon | eVisa | Maldives | Visa on Arrival | Somalia | Visa on Arrival |
| Bolivia | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Ghana | Visa on Arrival | Mauritania | No Visa | Sri Lanka | Elecronic Travel Authorization |
| Burkina Faso | Visa on Arrival | Guinea-Bissau | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Micronesia | No Visa | St Vincent and the Grenadines | No Visa |
| Cambodia | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Haiti | No Visa | Mozambique | Visa on Arrival | Tanzania | Visa on Arrival |
| Cape Verde | Visa on Arrival | Indonesia | Visa on Arrival | Nepal | Visa on Arrival | Timor-Leste | Visa on Arrival |
| Comoros | Visa on Arrival | Iran | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Palau | Visa on Arrival | Togo | Visa on Arrival |
| Cote d’Ivoire | Pre-Enrolment | Lebanon | Visa on Arrival | Palestinian Territories | No Visa | Tunisia | No Visa |
| Djibouti | eVisa | Lesotho | eVisa on | 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 |
There is a discrepancy between the overall count of 38 countries – as measured by Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index 2014 – and the total from the above tables (which includes two territories). As Libya is in a volatile situation, it may be that visa requirements have recently changed.
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 | Ethiopia | eVisa | Malaysia | No Visa | Seychelles | Tourist Registration |
| Benin | No Visa | Gabon | eVisa | Maldives | Visa on Arrival | Sri Lanka | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Bolivia | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | 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 | Timor-Leste | Visa on Arrival |
| Cambodia | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Haiti | No Visa | Mozambique | Visa on Arrival | Togo | Visa on Arrival |
| Cape Verde | Visa on Arrival | Laos | Visa on Arrival | Palau | Visa on Arrival | Turkey | Visa on Arrival or eVisa |
| Comoros | Visa on Arrival | Lebanon | Visa on Arrival | Palestinian Territories | No Visa | Tuvalu | Visa on Arrival |
| Cote d’Ivoire | Pre-Enrolment | Lesotho | eVisa | Qatar | eVisa | Uganda | Visa on Arrival or eVisa |
| Djibouti | eVisa | Macao | Visa on Arrival | Rwanda | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | ||
| Dominica | No Visa | Madagascar | Visa on Arrival | Samoa | Visa on Arrival |
The number of countries in the above tables is greater than the number given by the official Visa Restrictions Index. Somalian visas are likely re-evaluated continually so it is best to check back frequently with the relevant embassies.
4. Syria – 37 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 37 countries 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 | Gabon | eVisa | Mauritania | No Visa | Sudan | No Visa |
| Bolivia | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Guinea-Bissau | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | Micronesia | No Visa | Tanzania | Visa on Arrival |
| Cambodia | Visa on Arrival | Haiti | No Visa | Mozambique | Visa on Arrival | Timor-Leste | Visa on Arrival |
| Cape Verde | Visa on Arrival | Iran | No Visa | 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 | Yemen | Visa on Arrival |
| Ecuador | No Visa | Malaysia | No Visa | Seychelles | Tourist Registration | ||
| Ethiopia | eVisa | Maldives | Visa on Arrival | Somalia | 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 – 36 countries
![Pakistani Passport By Mike35741 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.canadianimmigration24.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/347px-Pakistan_Passport.jpg)
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 |
| Bolivia | Visa on Arrival or eVisa | 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 | Tanzania | Visa on Arrival |
| Cape Verde | Visa on Arrival | Kenya | eVisa | Nepal | Visa on Arrival | Timor-Leste | Visa on Arrival |
| Comoros | Visa on Arrival | Lesotho | eVisa | Palau | Visa on Arrival | Togo | Visa on Arrival |
| Cote d’Ivoire | Pre-Enrolment | Madagascar | Visa on Arrival | Qatar | No Visa | Trinidad and Tobago | No Visa |
| 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 – 33 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://www.canadianimmigration24.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Cover_of_Iraqi_Passport.jpg)
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 since Iraq has been engulfed in war or civil war and conflict. Who is in charge of what continually changes. That means Iraqi citizens have visa-free travel available to them in only 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolivia | Visa on Arrival or e-Visa | Ethiopia | e-Visa | Madagascar | Visa on Arrival | Qatar | e-Visa | Timor-Leste | Visa on Arrival |
| Cambodia | 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 – 30 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 30.
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 |
| Bolivia | Visa on Arrival | 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.
