The Global Passport Ranking 2025 comes as a reality check for Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi passport, ranked 100th among passports of 106 countries, now stands among the world鈥檚 weakest. It appears to have increasingly become a source of suspicion and even stigma at foreign borders. The decline in global confidence in Bangladeshi passports is not sudden but gradual. Bangladeshi passport ranked 68th in the 2006 index, enjoying visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a number of destinations. Today, such access has shrunk. Even tourism-dependent countries that once welcomed Bangladeshis, such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia and Vietnam, have tightened rules or suspended visa schemes altogether. Major neighbours such as India have also imposed suspension, making visas difficult and the process strict and lengthy. The reasons are largely self-inflicted. Widespread visa misuse and illegal migration have damaged Bangladesh鈥檚 international reputation. Many Bangladeshis travel overseas on tourist visas only to overstay and work illegally. Others attempt to use transit routes to enter third countries illegally. Such activities have prompted host nations to respond with stringent verification, lengthy processing and frequent deportation. In July, Malaysian authorities deported hundreds of Bangladeshis for fake hotel booking and insufficient funds.
Misconduct and offences abroad by a minority of citizens has tarnished the reputation of the entire nation. Immigration officials in many countries now routinely subject Bangladeshi travellers to extra questioning and extended checks because of the passport they carry. This stigma affects genuine tourists, students, patients seeking medical care and professionals. The situation is not merely about international image. It has socio-economic consequences. Bangladesh鈥檚 labour markets in Malaysia and the Middle East have been disrupted, with many traditional destinations suspending or tightening entry. Tourism and medical travel has declined. Unauthorised travel agencies have worsened the matters by exploiting tourism channels for human trafficking, further eroding trust in Bangladesh鈥檚 passport while regulatory oversight has for long been lax. Passport credibility also depends on a country鈥檚 political stability and economic governance and Bangladesh appears to have been suffering in both the categories. The authorities have also not addressed migration misgovernance, which has allowed agencies and migrants to misuse visas. There is also an absence of diplomatic efforts on part of the Bangladesh authorities to engage their counterparts in destination countries to address issues that have contributed to the decline in global confidence.
A passport reflects a country鈥檚 governance and reputation in the global arena. Rebuilding the passport credibility will not happen overnight, but urgent and coordinated action is essential. It is, therefore, time that the authorities acted decisively, not only to ease travel for its citizens but also to restore the dignity and credibility of the passport.