Iceland’s Passport: Room For Improvement

An Icelandic passport can take you to many countries without a visa, but still fewer than any Scandinavian country.

According to the Passport Index, which ranks passports based on how few visas are needed to enter other countries, Iceland is in 12th place, tied with Slovenia, in terms of the passport’s ability to get you into other countries. This puts it behind Norway (6th place), Denmark (4th) and Sweden (3rd).

The most powerful passports in the world are those from the US or the UK, which are both tied for first place, followed by France, South Korea and Germany (2nd) and then Italy and Sweden. At the same time, the most restrictive passports are from the Solomon Islands, Myanmar, South Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe and the Palestinian Territories, all of whose passports will only get you into 28 countries.

Icelanders can still travel to 135 countries out of a possible 147 on the index without a visa. As visa rules and regulations in individual countries are subject to change, Icelanders are advised to check with the Foreign Ministry to see if their intended destination requires a visa, and how to get one.