Top 10 African countries with the strongest passports at the end of September 2026

Visa-free travel is expanding across the continent through new policies and regional agreements.

Only 28.2% of intra-African travel is currently visa-free.

The latest Passport Index rankings place Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa at the top of the African table, with Mobility Scores of 147, 140 and 108 respectively.

Their positions reflect the number of destinations their citizens can access without obtaining a traditional visa in advance, including visa-free and visa-on-arrival arrangements.

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Globally, the United Arab Emirates remains at the top of the Passport Index with a Mobility Score of 182. Singapore and Malaysia share second place with scores of 175, followed by Spain at 174. Belgium and Luxembourg are tied on 173.

The History of the UAE: From Desert Tribes to Global Hub For African travellers, however, passport strength is also closely linked to the continent’s wider push for easier movement.

The African Union has long promoted the idea of an African passport and greater freedom for Africans to travel, work and live across the continent.

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The AU’s Free Movement of Persons agenda is intended to remove restrictions on movement and support deeper continental integration.

Recent developments have added momentum to that effort. Ghana announced a free-visa policy for all African nationals, effective May 25, 2026, allowing African travellers to apply for e-visas without a visa fee. The policy forms part of Ghana’s wider efforts to make travel, tourism, investment and business easier for Africans visiting the country.

President John Mahama and Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa The Republic of the Congo has also announced that it will remove visa requirements for nationals of all African countries from January 1, 2027. The announcement was made during the African Development Bank’s 2026 Annual Meetings in Brazzaville and was presented as another step towards stronger continental integration.

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Despite these developments, visa-free movement remains uneven across Africa. The African Development Bank and African Union reported in 2026 that only 28.2% of intra-African travel was visa-free, highlighting the gap between the continent’s integration ambitions and the current experience of travellers. At the same time, 48 of Africa’s 54 countries offer visa-free travel to nationals of at least one other African country.

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Regional blocs have also helped improve mobility. ECOWAS, for example, has one of Africa’s more established free-movement systems, allowing citizens of member states to travel within the region under agreed arrangements. Discussions in 2026 have continued to examine how experiences from West Africa and other regional blocs can support implementation of the African Union’s wider free-movement agenda.

The Passport Index rankings therefore provide more than a measure of how easily citizens can enter foreign countries. They also offer a snapshot of changing travel opportunities for Africans as governments introduce visa waivers, e-visa systems and other measures designed to reduce barriers to movement.

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Below are the 10 African countries with the highest-ranked passports at the end of September 2026, based on their Passport Index Mobility Scores.