The Macao SAR passport is the 33rd most effective in the world, granting its holders visa-free access to 145 out of 277 countries and territories. That’s according to the fourth quarter data from the 2024 Henley Passport Index, which lists 199 passports and ranks them based on how many visa-free travel destinations they can provide holders.
The Macao passport managed to beat its mainland Chinese counterpart, which is ranked 60th place, with visa-free access to only 85 countries and territories. However, Macao is still well behind neighbouring Hong Kong, which is listed in 18th place, providing visa-free access to 171 destinations.
In terms of relative performance, Macao saw its visa-free score increase by 2 points in comparison to the third quarter, thanks to Kazakhstan granting visa-free access to Macao passport holders in October, and Myanmar implementing a visa-on-arrival policy for Macao that same month.
Despite the addition of these two countries, the SAR passport’s overall ranking slipped by one place quarter-on-quarter. According to Chinese language media, Macao’s ranking was at its highest in 2014, when it was positioned in 30th place. Its lowest ranking was 44th place, which occurred in 2010.
[See more: Where can your Macao passport take you?]
While the Macao passport enables visa-free travel to many destinations, SAR residents still need a visa to visit major tourist hotspots such as the United States, Australia and Vietnam.
Looking at the overall list, Singapore’s passport is in first place, affording visa-free access to 195 countries and territories. Singapore is followed by seven countries, including Finland, France, Japan and South Korea, which are tied for second place, with a visa-free score of 192.
There are also seven countries in third place, including Austria, Ireland and Norway, granting users visa-free access to 191 jurisdictions.
First published in 2005, the Henley Passport Index is marketed as the “most authoritative passport index,” making use of data from a range of sources, including the International Air Transport Authority and government information.
