News brief · Rankings

Passports: France stays in the world top 5

The French passport offers some of the widest visa-free access in the world. But a mobility ranking measures one specific thing — and only one — and the displayed rank is the most fragile figure of all.

By Editorial team · on July 31, 2026

View of Paris — Photo: Yann Caradec from Paris, France — Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)

What a mobility index measures

A passport mobility index counts the number of destinations accessible without a prior visa, or with a visa issued on arrival. It is not a measure of a passport's quality in general: it says nothing about the right to stay long term, to work, or about consular protection.

The distinction matters for an expatriate. A highly ranked passport opens the doors to business travel and tourism; it does not open the door to settling, which depends on national residence permits and conditions specific to each country.

The figures we have verified

The French passport gives visa-free access to about 192¹. The Italian passport has the same number, about 192², while the Greek and Portuguese passports are one notch below, at about 191³ and about 191⁴ respectively.

The gap with passports obtained through investment is clear. The passport of Saint Kitts and Nevis opens about 154⁵, that of Mauritius about 150⁶.

Lower still, the Georgian passport gives access to about 122⁷ and the Thai passport to about 82⁸. Yet both countries are among the most popular expatriation destinations: the mobility a passport offers and the appeal of a country are two unrelated questions.

What this changes for an expatriation project

For a French national, the practical conclusion is generally disappointing for programme sellers: a second Caribbean passport does not improve mobility, it reduces it. The value of citizenship by investment, where it exists, lies elsewhere — legal diversification, estate planning, access to a third country, exit from a restrictive nationality.

The calculation is the reverse for a national of a low-mobility country: the gap between the figures above then measures very concretely what is being bought.

That gap still has to be weighed against its price. The contribution required by Saint Kitts and Nevis amounts to from $250,000⁹ for a single applicant or a family of four, plus due diligence fees of $10,000¹⁰ for the main applicant. Set against the mobility gain, this outlay only makes sense for someone starting from very low.

Timing matters too: the competent unit announces a decision within from 120 days¹¹ to up to 180 days¹², with the possibility of a justified deferral. A passport bought to unlock a specific trip rarely arrives in time.

What to do with these rankings

Read the number of destinations rather than the rank: the former is a measurement, the latter a comparison result that shifts at the slightest tie;
check that the destinations that matter to you are actually included in the count, as a high total can hide the absence of a key country;
never infer a right of residence from a right of entry;
re-check before any long-term commitment: visa waiver agreements are concluded and suspended at the pace of diplomacy, not that of wealth planning.

What remains uncertain

We do not confirm the French passport's world rank here. The ranking page we consulted on 26 September 2026 loads its data via script and does not expose the table for reading: we were able to verify the numbers of destinations, already recorded and dated in our data, but not the position in the ranking.

This caveat is not a methodological detail. Several European passports share the same number of destinations — France and Italy are tied here — and a rank then depends entirely on how the publisher handles ties. Two indices can give two different ranks for the same number.

The counts used here come from a private publisher, which publishes its own methodology. It is not an official source in the sense of a regulatory text, and competing indices do not always arrive at the same totals.

Please note

General information, as of the date shown. A draft reform is not a rule in force: check the conditions with the authorities or a professional before deciding. Terms of use and disclaimers

Sources and verification dates

1.
French passport: visa-free destinations : 192
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.com
2.
Italian passport: visa-free destinations : 192
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
3.
Greek passport: visa-free destinations : 191
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
4.
Portuguese passport: visa-free destinations : 191
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
5.
Saint Kitts and Nevis passport: visa-free destinations : 154
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
6.
Mauritian passport: visa-free destinations : 150
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
7.
Georgian passport: visa-free destinations : 122
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
8.
Thai passport: visa-free destinations : 82
« Henley Passport Index — classement des passeports par nombre de destinations accessibles sans visa préalable (données IATA), consulté à la date indiquée. Valeur reprise de l’index de l’ancien site (barème à 227 destinations). »
henleyglobal.comVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
9.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: SISC contribution for a single applicant or a family of four : $250,000
« Main Applicant or Family (up to four members): US$250,000 »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
10.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: due diligence fee for the main applicant : $10,000
« Due Diligence Fees: Main Applicant: US$10,000 »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
11.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: minimum stated time before a decision on a citizenship application : 120 days
« Within 120-180 days of acknowledgment from the Unit of submission of a citizenship application, the Unit will advise whether an application is: Approved-in-principle; Denied; or Delayed for cause and is still being processed. »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
12.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: maximum stated time before a decision on a citizenship application : 180 days
« Within 120-180 days of acknowledgment from the Unit of submission of a citizenship application, the Unit will advise whether an application is: Approved-in-principle; Denied; or Delayed for cause and is still being processed. »
ciu.gov.knVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source