Canada’s passport has ranked seventh globally on the
Passport Index, allowing residents to freely travel to 124 destinations without needing a visa.
The index calculates the mobility freedom of each country’s passport, based on how many countries residents can travel to without needing a travel visa.
Canada’s mobility index, or how many countries residents can visit without needing a visa, was 124, but there are still 49 places that require Canadians to have a visa upon arrival and 25 global destinations that require a visa prior to travelling. In total, the country earned a score of 173.
Other countries that ranked seventh include Malta, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Australia. The United States ranked sixth, along with Singapore, Japan, Slovakia, and New Zealand.
The United Arab Emirates is the only country that ranked first, with a score of 180. At the bottom of the list were Syria with a rank of 96, Afghanistan at 95, and Iraq at 94.
While Canada’s place on the list remains the same as last year, it’s a drop from fourth place in 2022 and a slight decrease from sixth place in 2021. In 2020, Canada was the only country that ranked 18th, and in 2019, the country was in fifth place for passport strength.
When compared with the United States for the 2024 rank, both countries have visa-free travel status to 124 destinations, while U.S. residents need a visa upon arrival to 50 destinations, compared to 49 for Canadians. U.S. travellers also require a travel visa before departure to 24 locations, which is the same for Canadians.
Statistics Canada data shows that Canadians have increasingly been travelling overseas as COVID-19 restrictions have dropped.
Numbers from October 2023 show that Canadians took 56.6 percent more trips overseas, with the total for the month reaching 768,700 compared with 490,800 in 2022.
“The number of return trips by Canadian residents overseas in October 2023 corresponded to 97.3 percent of its pre-pandemic level recorded in October 2019 (790,400),” StatCan said on its
website.
In 2023, there were 3.3 million passport applications received, and 3.1 million passports issued. In 2022, there were 3.4 million applications received and 3.3 million passports issued.
Canada Changes Passport Features
Canada introduced new passport features in 2023 in a bid by the government to improve security.Some of the features include using laser engraving instead of ink printing, which hinders tampering and counterfeiting, a custom see-through window with a secondary image, temperature-sensitive ink, and a variable laser image.
Canada also introduced a new look for the passport cover, which displays the coat of arms, and has an outline of a maple leaf on the cover.
“The new Canadian passport is more than a travel document; it is a representation of our national identity and values,” former Minister of Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser said in a government
news release. “It is a reminder of the beauty and diversity of Canada, and it reflects the country’s commitment to welcoming people from all around the world.”
However, the new design was met with some resistance. Conservative MP Garnett Genuis presented a petition in the House of Commons to prevent the government from removing historical images like the Vimy Ridge Memorial and Terry Fox from the new passport designs.
The Royal Canadian Legion also had concerns over the removal of images of the Vimy Ridge Memorial.
“We remain disappointed by the original decision to remove an image that signifies the sacrifices made for the very sort of freedom the passport provides,” the Royal Canadian Legion
said at the time. “We would welcome a decision to retain significant military heritage images, such as the Vimy Memorial, as part of a potential revision of the new passport imagery.”
