Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq’s passport held its spot among the world’s weakest travel documents in the 2026 Henley Passport Index, ranking 101st globally and ahead of only Syria among Arab countries.
According to the index, Iraqi passport holders can access just 29 destinations worldwide without obtaining a visa in advance or by receiving a visa on arrival. The United Arab Emirates retained its position as the Arab world’s strongest passport and ranked second globally, followed by Qatar at 46th worldwide, Kuwait at 48th, Saudi Arabia at 51st, Bahrain at 52nd, and Oman at 55th.
Morocco ranked 64th globally, Tunisia 69th, Mauritania and Algeria 79th, while Jordan and Egypt shared 85th place. Lebanon ranked 92nd, followed by Sudan, Libya, and Palestine, while Somalia was 98th and Yemen 99th.
The index, which evaluates 199 passports using International Air Transport Association (IATA) data, measures how many destinations holders can enter without requiring a pre-approved visa.
Firas Ilyas, a professor of international relations at the University of Mosul, previously told Shafaq News that passport strength reflects “a state’s standing in the international system and the level of trust it commands,” linking Iraq’s low ranking to decades of war, post-2003 instability, the conflict against ISIS, and continuing governance challenges. Foreign governments also assess border management, document security, irregular migration risks, and state control over armed groupswhen shaping visa policies toward Iraqi citizens.
: Trust gap, wars, instability: Why Iraq’s passport ranks among weakest