EXPLAINED | Henley Passport Index 2022: Here Are The Factors On Which Passports Are Assessed
The ‘Henley Passport Index’ is one of the most accepted reports published globally when it comes to standardising passports across the globe.
Henley & Partners recently released the Global Passport Ranking 2022 where India was placed 87th out of 193 countries. Indian passport was 83rd in January and 90th last year. The Henley passport index also sheds light on the fact that the Indian passport now provides visa-free access to 60 countries, last year, the number of countries to which Indian passports had visa-free access was 58.
Why In News?
The ‘Henley Passport Index’ is one of the most accepted reports globally when it comes to standardising passports across the globe. It is often called the most powerful passport report. The report is in the news because it recently released its index for the year 2022, and India has ranked 87th in the same index.
What Is Henley’s Passport Index?
Created by Dr Chritian H Kaelin, who was the chairman of Henley & Partners, the index is considered the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
Methodology Followed To Create Worldwide Ranking
Primary Source: As per the information provided by the Henleys Passport Index, the data used to create the index is primarily taken from International Air Transport Authority (IATA). IATA provides exclusive data for the Henleys Index and it is also the basis of the index.
Verification of Data: The data collected from the IATA is also cross-checked by publically open and reliable sources. The verification of data is a crucial step in order to bring authenticity and accuracy to the report. Apart from the above-mentioned sources the Henley’s Index also has a research team to keep an eye on all the recent developments and policy changes regarding passports across the globe.
Criteria: If no visa is needed for passport holders from a country or territory to go to a location, a score with a value of 1 is created for that passport. If passport holders can get a visa on arrival, a visitor's permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) at the point of entry, a score of 1 is also applied. These visa categories are exempt from pre-departure government permission thanks to the established programs for visa waivers.
When there is a need for a visa or the approval of the government for a visa before departure, a score of 0 is assigned. This is a scenario that is not considered ‘Visa Free’.
Under the aforementioned parameters, the total score for each passport is equal to the number of places where no visa is necessary (value = 1).
The index is supposed to look at the following criteria before commencing the assessment:
- The passport has to be a valid passport
- It should be a ‘normal’ passport. ‘Diplomatic’, ‘emergency’, or ‘temporary’ passports are not taken into consideration
- The passport holder is an adult citizen of the issuing country. The person should be travelling alone
- The passport holder should not need complex requirements for entry
- The passport holder meets all the basic requirements for entry (Hotel reservations, sufficient funds)
- The passport holder should be vaccinated
- The passport holder should be arriving at and departing from the same airport
- The passport holder should be seeking a short stay in the destination country or territory (duration could be of three days to several months)
- Entry to the destination country is for tourist or business purposes
Classification (Grouping): The visa lists are classified into regions. These regional groupings are created using a combination of official United Nations geographic categories and Henley & Partners Business categories.
What does it mean that India ranks 87th on the Henley’s Passport Index?
This means Indian passport holder faces several hassles (Government approval or Visa) before they could make their trip to their destination country. This rank says that the Indian passport gives access to 60 countries.
India was ranked 85th in January 2021’s index, 84th in 2020, and 82nd in 2019.
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