Latest List Of Countries That Are Visa-Free For Indian Passport Holders In 2026

In the 2026 edition of the Henley Passport Index, India's passport has climbed up the global mobility ladder, moving five places to 80th position. It's a modest but notable improvement after a year of volatility. The Henley Passport Index is the longest-standing global ranking of passport strength. It measures how many destinations a country's citizens can enter without a prior visa, using airline and border-control data. While India's overall rank has climbed, the actual number of destinations Indian passport holders can access without securing a visa in advance has fallen compared with the previous year.

Greater mobility matters because it shapes how easily travellers can plan trips. Visa-free travel, or the ability to secure a visa on arrival or via an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), reduces uncertainty and cost. It makes spontaneous getaways, short-haul holidays and last-minute business trips far simpler, often eliminating the need for embassy visits, paperwork and pre-travel processing fees.

In the 2026 index, India's travel freedom score stands at access to 55 destinations without prior visas. That's fewer than the destinations in 2025. Why does this matter? It highlights a broader trend: passport power is not always a straight climb. Diplomatic shifts, changing visa policies in destination countries, or even temporary suspensions of visa-on-arrival schemes can shrink the list of accessible destinations, even as a passport's rank improves relative to others.

Visa-Free Vs Visa-On-Arrival Vs ETA

1. Visa-Free

This is the most straightforward category: holders of the Indian passport can enter a country without any visa formalities at all. There is zero pre-travel administrative approval needed. Once you arrive, you simply proceed through immigration, similar to domestic travel. This is the gold standard of travel freedom.

2. Visa on Arrival

Under this regime, Indian travellers do not need a visa before departure, but they must apply for entry permission at the destination airport or border crossing. This might require filling out a form, paying a fee, or demonstrating onward travel. Importantly, visa-on-arrival does not require obtaining a visa from an embassy prior to departure.

3. Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

ETAs bridge the gap between visa-free and traditional visas. Travellers apply online before departure and receive approval electronically. It is often fast, low-cost, and handled remotely, making it convenient compared with in-person consulate processes. Note that the Henley Index treats ETAs and E-visas as separate categories. Countries that require E-visas are not included in the "visa-free" destinations' count.

Completely Visa-Free Destinations For Indian Passport Holders In 2026

1. Angola
2. Barbados
3. Bhutan
4. British Virgin Islands
5. Cook Islands
6. Dominica
7. Fiji
8. Grenada
9. Haiti
10. Jamaica
11. Kazakhstan
12. Kiribati
13. Macao (SAR China)
14. Malaysia
15. Mauritius
16. Micronesia
17. Montserrat
18. Nepal
19. Phillipines
20. Rwanda
21. Senegal
22. St Vincent and The Grenadines
23. Thailand
24. Trinidad and Tobago
25. Vanuatu

Destinations That Require ETA For Indian Passport Holders In 2026

1. Kenya
2. Seychelles
3. St. Kitts and Nevis

Visa-On-Arrival (VOA) Destinations For Indian Passport Holders In 2026

1. Burundi
2. Cambodia
3. Cape Verde Islands
4. Djibouti
5. Ethiopia
6. Guinea-Bissau
7. Indonesia
8. Jordan
9. Laos
10. Madagascar
11. Maldives
12. Marshall Islands
13. Mongolia
14. Mozambique
15. Myanmar
16. Philippines
17. Palau Islands
18. Qatar
19. Samoa
20. Sierra Leone
21. Somalia
22. Sri Lanka
23. St. Lucia
24. Tanzania
25. Timor-Leste
26. Tuvalu
27. Zimbabwe