Methodology

Where the data comes from

Every cell is read from the government that sets the rule, not from an aggregator. An analyst at PL Group checks it, records the date of the check and, where the government publishes one, the date the rule itself was last revised. About two thirds of governments publish no revision date, so we do not imply a freshness we cannot prove.

Verification runs destination by destination rather than passport by passport, which is why coverage arrives in blocks. Today 48 of 48 destinations are verified and 0 are still provisional. This edition was generated on 21 September 2026.

Verified and provisional

A destination is verified when it has been checked against a named government source and dated. Everything else is provisional. A provisional destination is listed, never counted, and never coloured on a map. Where you need an answer we have not checked, the page offers an adviser rather than a guess.

The ladder

Statuses run from the most open to the least, in this order.

1. Visa free. Travel and be admitted without applying for anything first.
2. Visa on arrival. A visa is issued at the border on arrival.
3. Electronic travel authorisation. An electronic travel authorisation is approved before departure. It is not a visa.
4. eVisa. A visa has to be applied for and granted online before departure.
5. Visa required. A visa has to be obtained before travelling, usually in person.
6. No admission. Holders of this passport are not admitted.

What counts as access

The access count on a passport page counts visa free, visa on arrival and an electronic travel authorisation. All three mean you can set off and be admitted on arrival. An eVisa does not count, because it has to be applied for and granted before departure, so it sits with visa required on the access side of the line even though it ranks above it on the ladder.

The count is taken over verified destinations only, and the number of verified destinations is printed next to it. A headline over a largely unchecked matrix would say more about our coverage than about your passport.

Still to come on this page

• The pillars, their weights and the reasoning behind those weights.
• The formula, the normalisation method and the sub weights inside each pillar.
• The source types behind each pillar, with vintages and licence notes.
• The coverage rule, the tie break order and the edition scheme.
• The refresh cadence per pillar, and the disclosure language.

Nothing carrying a pillar name is published before this note is. That is the order, and it does not bend for a launch date.