Quick Travel Tools
Atlas · Data study · Updated 2026-07-18

The World's Hardest & Easiest Countries to Enter, 2026

For every country we counted how many of the world's 199 passports can enter with no prior visa: visa-free, on arrival, or a simple eTA. At one extreme, a handful of countries require nearly everyone to arrange a visa first. At the other, some admit almost every traveller on arrival.

3 countries admit just 0 of 198 passports without a visa arranged first: the hardest borders on earth
12 countries admit all 198 passports on arrival or visa-free: the most open
63–109 Europe's narrow range: strong passports, but guarded borders that admit far fewer than Africa or Asia's most open
Passports admitted with no prior visa (of 198)

Every continent's borders, shut to wide open

Each bar runs from a continent's most closed country to its most open, with a dot at the median. Asia and Africa stretch nearly the full width; Europe clusters tight and mid-range, its borders more guarded than its passports are strong.

range: most closed to most open border median score (hover for the countries at it)
North America23 countries
most closed Cuba 21 median Antigua and Barbuda 113 most open Dominica 196
Oceania14 countries
most closed Nauru 14 median Marshall Islands 110 most open 3 countries at 198 Micronesia, Samoa, Tuvalu
Africa54 countries
most closed Libya 2 median Eswatini 93 most open 7 countries at 198 Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya
Asia51 countries
most closed 3 countries at 0 Afghanistan, North Korea, Turkmenistan median 2 countries at 93 Cyprus, Uzbekistan most open 2 countries at 198 Maldives, Timor-Leste
Europe45 countries
most closed Russia 63 median 34 countries at 93 Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, and 24 more most open Kosovo 109
South America12 countries
most closed Suriname 24 median Argentina 90 most open Bolivia 197

The bar spans each continent's least- and most-open country; the dot marks the median (hover it for every country tied there). Openness = passports admitted visa-free, on arrival, or with an eTA, out of 198.

Border openness is a policy choice, not a function of size or wealth. The most closed countries make advance visas near-universal, while the most open (many of them in East and West Africa and the Pacific) issue visas on arrival to almost anyone. For travellers, it's a reminder that "do I need a visa?" depends entirely on the specific pairing of your passport and your destination.

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The full ranking: all 199 countries

Every country by how many of 198 passports it admits with no prior visa, most open first. Ties share a rank.

  1. 1 Burundi 198
  2. 1 Cape Verde 198
  3. 1 Comoros 198
  4. 1 Ghana 198
  5. 1 Guinea-Bissau 198
  6. 1 Ivory Coast 198
  7. 1 Kenya 198
  8. 1 Maldives 198
  9. 1 Micronesia 198
  10. 1 Samoa 198
  11. 1 Timor-Leste 198
  12. 1 Tuvalu 198
  13. 13 Bolivia 197
  14. 13 Cambodia 197
  15. 13 Djibouti 197
  16. 13 Mauritania 197
  17. 13 Seychelles 197
  18. 18 Dominica 196
  19. 18 Madagascar 196
  20. 18 Palau 196
  21. 18 Rwanda 196
  22. 22 Haiti 193
  23. 22 Sri Lanka 193
  24. 24 Mozambique 192
  25. 25 Macao 191
  26. 26 Iran 187
  27. 27 Nepal 186
  28. 27 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 186
  29. 29 Mauritius 182
  30. 30 Barbados 179
  31. 31 Tanzania 173
  32. 32 Laos 170
  33. 33 Bangladesh 167
  34. 34 Malaysia 165
  35. 35 Singapore 164
  36. 36 Nicaragua 162
  37. 37 Gambia 161
  38. 38 Philippines 159
  39. 39 Palestine 156
  40. 40 Ecuador 152
  41. 41 Malawi 148
  42. 42 Hong Kong 147
  43. 43 Zimbabwe 144
  44. 44 Saint Lucia 143
  45. 45 Jordan 142
  46. 46 Zambia 141
  47. 47 Senegal 135
  48. 48 Sierra Leone 126
  49. 49 Egypt 123
  50. 49 Grenada 123
  51. 51 Bahamas 122
  52. 51 Jamaica 122
  53. 53 Saint Kitts and Nevis 121
  54. 54 Kiribati 120
  55. 55 Vanuatu 119
  56. 56 Ethiopia 116
  57. 56 Panama 116
  58. 58 Antigua and Barbuda 113
  59. 59 Fiji 112
  60. 59 Thailand 112
  61. 61 Marshall Islands 110
  62. 61 South Korea 110
  63. 63 Kosovo 109
  64. 63 Namibia 109
  65. 65 Dominican Republic 108
  66. 65 Turkey 108
  67. 67 Belize 105
  68. 68 Trinidad and Tobago 104
  69. 69 Botswana 103
  70. 69 Brazil 103
  71. 69 Lebanon 103
  72. 69 Moldova 103
  73. 69 Peru 103
  74. 74 Colombia 101
  75. 74 Israel 101
  76. 76 Angola 100
  77. 76 Georgia 100
  78. 76 Montenegro 100
  79. 76 Tunisia 100
  80. 80 Bosnia and Herzegovina 99
  81. 80 Qatar 99
  82. 82 Tajikistan 98
  83. 83 Indonesia 97
  84. 84 Papua New Guinea 96
  85. 85 Costa Rica 95
  86. 86 Albania 93
  87. 86 Andorra 93
  88. 86 Austria 93
  89. 86 Belgium 93
  90. 86 Bulgaria 93
  91. 86 Croatia 93
  92. 86 Cyprus 93
  93. 86 Czechia 93
  94. 86 Denmark 93
  95. 86 Estonia 93
  96. 86 Eswatini 93
  97. 86 Finland 93
  98. 86 France 93
  99. 86 Germany 93
  100. 86 Greece 93
  101. 86 Hungary 93
  102. 86 Iceland 93
  103. 86 Italy 93
  104. 86 Latvia 93
  105. 86 Liechtenstein 93
  106. 86 Lithuania 93
  107. 86 Luxembourg 93
  108. 86 Malta 93
  109. 86 Monaco 93
  110. 86 Netherlands 93
  111. 86 Norway 93
  112. 86 Poland 93
  113. 86 Portugal 93
  114. 86 Romania 93
  115. 86 San Marino 93
  116. 86 Slovakia 93
  117. 86 Slovenia 93
  118. 86 Spain 93
  119. 86 Sweden 93
  120. 86 Switzerland 93
  121. 86 Uzbekistan 93
  122. 86 Vatican City 93
  123. 123 Chile 92
  124. 124 Belarus 91
  125. 125 Argentina 90
  126. 125 Serbia 90
  127. 127 El Salvador 89
  128. 127 United Kingdom 89
  129. 129 Armenia 88
  130. 129 United Arab Emirates 88
  131. 131 Guatemala 86
  132. 131 South Africa 86
  133. 133 Honduras 85
  134. 134 Uruguay 84
  135. 135 Ireland 82
  136. 135 Kyrgyzstan 82
  137. 137 Kazakhstan 81
  138. 137 Oman 81
  139. 137 Ukraine 81
  140. 140 North Macedonia 80
  141. 141 Morocco 76
  142. 141 Solomon Islands 76
  143. 143 Burkina Faso 74
  144. 143 Saudi Arabia 74
  145. 143 Taiwan 74
  146. 146 Bahrain 71
  147. 146 Japan 71
  148. 146 Venezuela 71
  149. 149 Paraguay 70
  150. 150 Tonga 69
  151. 151 Lesotho 68
  152. 151 Mongolia 68
  153. 153 China 67
  154. 154 Mexico 66
  155. 155 Pakistan 64
  156. 156 Brunei 63
  157. 156 Russia 63
  158. 158 New Zealand 61
  159. 159 Guyana 60
  160. 160 Kuwait 58
  161. 161 Benin 57
  162. 161 Sao Tome and Principe 57
  163. 161 Somalia 57
  164. 164 Canada 53
  165. 164 Nigeria 53
  166. 166 Australia 46
  167. 166 Iraq 46
  168. 166 United States 46
  169. 169 Uganda 38
  170. 170 Azerbaijan 29
  171. 171 Syria 28
  172. 172 Vietnam 27
  173. 173 Mali 25
  174. 174 Suriname 24
  175. 175 Guinea 22
  176. 176 Cuba 21
  177. 177 Niger 19
  178. 178 Chad 16
  179. 179 Central African Republic 15
  180. 179 Republic of the Congo 15
  181. 179 Togo 15
  182. 182 Liberia 14
  183. 182 Nauru 14
  184. 184 Yemen 12
  185. 185 Myanmar 11
  186. 186 Gabon 9
  187. 187 Cameroon 7
  188. 187 Democratic Republic of the Congo 7
  189. 187 Sudan 7
  190. 190 Algeria 6
  191. 190 India 6
  192. 192 Equatorial Guinea 5
  193. 192 South Sudan 5
  194. 194 Eritrea 4
  195. 195 Bhutan 3
  196. 196 Libya 2
  197. 197 Afghanistan 0
  198. 197 North Korea 0
  199. 197 Turkmenistan 0
Methodology & source

For each destination we counted how many of 198 other passports may enter visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an eTA. e-Visa and visa-required entries count as “needs a visa first”. A low number = a hard border; a high number = an open one. The median country admits 93 of 198.

Data: passport-index-dataset (ilyankou) (MIT). Analysis by Quick Travel Tools.

Cite this study (free with a link back):
Quick Travel Tools: “The World's Hardest & Easiest Countries to Enter, 2026”. https://quicktraveltools.com/studies/hardest-countries-to-enter-2026/