How Canada’s Passport Compares to the ‘Best’ in the World

The new Canadian passport is unveiled at an event at the Ottawa International Airport on May 10, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

While Canada’s new passport ranks among the 40 best in the world, the top spot goes to Switzerland for 2024. So what does the Swiss passport have that Canada’s new design does not?

In the eighth annual Nomad Capitalist Passport Index, Canada ranked No. 36, behind the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Holland, among others. Switzerland was given top place in the ranking for a combination of factors, including privacy.

“Switzerland takes top spot, showcasing its unmatched combination of liberty, privacy and global respect,” the index said. “It’s been a great two years for the Swiss passport which has risen from fifth place to first.”

Here are some of the main differences between the Canadian rank and the Swiss position.

Ease of Travel

Mobility is a key factor in ranking a country’s passport, and how many countries are open for travel to citizens with a passport was one of the main considerations in the Nomad Index.

Switzerland earned an overall score of 176, meaning passport holders can travel with relative ease to 176 different countries. A Swiss passport means travellers can get into 121 countries without a visa and 46 countries allow passport holders to enter by getting a visa when they arrive. Nine destinations offer electronic travel authorization while 74 additional locations require Swiss passport holders to have a visa or eVisa to enter the country.

In comparison, Canada scored 172 for ease of travel, which means 172 countries are easily accessible to passport holders. Canadian travellers can enter 119 countries without a visa. Another 46 countries allow Canadians to get a visa when they arrive and seven destinations allow electronic travel authorization. Additionally, there are 78 additional destinations that allow Canadians to visit with a visa or eVisa.

Taxation

Another criterion for the ranking is taxation, particularly for citizens who move to other countries. Using information from tax vendors, news sources and some tax authorities, Nomad ranking considers how lenient countries are with taxing citizens.

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Switzerland received a score of 30, meaning that citizens are permitted to relocate to avoid taxation. Canada scored a 20 because Canadians are not allowed to relocate to avoid tax.

A score of 40 would mean that foreign income of resident citizens is not taxed and a score of 50 is given to countries with no tax.

Personal Freedom

News reports, government surveillance, press freedom, and mandatory military service are some of the factors involved with ranking the personal freedom of citizens, travellers, and expats, the report said.

Citizens and travellers with a Swiss passport have a freedom score of 50, which means they have “total freedom,” according to the list.

In comparison, Canadian citizens have a freedom score of 30, meaning they have “intermediate freedom.”

Perception

The perception category is based on subjective factors and the World Happiness Report as well as the Human Development Index. It considers how travellers may be viewed in different countries.

Swiss citizens experience “minimal hostility,” according to the rank. The country was listed ninth on the 2024 World Happiness Report and ranked top place on the Human Development Index with a score of 0.967, above 193 other countries and territories on the list.  The Switzerland passport received the highest score in the Nomad Index at 50.

However, the report noted that Canadian citizens experience “intermediate hostility” and the country’s passport received a 40 score in this area. On the World Happiness Report, Canada was 15, six spots below Switzerland. On the UN’s Human Development Index, Canada ranked 18 out of 193 other countries, 17 spots below Switzerland, with a score of 0.935.

Duel Citizenship

Another important element to passport holders is the ability to hold dual citizenship. This is where Canada and Switzerland scored equally at 50. Both countries permit citizens to hold other citizenships if they have a passport. This category was largely based on embassy data, the report said.

Canada’s New Passport Design

The Government of Canada revealed a new design for the passports in May 2023, which was said to have “state-of-the-art” security features and new artwork for the front cover, and inside pages.

The security features include a polycarbonate data page, the personal information of the passport holder will be laser engraved instead of printed with ink, a custom see-through window with a secondary image of the passport holder, and a temperature-sensitive ink feature.

On the new design, the Canadian Coat of Arms was moved to the side and enclosed with an emblem of a maple leaf. Inside pages have generic nature scenes and Canadian symbols. These images replace historical depictions of Canadian events including the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope and the Vimy Ridge memorial in France.

At the time, the government said the removal of the images would make counterfeiting more difficult.

Peter Wilson contributed to this report.