Have you ever wondered why the Indian passport is so low on the list of nations with the most favourable travel policies for their citizens? The solution might surprise you. Indian Passport Global Ranking- Decoding India’s Mediocre Position. India was ranked an appalling 66th out of 93 countries in Henley & Partners’ 2018 Global Passport Power Index. To put this into perspective, Pakistan was placed 94th with a visa-free score of 28, while Singapore was ranked first with a visa-free score of 159.
So why is the passport power of India so low? What reasons led to this ranking’s steep decline, and what might be done to raise it? You may find the answers to these and other questions in this article, Indian Passport Global Ranking- Decoding India’s Mediocre Position, which examines how they can improve.
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The Henley Passport Index: The Methodology of the World Passport Ranking
Have you ever wondered why some people could visit more countries without a visa than others? Everything is based on the authority of the passports they are carrying.
Henley Passport Index: ranking of nations based on the freedom of travel passport holders enjoy. This ranking gets updated in real time when visa regulations change. The ranking considers each country’s embassies and consulates, biometric information, availability of e-visas, and visa limits.
The index, which considers 199 passports and 227 travel locations, including micro-states and territories, was created using information from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). It also considers visa-on-arrival procedures, which include a few extra steps but permit simple access into a nation without obtaining a conventional visa first. In a nutshell, it offers a thorough analysis of the current state of global travel freedom.
Why is the Indian passport not so STRONG?
Have you ever wondered why the Indian passport is so low on the list of nations with the most favorable travel policies for its citizens? Unfortunately, there are a few important causes behind this.
The Number of nations allowing visa-free travel
How many nations passport holders can enter without a visa is one of the key elements affecting a passport’s rating. Unfortunately, just 58 countries allow admission without a visa for holders of Indian passports, according to the 2020 Henley Passport Index. The entry of Indian passport holders is much lower than that of other nations like Japan and Singapore, which have visa-free access to over 190 countries, and is much lower than the average of 75 countries for Asian passport holders.
Political Relations
The political ties India has with other nations are another factor that influences its position in the world rankings. India’s lack of solid diplomatic ties with some important countries, like Pakistan, further limits its ability to travel freely across the world. Therefore, even if an Indian citizen asks for a visa to one of these countries, it might not be granted because of the strained political ties between India and that nation.
Lack of diplomatic clout
India’s lack of diplomatic influence—its influence in international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank is far lower than that of other powerful nations like China and the United States—contributes to a lower global ranking for its passport. The lack of diplomatic clout increases the complexity of negotiating visas or other travel restrictions with foreign governments, which only worsens India’s position in terms of international travel freedom.
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How may the Indian passport be strengthened?
You’re not alone if you’ve ever questioned why the Indian passport rates so poorly among all other nationalities regarding citizens’ freedom to travel. According to the 2019 Henley Passport Index, the Indian passport is ranked a mediocre 86th out of 93 nations. I
Expand visa-free travel to other nations.
The easiest way for India to go up the rankings would be to give more citizens access to global visa-free travel. This entails expanding the number of nations that accept Indian passports without a visa. Any strategy must include steps to make it simpler and more comfortable for Indians to travel internationally.
Strengthen diplomatic relations
Any strategy should also strongly emphasize developing diplomatic relations with other nations. It will also assist India’s ambassadors in forging closer ties with other countries and better visa agreements with other governments. If it takes this action, India could give its citizens more alternatives and greater freedom when they travel overseas.
If India wants to improve its low status in the rankings of world passports, it still has a lot of work to do. Indian nationals are getting more and more benefits, from greater travel freedoms & access to countries without a visa
China and Russia perform better in comparison to other emerging nations
Ever ponder why the Indian passport rates so poor compare to others? You may know India’s average performance in the global passport power index, but you might not understand why it does worse than other developing countries like China or Russia.
India’s relative lack of travel freedom is due to a few major factors:
- Visa restrictions: Indian nationals frequently need to apply for visas even while traveling to neighboring nations like Bangladesh or Nepal, although nationals of other nations do not.
- Limited international agreements: Compared to many other countries, India currently has fewer bilateral agreements for visa-free travel, which restricts the options for Indian nationals.
- Limited financial resources: Indians typically have lower disposable incomes than people from some of the higher-ranked nations, which makes it less likely that they would have the resources to travel abroad.
These facts make it evident that India needs to do some homework to raise its position on the passport power index and, consequently, increase its citizens’ freedom to travel.
The Way Forward: Government Programs to Strengthen Passport Authority
Both domestic and international is being improve to increase India’s passport power. The Indian government needs a workable plan that goes beyond quick fixes to go forward.
The following programs could improve the validity of Indian passports:
- Strengthening diplomatic links with other countries: Building stronger relationships with other countries is essential to fostering mutual understanding between two countries and becoming a respected travel-friendly country globally.
- Visa application: The application procedure need streamline. And process is on-going to make it more effective, emphasizing security measures rather than broad immigration control.
- Improving the infrastructure at different points of entry: Modernizing airports, highways, and other transportation systems will make it simpler for visitors from India to enter other nations without any difficulties or delays.
By giving Indians a stronger sense of security when traveling overseas these activities will increase India’s passport power.
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Conclusion
India needs to rethink and update its visa laws to move up in the list of nations where residents have the most freedom to travel. We can give more citizens access to visa-free travel by forging alliances with other nations and prodding them to open their borders. This action is more important than ever because the world is slowly opening up after the pandemic. The timeless resurgence of “Gandhigiri.“ is the need of the hour
Our country that is quickly growing, must seek to catch up with the “Most Powerful Passport Index”. The nation’s citizens will still have to bear the burden of the Indian passport’s subpar standing until then.
We hope you enjoyed reading- Indian Passport Global Ranking- Decoding India’s Mediocre Position.
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