TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The British consultancy firm Henley and Partners has listed Taiwan’s passport as the 37th strongest in the world.

In the latest Henley Passport Index, Singapore came in first place with a score of 193, per CNA. This means that passport holders can enter 193 countries without a visa or a visa on arrival.

South Korea ranks second with access to 190 destinations, followed closely by Japan at 189. The US shares 12th place with Malaysia, and because the index assigns the same rank to countries with equal scores, up to 36 countries now rank ahead of the US.

CNN pointed out that in the 20-year history of the Henley Passport Index, this is the first time the US has fallen out of the top 10. The US had previously held the top spot in 2014 but barely made the top 10 in July 2025, reflecting a series of changes in the Trump administration's entry policies.

The UK passport, which topped the index in 2015, fell two ranks from sixth to eighth place since July, its lowest ever. Hong Kong ranks 18th, Macau 35th, and China 64th.

Taiwan offers visa-free access to 136 countries and territories, placing it in the middle tier globally. Taiwan is just behind Serbia and one spot ahead of former diplomatic ally El Salvador. 

In East Asia and Southeast Asia, Taiwan retained its rank as the eighth most powerful passport, behind Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brunei, and Macau, according to the index.

Taiwan ranked 55th when the list was first announced in 2006, with its lowest ranking being 69th in 2010 and highest 24th in 2014. Since 2015, its ranking has consistently been in the 30s.

Henley and Partners ranks 199 passports in terms of the number of countries their holders can enter without prior visa approval among 227 travel destinations, based on data provided by the Air Transport Association.