BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Brunei Darussalam has been ranked 19th in the latest Henley Passport Index 2026, with Bruneian passport holders enjoying visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 163 destinations worldwide.
The annual ranking, released by global residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners, assesses the travel freedom of 199 passports based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Brunei shares the 19th position with The Bahamas, placing it among the world’s top 20 most powerful passports.
The result marks a slight decline from the Henley Passport Index 2025, when Brunei was ranked 18th with access to 166 destinations.
Despite the drop of one place and three fewer visa-free destinations, Brunei continues to hold one of the strongest passports in Southeast Asia, behind only Singapore and Malaysia.
Singapore retained the top spot globally, with its passport providing visa-free access to 192 destinations.
Japan ranked second with access to 188 destinations, followed by South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Sweden in third place with 187 destinations.
Belgium was ranked fourth with access to 186 destinations, while Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain shared fifth place with 185 destinations.
Malaysia remained among the world’s strongest passports, ranking seventh with visa-free access to 183 destinations.
Within the region, Brunei ranked ahead of Thailand (63rd), Indonesia (68th), the Philippines (72nd), Timor-Leste (52nd), Vietnam (87th), Cambodia (88th), Laos (89th) and Myanmar (90th).
At the opposite end of the index, Afghanistan remained the world’s weakest passport, with access to just 22 destinations, followed by Syria, Iraq and Pakistan.
The Henley Passport Index is updated regularly throughout the year and is regarded as one of the leading global benchmarks for passport strength, measuring the number of destinations passport holders can enter without obtaining a visa in advance. – Borneo Bulletin/ANN
