Mobility score
Visa-free mobility index
Mobility (visa-free) index — a measure of passport strength: the number of countries you can enter without a visa or with a simplified visa.
- What it is
- A mobility index — a measure of a passport’s strength by visa-free access
- How it is calculated
- The number of countries without a visa or with a simplified visa
- The higher
- The freer your travel around the world
- Why
- Comparing passports and programmes with each other
- Keep in mind
- It is not the only selection criterion
In plain words
A mobility score (a mobility or visa-free index) is a measure of a passport’s “strength”, reflecting its holder’s freedom of movement. It is based on the number of countries that can be entered without a visa, with a visa on arrival or with an electronic authorisation. The higher the score, the more countries admit you without a visa obtained in advance.
Such indices are published by specialised companies and industry rankings; their names differ, but the essence is the same — to rank the world’s passports by ease of travel. It is this measure that people often look at when choosing a citizenship programme: a strong passport with wide visa-free access saves time and simplifies international travel, business and life.
It is important not to make the index an absolute: high visa-free access is a weighty criterion, but not the only one. The passport’s reputation, the tax consequences, access to the specific countries you need (the US or Schengen, for example), and the speed and cost of the programme also matter. We help assess a passport as a whole rather than chasing a line in a ranking.
Where the index is used
What matters about the mobility index
- Visa-free countries
- Visa on arrival
- Electronic authorisations
- Compare passports
- Assess freedom to travel
- Choose a programme
- The passport’s reputation
- Access to the countries you need
- Taxes and cost
- Not the only criterion
- Rankings differ
- Look at the whole picture
How to use the index
- 01Determine the countries required
- 02Compare the passports’ scores
- 03Take reputation and taxes into account
- 04Assess the programme as a whole
- 05An informed choice
What you need to know
- The mobility index reflects a passport’s strength
- It is based on the number of visa-free and simplified destinations
- The higher the score, the freer the travel
- It is often used when choosing a citizenship programme
- It is a weighty criterion, but not the only one
Common mistakes
- Choosing a passport by its line in a ranking alone
- Ignoring access to the specific countries you need
- Not taking into account reputation and tax consequences
- Comparing scores from different rankings directly
- Forgetting the speed and cost of the programme
What this means for a BRIDGES client
We help assess a passport’s strength as a whole: not only by the mobility index, but by access to the countries you specifically need, reputation, taxes, and the speed and cost of the programme. That way you choose a passport for its real benefit to your travel and business, not just for a line in a ranking.
Frequently asked questions
01 /What is a mobility index?
A measure of a passport’s strength: the number of countries that can be entered without a visa, with a visa on arrival or with an electronic authorisation. The higher the score, the freer the travel.
02 /Who compiles such rankings?
Specialised companies and industry analysts. The names and methodologies differ, but the essence is the same — to rank passports by ease of international travel.
03 /Should a passport be chosen by the index alone?
No. It is a weighty criterion but not the only one. Access to the countries you need, the passport’s reputation, taxes, and the programme’s speed and cost also matter.
04 /Why do different rankings give different figures?
Because of different counting methodologies and how visas on arrival and electronic authorisations are counted. That is why scores from different sources are not compared directly.
05 /What matters more than the index?
Access to the specific countries you need. A high overall score is useless if it does not include the destinations that matter for your travel and business.
06 /How do you choose a passport for your travel?
Start with a list of the countries you need, then compare programmes by access to them, reputation, taxes and cost. We help make this choice deliberately.
See also
Read next
This material has undergone editorial review by BRIDGES.
Need a strong passport?
We will compare programmes by visa-free access and other criteria and choose a passport for your real routes and tasks.