Henley Passport Index 2026: Hungarian passport 6th best in world

About the Henley Passport Index

Henley & Partners is one of world’s leading providers of investment residency and citizenship. They maintain an excellent online database of visa-free access: just search your passport, and it will list which countries you can access without a visa, complete with additional information (e.g. whether you need to apply for a visa upon arrival, or if you need to apply electronically). They also have a quarterly brochure, in which they rank over 200 passports according to how many countries it grants visa-free access.

Top 10 countries in 2026

In the latest ranking of Q2 2026 of the Henley Passport Index, Hungary ranks 6^th with visa-free access to 183 countries out of the over 200 countries considered. With this, Hungary has been steadily in the Top 10 for the last ten years. For comparison, see below the other countries that ranked among the Top 10.

1. 192: Singapore
2. 187: Japan, South Korea, UAE
3. 186: Sweden
4. 185: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland
5. 184: Austria, Greece, Malta, Portugal
6. 183: Hungary, Malaysia, Poland, UK
7. 182: Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Latvia, New Zealand, Slovakia, Slovenia
8. 181: Croatia, Estonia
9. 180: Liechtenstein, Lithuania
10.  179: Iceland, USA

If you look at earlier rankings, you will see that Hungary has achieved a better rank even though the number of visa-free destinations with a Hungarian passport have been reduced. However, the same is true for every other country listed due to how travel control in general became stricter in recent years. For example, Singapore ranked first in 2024 with 194 visa-free destinations, but now it does the same with just 192.

Travel freely with your Hungarian passport

The Hungarian passport grants visa-free entry to 183 countries in 2026, including the following (although some of these require a simple registration before you start your journey or upon arrival).

• Every member state of EU and the Schengen zone
• U.K., U.S., Canada
• most countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas
• most countries in Oceania and the Caribbean

Since Hungary is a member state of the European Union, not only can Hungarian passport holders freely enter any member state, but they can also live and work wherever they want in the EU.

How to obtain a Hungarian passport?

Only Hungarian citizens qualify for travelling with a Hungarian passport. Currently, there is no fast-track citizenship program available in Hungary, and foreign nationals can gain Hungarian citizenship only if they live in Hungary for a prolonged time. The standard is 8 years after first receiving a Hungarian address card, which may be reduced if you have a spouse and/or children in Hungary.

At the same time, descendants of Hungarian citizens qualify for Hungarian citizenship. Since Hungary wants to maintain and strengthen ties with families who left Hungary, you can (re)claim Hungarian citizenship if you have parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, or even further ancestors who are/were Hungarian. As a result, having Hungarian ancestors is the shortest route to a Hungarian passport.

Do you have any Hungarian relatives? Then take our free eligibility test to see if you qualify for Hungarian citizenship. It only takes a few minutes, and you will immediately have a better idea of your options.

Hungarian residency grants visa-free access to the EU

While Hungarian citizenship might not be readily available to anyone everyone, Hungarian residency also grants visa-free access to the EU and the Schengen zone as well as to Hungary, and obtaining it is significantly easier. You have several options to choose from:

• Guest investor residency: In the current Hungarian golden visa program, investors can obtain residency for their whole family for ten years in exchange for a single investment or donation.
• Business immigration: Set up a Hungarian company and get residency for the whole family based on the steady operation of your business. If you are not sure what kind of business to start, property management is always a good option.
• White Card: Are you a digital nomad? You can move to Hungary and work remotely from here, taking advantage of all that Hungary offers without starting a business here.
• Work permit: Do you want to work in Hungary? As soon as you find a potential employer and agree with them, you can apply for a work permit with their help. “Work permit” is a broad category with various permit types, and we would be happy to help you select the one that best fits your conditions.

Please note that there has been a regime change in Hungary recently, and there is a chance that immigration regulations might change in the foreseeable future. To stay up to date on Hungarian immigration options, sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Can we help you? Contact us now!

With Hungary ranking consistently high on the Henley Passport Index, Hungary is a really attractive destination for anyone interested in visa-free travel in Europe and around the world while having a second home in the heart of Europe. Helpers Hungary offers assistance with business, immigration, and investment to foreigners interested in living, working, and doing business in Hungary with 20+ years of experience, and we would be happy to support you in achieving your goals.