Here are the key highlights on India’s improved passport ranking and visa-free destinations:
- India has climbed to 77th place in the Henley Passport Index 2025, a significant jump from 80th in 2024 and 85th the year before.
- Indian passport holders can now access 59 countries either visa-free or via visa-on-arrival (VOA), up from 57 previously.
- The two new visa-friendly additions in 2025 are Sri Lanka and the Philippines .
- India shares the 77th spot with Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal .
Asia remains the most receptive region, with top tourist favorites like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Maldives, as well as Macau, Myanmar, and the newly added Philippines offering visa-on-arrival or visa-free access .
📌 Why It Matters
- The improvement reflects increasing global mobility for Indian travelers, lowering travel hurdles and possibly boosting tourism 🇮🇳 → 🌍 .
- However, top-ranking passports (e.g., Singapore, Japan, South Korea, EU countries) still offer visa-free access to around 190+ destinations, illustrating that India has progress yet to make .
✈️ Travel Tips for Indians in 2025
- Check entry regulations before booking—stay lengths and entry conditions (like VOA fees) can vary.
- Keep an eye on e-visa or VOA deadlines, like Sri Lanka’s ETA or Philippines’ VOA effective since June 2025 .
- Plan for last-minute trips—many of these countries support spontaneous travel thanks to immediate entry access.
✅ Full List of 59 Nations
Here is the full list of 59 countries that Indian passport holders can travel to visa-free, or with visa-on-arrival (VOA) / e-visa as of 2025, based on the Henley Passport Index and government sources:
🌍 Asia
- Bhutan – Visa-free
- Nepal – Visa-free
- Indonesia – Visa-free (30 days)
- Thailand – Visa-free (until Nov 2025)
- Sri Lanka – eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization)
- Maldives – Visa-on-arrival (30 days)
- Macau (SAR China) – Visa-free (30 days)
- Laos – Visa-on-arrival
- Myanmar – eVisa
- Cambodia – Visa-on-arrival / eVisa
- Vietnam – eVisa
- Timor-Leste – Visa-on-arrival
- Kazakhstan – Visa-free (14 days)
- Iran – Visa-free (20 days, for group travel)
- Philippines – Visa-free (14 days) (NEW in 2025)
🌴 Oceania
- Fiji – Visa-free
- Micronesia – Visa-free
- Vanuatu – Visa-free
- Cook Islands – Visa-free
- Niue – Visa-free
- Samoa – Visa-on-arrival
- Tuvalu – Visa-on-arrival
- Palau Islands – Visa-on-arrival
🌍 Africa
- Kenya – eVisa
- Mauritius – Visa-free (60 days)
- Rwanda – Visa-on-arrival / eVisa
- Seychelles – Visitor’s permit on arrival (90 days)
- Tanzania – Visa-on-arrival / eVisa
- Madagascar – Visa-on-arrival
- Mozambique – Visa-on-arrival
- Uganda – eVisa
- Togo – Visa-on-arrival
- Sierra Leone – Visa-on-arrival
- Somalia – Visa-on-arrival
- Burundi – Visa-on-arrival
- Guinea-Bissau – Visa-on-arrival
- Comoros – Visa-on-arrival
- Gabon – eVisa
- Zimbabwe – Visa-on-arrival
- Senegal – Visa-free
- Botswana – Visa-free
🌎 Caribbean & Americas
- Barbados – Visa-free
- Dominica – Visa-free (6 months)
- Grenada – Visa-free (3 months)
- Haiti – Visa-free
- Jamaica – Visa-free
- St. Kitts & Nevis – Visa-free
- St. Vincent & the Grenadines – Visa-free
- Trinidad & Tobago – Visa-free
- Montserrat – Visa-free
- British Virgin Islands – Visa-free
🇪🇺 Europe (Few Territories)
- Serbia – Visa-free (30 days)
- Albania – Visa-free (seasonal, check validity)
- Georgia – eVisa
- Bosnia and Herzegovina – Visa-free (30 days)
🏝️ Middle East / Other
- Qatar – eVisa / ETA
- Armenia – Visa-on-arrival / eVisa
- Oman – eVisa (for GCC residents)
- Anguilla (UK territory) – Visa-free (90 days)
✅ Note: Requirements may vary depending on the type of passport (regular, diplomatic), latest geopolitical updates, or travel conditions. Always check the official embassy or consulate website before travel.

