Consultancy Henley & Partners released its 2026 Passport Index showing Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport holders enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 174 jurisdictions—unchanged in absolute terms but slipping six rungs since 2014 as neighbours ink fresh bilateral waivers.
For corporate mobility teams, passport strength translates directly into cost savings. Each additional visa-free market removes the need for invitation letters, notarised documents and courier fees that can exceed HK$2,000 per trip. Finance and technology employers—whose executives average 12 trips a year—stand to save five-figure sums annually if lobbying efforts secure new exemptions.
HR departments seeking to streamline those processes can leverage platforms like VisaHQ, which provides Hong Kong travellers with up-to-date entry requirements, digital application tools and fast-track filing options for more than 200 jurisdictions, all through one dashboard (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/).
![2026 Henley Passport Index: Hong Kong holds 18th place with 174 visa-free destinations]()
The index also highlights widening regional gaps: Singapore tops the table with 192 destinations, underscoring competitive pressure on Hong Kong to accelerate initiatives such as mutual-recognition agreements and the APEC Business Travel Card. Analysts warn that visa-free stagnation could dilute Hong Kong’s brand as Asia’s most convenient business hub just as rival centres court the same talent.
Henley notes a parallel trend toward digital identity solutions. Hong Kong’s QR-code e-Channel for visitors as young as seven positions the city well for reciprocal ‘smart border’ deals, but foreign ministries still rank traditional diplomatic reciprocity over technology readiness when granting waivers.
Mobility managers should continue to track sub-indices—tax burden, quality-of-nationality—because long-term assignments hinge on more than airport queues. Nevertheless, passport power remains the simplest KPI for estimating trip friction in the year ahead.
For corporate mobility teams, passport strength translates directly into cost savings. Each additional visa-free market removes the need for invitation letters, notarised documents and courier fees that can exceed HK$2,000 per trip. Finance and technology employers—whose executives average 12 trips a year—stand to save five-figure sums annually if lobbying efforts secure new exemptions.
HR departments seeking to streamline those processes can leverage platforms like VisaHQ, which provides Hong Kong travellers with up-to-date entry requirements, digital application tools and fast-track filing options for more than 200 jurisdictions, all through one dashboard (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/).
The index also highlights widening regional gaps: Singapore tops the table with 192 destinations, underscoring competitive pressure on Hong Kong to accelerate initiatives such as mutual-recognition agreements and the APEC Business Travel Card. Analysts warn that visa-free stagnation could dilute Hong Kong’s brand as Asia’s most convenient business hub just as rival centres court the same talent.
Henley notes a parallel trend toward digital identity solutions. Hong Kong’s QR-code e-Channel for visitors as young as seven positions the city well for reciprocal ‘smart border’ deals, but foreign ministries still rank traditional diplomatic reciprocity over technology readiness when granting waivers.
Mobility managers should continue to track sub-indices—tax burden, quality-of-nationality—because long-term assignments hinge on more than airport queues. Nevertheless, passport power remains the simplest KPI for estimating trip friction in the year ahead.
