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Middle East passport ranking 2026: strongest & weakest
Updated 2026-07-15 · free to cite (CC BY 4.0)
All 18 Middle East passports, scored by how many of 198 destinations each opens without a pre-arranged visa. The strongest Middle East passport is United Arab Emirates (169 destinations, #1 worldwide); the weakest is Syria (26 destinations).
Key findings
- Strongest Middle East passport: 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates — 169 of 198 destinations open, #1 in the world.
- Weakest Middle East passport: 🇸🇾 Syria — 26 destinations, #198 in the world.
- The average Middle East passport opens 77 of 198 destinations.
- Ranking isn't destiny: even a lower-placed passport reaches far more countries with the right visa — see our visa unlock rules.
All 18 Middle East passports ranked (2026)
| # | Passport | Open (of 198) | Visa-free | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 169 | 127 | Middle East |
| 2 | 🇮🇱 Israel | 140 | 105 | Middle East |
| 3 | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 119 | 79 | Middle East |
| 4 | 🇹🇷 Turkey | 111 | 71 | Middle East |
| 5 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 105 | 69 | Middle East |
| 6 | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 96 | 57 | Middle East |
| 7 | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 86 | 50 | Middle East |
| 8 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 86 | 53 | Middle East |
| 9 | 🇴🇲 Oman | 82 | 48 | Middle East |
| 10 | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 71 | 35 | Middle East |
| 11 | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 67 | 33 | Middle East |
| 12 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 49 | 20 | Middle East |
| 13 | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 43 | 16 | Middle East |
| 14 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 39 | 13 | Middle East |
| 15 | 🇵🇸 Palestine | 35 | 10 | Middle East |
| 16 | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 33 | 9 | Middle East |
| 17 | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 29 | 8 | Middle East |
| 18 | 🇸🇾 Syria | 26 | 7 | Middle East |
Methodology
Scores come from the open Passport Index dataset (a 199×199 matrix of entry rules). "Open" counts destinations reachable without arranging a visa in advance — visa-free, visa on arrival or eTA — out of 198, the same approach used by major travel-freedom indices. e-Visa destinations are counted separately. Figures reflect the latest snapshot; entry rules change, so each passport profile shows a "last verified" date.