The most powerful passports of 2025: See where the US ranks

FILE - US passport (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Ireland has topped the list of countries with the strongest passports in the world, according to a new ranking from Nomad Capitalist.

Ranking No. 1 is a first for Ireland, followed by Switzerland and Greece for the top three.

"A passport is more than a travel document – it helps form our identity," Nomad wrote in this year’s report. "We aim to show how a second citizenship can be truly empowering through removing restrictions, expanding your freedom and unlocking a world of new opportunities."

What makes a passport "strong"?

Big picture view:

Most passport rankings are based solely on visa-free travel, but the Nomad Passport Index is ranked on five criteria:

Visa-free travel: How many countries you can travel to without a visa.
Taxation of citizens: Countries were ranked based on how much – or how little – they tax citizens living overseas, and how much – or how little – they tax foreign income.
Perception: How a country is perceived based on happiness and human development
Dual Citizenship: Countries were partially ranked based on the ability to hold dual citizenship.
Personal Freedom: The report factored in mandatory military service, government surveillance, press freedom and more to determine how high countries ranked in personal freedom.