The 2026 Henley Passport Index, released late on 19 January, delivered a mixed verdict for Indian travellers. India’s passport climbed five positions to 80th place—its best showing since 2023—yet the number of destinations Indians can enter without securing a visa in advance fell from 57 to 55.
The drop is the direct result of new entry rules in Iran and Bolivia. Tehran suspended its bilateral visa-free arrangement for ordinary Indian passport-holders on 22 November 2025 after a series of kidnappings exposed vulnerabilities in un-regulated labour recruitment channels. Travellers headed to Iran must now apply for a regular tourist or business visa before boarding, adding at least two weeks to pre-departure planning and increasing costs for corporates that routinely rotate technical staff into Iranian projects.
Bolivia, meanwhile, replaced its convenient visa-on-arrival regime with a mandatory e-Visa on 1 January 2026. Although the process is fully digital, applicants must upload supporting documents, pay fees online and wait for pre-approval—a change that shifts last-minute trips from “walk-up” to “apply-ahead” status. Frequent flyers in mining, engineering and development sectors—three areas where Indian companies are active in Bolivia—will need to build the new lead-time into their travel calendars.
![India’s Passport Gains Rank but Loses Two Visa-Free Destinations in Henley 2026]()
For travellers who prefer expert assistance, VisaHQ can handle both Iran’s standard visas and Bolivia’s new e-Visa from its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/). The service aggregates application requirements, provides document checklists, and liaises with consulates on the client’s behalf—helping businesses and individuals reduce errors, meet tight timelines and stay compliant as rules continue to evolve.
For mobility managers the headline is clear: ranking improvements do not always translate into greater freedom of movement. Henley counts visa-on-arrival and e-Visas as “visa required”, so even digitally enabled systems can reduce a passport’s score. Employers should therefore refresh their visa matrices, adjust budgeting for newly introduced fees, and brief travelling staff on the extra documentation now needed for both countries.
More broadly, the 2026 index shows Indian mobility is still inching forward but remains highly susceptible to sudden policy reversals abroad. Travel-risk teams are advised to monitor ongoing diplomatic developments—especially in West Asia and Latin America—where security or political events can rapidly alter entry conditions.
The drop is the direct result of new entry rules in Iran and Bolivia. Tehran suspended its bilateral visa-free arrangement for ordinary Indian passport-holders on 22 November 2025 after a series of kidnappings exposed vulnerabilities in un-regulated labour recruitment channels. Travellers headed to Iran must now apply for a regular tourist or business visa before boarding, adding at least two weeks to pre-departure planning and increasing costs for corporates that routinely rotate technical staff into Iranian projects.
Bolivia, meanwhile, replaced its convenient visa-on-arrival regime with a mandatory e-Visa on 1 January 2026. Although the process is fully digital, applicants must upload supporting documents, pay fees online and wait for pre-approval—a change that shifts last-minute trips from “walk-up” to “apply-ahead” status. Frequent flyers in mining, engineering and development sectors—three areas where Indian companies are active in Bolivia—will need to build the new lead-time into their travel calendars.
For travellers who prefer expert assistance, VisaHQ can handle both Iran’s standard visas and Bolivia’s new e-Visa from its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/). The service aggregates application requirements, provides document checklists, and liaises with consulates on the client’s behalf—helping businesses and individuals reduce errors, meet tight timelines and stay compliant as rules continue to evolve.
For mobility managers the headline is clear: ranking improvements do not always translate into greater freedom of movement. Henley counts visa-on-arrival and e-Visas as “visa required”, so even digitally enabled systems can reduce a passport’s score. Employers should therefore refresh their visa matrices, adjust budgeting for newly introduced fees, and brief travelling staff on the extra documentation now needed for both countries.
More broadly, the 2026 index shows Indian mobility is still inching forward but remains highly susceptible to sudden policy reversals abroad. Travel-risk teams are advised to monitor ongoing diplomatic developments—especially in West Asia and Latin America—where security or political events can rapidly alter entry conditions.
