Quick summary: QuocTich.com scores 199 passports against 198 destinations—39,402 data cells in total. A passport's score is the number of countries you can enter with visa-free access, visa-on-arrival, or eTA; e-visas are shown separately but do not count toward the ranking score. Ranks use dense ranking, so 199 passports are divided into just 93 ranks. According to QuocTich.com data updated 09/2026, the Vietnamese passport scores 52 points and ranks 74.
Every time we publish a ranking table, we get the same question: "Why is your number different from Henley's?" The short answer is that each ranking counts something different. The long answer is this article.
We publish our entire counting method for one simple reason: a single number means nothing if you don't know how it was calculated—especially when you might be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars based on it. You have the right to understand how the number on our passport ranking page was generated, what it excludes, and where it falls short.
Each passport is scored against 198 destinations
The foundation of the ranking is a matrix: 199 passports in rows, 199 countries in columns. We exclude each country's own row (you don't need a visa to enter your own country), leaving 198 destinations per passport, for a total of 39,402 cells.
The list of 199 countries includes all United Nations member states plus several entities with independent entry policies: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Kosovo, Palestine, and Vatican City.
Dependent territories such as the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Gibraltar, Aruba, Curaçao, and Puerto Rico are not counted as separate destinations. We cover them on our territories page. This is a major reason why our numbers are lower than rankings that include territories.
Six statuses for each cell
Each cell in the matrix has exactly one of six values:
| Status | Meaning | Counts toward ranking score |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | Stamp at entry and you're in | Yes |
| Visa-on-arrival | Apply when you arrive at the airport or border | Yes |
| eTA | Online declaration beforehand, fast approval, essentially a security check | Yes |
| E-visa | Apply online for a visa, approval takes days or longer | No |
| Visa required | Submit application at a consulate | No |
| Entry denied | Passport subject is denied entry | No |
According to QuocTich.com data updated 09/2026, the entire matrix contains 12,880 visa-free cells, 6,040 visa-on-arrival cells, 818 eTA cells, 6,705 e-visa cells, 12,924 visa-required cells, and 35 entry-denied cells.
Looking at these numbers explains why e-visa handling is critical: 6,705 cells—nearly 17% of the matrix—occupy a gray zone that each ranking handles differently.
What we count and what we skip
The ranking score counts only the first three statuses: visa-free, visa-on-arrival, and eTA. We call this the strict count.
Why not e-visa: even though it's online, an e-visa is still a visa application. You can be rejected, and many countries still require supplementary documents and processing times up to several weeks. Someone booking a last-minute ticket cannot rely on an e-visa.
But not all e-visas are equal. We separately flag countries with fully online e-visa portals: enter the portal, fill out the form, upload photos, pay, receive approval via email—no in-person visit needed. Currently 34 countries have this flag, including Turkey, India, Qatar, Kenya, Cambodia, and Vietnam itself.
On individual passport pages, such as which countries allow Vietnamese passport holders visa-free entry, easy e-visas and e-visas with procedures are split into two separate groups because they are very different for actual travelers.
This counting method does not measure: length of stay allowed, fees, ease of denial at the border, work rights, or residency permissions. A 14-day visa-free stay in Brunei and a 90-day visa-free stay in the Schengen area both count as 1 point.
Three numbers on each passport page
Because different purposes need different numbers, the site's how to calculate visa-free access page displays three numbers in parallel:
| Number | Formula | Example: Vietnamese passport |
|---|---|---|
| Strict | Visa-free + visa-on-arrival + eTA | 52 |
| Practical | Strict + fully online e-visas | 69 |
| Published | A number from an external ranking table, clearly sourced, if verified | Not yet used |
Data according to QuocTich.com, updated 09/2026. Of the 46 countries offering e-visas to Vietnamese passport holders, 17 are fully online; the other 29 still have significant procedures.
The published number is an exception, not the rule. Currently only one passport uses it: Grenada, displayed as 146 per the 2026 Henley Passport Index instead of our strict count of 127. We do this because that's the number readers encounter everywhere else, and showing different numbers across our pages would raise more suspicion than explaining the difference.
When a passport has a published number, the ranking table uses that displayed number for ranking. If we ranked by our machine count but displayed the published number, the order on the ranking table would contradict what readers see.
Why 199 passports have only 93 ranks
Ranks on the site use dense ranking, the same approach Henley uses: passports with the same score share one rank, and the next rank is the consecutive number with no gaps.
Example from the top of the table, according to QuocTich.com data updated 09/2026:
| Rank | Score | Passports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 168 | UAE |
| 2 | 166 | South Korea, Spain |
| 3 | 165 | Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Sweden, Norway, Finland |
| 4 | 164 | Austria, Netherlands, Japan, Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland |
| 5 | 163 | Belgium, Portugal |
| 6 | 162 | Greece, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Poland |
If we ranked by position, the eight passports tied at 165 points would push the next group to rank 12 instead of rank 4. Across nearly 200 passports with many tied groups, gaps in the middle of the table would become enormous.
Position-based ranking instead of dense ranking is a common error in self-made tables: same score, ranks differ by dozens. The reason Vietnam's passport rank varies across sources—we already explained in the article what rank is the Vietnamese passport, and why does every source say something different.
Where the data comes from and when we update
The matrix is loaded from the open dataset passport-index-dataset, version 26/07/2026. After that, the most important country pairs for our users are verified against public sources on entry requirements for each country.
The priority verification group includes 14 passports (Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, Vanuatu, Turkey, Malta, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, UAE, Vietnam, United States) and is checked against approximately 40 destinations our users care most about: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Schengen area, Japan, South Korea, China, and neighboring countries.
Our verification principle is omit rather than get it wrong:
- Empty cells are filled only when the source is clear.
- If a new source contradicts existing data, the cell is flagged for review and updates only when evidence is very solid.
- Conflicting sources or no source found: we keep the existing data without guessing.
Every time we import a new dataset version or correct a cell, the system recalculates the scores and ranks of all 199 passports immediately, so the ranking table never drifts from the underlying data. The dataset date is always listed below the ranking page.
The downside: where this method falls short
No counting method is perfect. You should know our limitations:
- We lag behind reality by weeks to months. Visa policies change unexpectedly—for example, when a country unilaterally opens visa-free access. A cell only updates after verification.
- The label "visa-on-arrival" in the dataset may be outdated. Many countries have switched to requiring online pre-registration; if we haven't verified it yet, the cell still shows visa-on-arrival.
- We don't measure conditions that come with access. Some visa-free entries only apply via air travel, only with a regular passport, or only if you hold a valid third-country visa. Cells don't capture all these conditions.
- Outside the priority verification group, cells are unverified individually—mostly relying on the underlying dataset.
- Direct comparison with Henley is not possible. Henley scores against 227 destinations including territories, so their numbers are almost always higher. We analyzed the comparison between the two sources in the article Henley and Passport Index: two counting methods, two numbers.
For this reason, never stop at the total number when planning a real trip. Verify the specific pair—for example, Vietnamese passport to Japan—then check the official entry requirements page of your destination before buying a ticket.
Next steps
When someone pitches you a passport with the claim "visa-free to 150 countries," ask back three questions: does that count e-visas, does it count territories, and what is the source and version? These three questions filter out most inflated numbers.
When comparing passports on our site, use the same measure: strict count to compare raw power, practical count for travel planning, and always check the update date below the table. If you spot a cell that conflicts with your real experience, report it to us; we'll include it in the next verification cycle.
