The passports of the world have been ranked according to how powerful they are by an international citizenship assistance firm, and Australia has come out in the top 10 rankings once again.
Henley & Partners produces a list of the most powerful passports each year, with Japan coming in first place for the sixth year in a row.
People who hold Australian passports can travel to 185 countries with relative ease — but there's still a long list of places that require paperwork.
Find out how passports are ranked and where the Australian one can take you.
How does the ranking work?
The Henley Passport Index is based on how many places people with those passports can access without a visa — but the total score also includes countries that require passport holders to obtain a visa upon arrival, a visitor's permit or an electronic travel authority.
Henley & Partners bases its score out of 227 destinations, which includes countries as well areas that aren't technically classified as countries such as Taiwan.
However, it only ranks 199 passports.
The firm uses exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association to compile the index.
Where does Australia rank?
Australia has a score of 185.
It's ranked on the 8th tier alongside Canada, Greece and Malta, behind 22 other countries on higher tiers.
That's on par with the previous three years, when it was also ranked on the 8th tier.
The lowest Australia's ranking has fallen to since the index was created in 2006 was 9th in 2019, 2010 and 2006.
Australia's highest ranking has been 6th in 2015, 2013 and 2012.
Where does an Australia passport get you?
Henley & Partners breaks down the countries into four categories — visa-free travel, visas on arrival, electronic travel authority and visa required.
Tap each of the three cards to see which destinations the firm says fall into those categories.
Visa-free travel
Africa
- Botswana
- Eswatini
- Lesotho
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Morocco
- Namibia
- Reunion
- Senegal
- South Africa
- The Gambia
- Tunisia
Americas
- Argentina
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Falkland Islands
- French Guiana
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Peru
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Asia
- Hong Kong (SAR China)
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Macao (SAR China)
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)
- Thailand
- Uzbekistan
Caribbean
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bonaire; St. Eustatius and Saba
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Curacao
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- French West Indies
- Grenada
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Montserrat
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Maarten
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Turks and Caicos Islands
Europe
- Albania
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Greenland
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican City
Middle East
- Armenia
- Iraq
- Israel
- Oman
- Palestinian Territory
- Qatar
Oceania
- Cook Islands
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Guam
- Kiribati
- Micronesia
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Niue
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Vanuatu
Electronic travel authority
Americas
- Canada
- United States
Asia
- Pakistan
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
Caribbean
- Puerto Rico
- US Virgin Islands
Oceania
- American Samoa
Visa on arrival
Africa
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cape Verde Islands
- Comoro Islands
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Guinea-Bissau
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- St Helena
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Americas
- Paraguay
Asia
- Bangladesh
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Laos
- Maldives
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Tajikistan
- Timor-Leste
Caribbean
- Trinidad and Tobago
Middle East
- Bahrain
- Iran
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
Oceania
- Marshall Islands
- Palau Islands
- Papua New Guinea
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
Visa required
Africa
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Congo (Dem. Rep.)
- Congo (Rep.)
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Djibouti
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Sao Tome and Principe
- South Sudan
- Sudan
Asia
- Afghanistan
- Bhutan
- China
- India
- Japan
- Mongolia
- North Korea
- Turkmenistan
- Vietnam
Americas
- Chile
- Suriname
Caribbean:
- Cuba
Europe
- Azerbaijan
- Russian Federation
- Türkiye
Middle East
- Syria
- Yemen
Oceania
- Nauru
Visa information, placenames and country categories have been replicated as they were listed in Henley & Partners data
Top 10 passport rankings:
Passport holders in these countries can travel internationally with relative ease.
- 1st: Japan — visa-free score: 193
- 2nd: Singapore and South Korea — visa-free score: 192
- 3rd: Germany and Spain — visa-free score: 190
- 4th: Finland, Italy and Luxembourg — visa-free score: 189
- 5th: Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden — visa-free score: 188
- 6th: France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom — visa-free score: 187
- 7th: Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United States — visa-free score: 186
- 8th: Australia, Canada, Greece and Malta — visa-free score: 185
- 9th: Hungary and Poland — visa-free score: 184
- 10th: Lithuania and Slovakia — visa-free score: 183
Rankings, visa-free scores and placenames have been replicated as they were listed in Henley & Partners data
Bottom 10 passport rankings:
Citizens in these countries have less travel options if they want to avoid encountering blocks or paperwork.
- 100th Congo (Democratic Republic), Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Sudan — visa-free score: 42
- 101st: Bangladesh, Kosovo and Libya — visa-free score: 41
- 102nd: North Korea — visa-free score: 40
- 103rd: Nepal and Palestinian Territory — visa-free score: 38
- 104th: Somalia — visa-free score: 35
- 105th: Yemen — visa-free score: 34
- 106th: Pakistan — visa-free score: 32
- 107th: Syria — visa-free score: 30
- 108th: Iraq — visa-free score: 29
- 109th: Afghanistan — visa-free score: 27
Rankings, visa-free scores and placenames have been replicated as they were listed in Henley & Partners data
Show me the full list
Tap the world icon below to see the entire list of each of the 199 passports and where they were ranked.
World's most powerful passports
1: Japan— visa-free score: 193
2: Singapore and South Korea— visa-free score: 192
3: Germany and Spain— visa-free score: 190
4: Finland, Italy and Luxembourg— visa-free score: 189
5: Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden— visa-free score: 188
6: France, Ireland, Portugal and United Kingdom— visa-free score: 187
7: Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and United States— visa-free score: 186
8: Australia, Canada, Greece and Malta— visa-free score: 185
9: Hungary and Poland — visa-free score: 184
10: Lithuania and Slovakia — visa-free score: 183
11: Latvia and Slovenia — visa-free score: 182
12: Estonia — visa-free score: 181
13: Iceland — visa-free score: 180
14: Malaysia — visa-free score: 179
15: Liechtenstein and the United Arab Emirates — visa-free score: 178
16: Cyprus — visa-free score: 177
17: Romania — visa-free score: 175
18: Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia and Monaco — visa-free score: 174
19: Hong Kong (SAR China — visa-free score: 171
20: Argentina and Brazil — visa-free score: 170
21: San Marino — visa-free score: 169
22: Andorra — visa-free score: 168
23: Brunei — visa-free score: 166
24: Barbados — visa-free score: 163
25: Israel and Mexico — visa-free score: 159
26: St. Kitts and Nevis — visa-free score: 157
27: Bahamas — visa-free score: 155
28: Vatican City — visa-free score: 154
29: Seychelles and Uruguay — visa-free score: 153
30: St. Vincent and the Grenadines — visa-free score: 152
31: Antigua and Barbuda, tying with Trinidad and Tobago — visa-free score: 151
32: Costa Rica — visa-free score: 150
33: St. Lucia — visa-free score: 147
34: Grenada and Mauritius — visa-free score: 146
35: Dominica and Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) — visa-free score: 145
36: Macao (SAR China), Panama and Ukraine — visa-free score: 144
37: Paraguay — visa-free score: 142
38: Peru — visa-free score: 136
38: Serbia — visa-free score: 136
39: Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras — visa-free score: 133
40: El Salvador, Samoa and Solomon Islands — visa-free score: 132
41: Tonga — visa-free score: 130
42: Venezuela — visa-free score: 129
43: Nicaragua and Tuvalu — visa-free score: 128
44: North Macedonia — visa-free score: 125
45: Kiribati and Montenegro — visa-free score: 124
46: Marshall Islands — visa-free score: 123
47: Moldova — visa-free score: 121
48: Palau Islands — visa-free score: 120
49: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Micronesia and the Russian Federation — visa-free score: 118
50: Georgia — visa-free score: 116
51: Albania — visa-free score: 115
52: Turkey — visa-free score: 110
53: South Africa — visa-free score: 106
54: Belize — visa-free score: 103
55: Qatar — visa-free score: 100
56: Vanuatu — visa-free score: 98
57: Kuwait — visa-free score: 7
58: Timor-Leste — visa-free score: 94
59: Ecuador — visa-free score: 92
60: Nauru — visa-free score: 90
61: Maldives — visa-free score: 89
62: Fiji and Guyana — visa-free score: 88
63: Bahrain, Botswana and Jamaica — visa-free score: 87
64: Papua New Guinea — visa-free score: 83
65: Oman and Saudi Arabia — visa-free score: 82
66: Bolivia — visa-free score: 80
66: China — visa-free score: 80
67: Namibia — visa-free score: 79
68: Belarus and Thailand — visa-free score: 78
69: Lesotho — visa-free score: 77
70: Kazakhstan and Suriname — visa-free score: 76
71: Eswatini — visa-free score: 75
72: Malawi — visa-free score: 74
73: Kenya — visa-free score: 73
74: Tanzania — visa-free score: 72
75: Indonesia and Zambia — visa-free score: 71
76: Azerbaijan, Dominican Republic and Tunisia — visa-free score: 70
77: The Gambia — visa-free score: 69
78: Philippines and Uganda — visa-free score: 67
79: Armenia, Cape Verde Islands and Zimbabwe — visa-free score: 66
80: Cuba, Ghana and Morocco — visa-free score: 65
81: Kyrgyzstan and Sierra Leone — visa-free score: 64
82: Mongolia and Mozambique — visa-free score: 62
83: Benin and Rwanda — visa-free score: 61
84: Sao Tome and Principe, tying with Tajikistan — visa-free score: 60
85: India, Mauritania and Uzbekistan — visa-free score: 59
86: Burkina Faso — visa-free score: 58
87: Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon and Senegal — visa-free score: 57
88: Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Madagascar, Togo and Vietnam — visa-free score: 55
89: Cambodia and Mali — visa-free score: 54
90: Algeria, Bhutan, Chad, Comoro Islands, Egypt, Jordan, Niger and Turkmenistan — visa-free score: 53
91: Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau — visa-free score: 52
92: Angola and Cameroon — visa-free score: 51
93: Burundi and Laos — visa-free score: 50
94: Congo (Rep.), Haiti and Liberia — visa-free score: 49
95: Djibouti — visa-free score: 48
96: Myanmar — visa-free score: 47
97: Ethiopia and Nigeria — visa-free score: 46
98: Eritrea and South Sudan — visa-free score: 44
99: Iran — visa-free score: 43
100: Congo (Dem. Rep.), Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Sudan — visa-free score: 42
101: Bangladesh, Kosovo and Libya — visa-free score: 41
102: North Korea — visa-free score: 40
103: Nepal and Palestinian Territory — visa-free score: 38
104: Somalia — visa-free score: 35
105: Yemen — visa-free score: 34
106: Pakistan — visa-free score: 32
107: Syria — visa-free score: 30
108: Iraq — visa-free score: 29
109: Afghanistan — visa-free score: 27
Rankings, visa-free scores and placenames have been replicated as they were listed in Henley & Partners data
What about Russia and Ukraine?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine hasn't affected either country in terms of the Henley Passport Index, with a press release saying there were in roughly the same position since the war began:
- Ukraine ranks in 36th position with a score of 144
- Russia ranks in 49th position with a score of 118
However, the firm said that while they weren't majorly affected "on paper", there were practical differences.
"Due to airspace closures and sanctions, Russian citizens are effectively barred from travelling throughout most of the developed world, with the marked exceptions of Dubai and Istanbul, which have become focal points," the firm's statement said.
"Ukrainians, on the other hand, have been granted the right to live and work in the [European Union] for up to three years under an emergency plan in response to what has become Europe's biggest refugee crisis this century."
The firm said that, if Ukraine was successful in joining the European Union, it would probably break into the top 10 most powerful passports in the world.
What's the Smartraveller advice?
Smartraveller, which is run by the the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, gives Australians general advice about overseas travel, including how to keep safe while outside the country.
It has four categories of safety advice for individual counties:
- Do not travel
- Reconsider your need to travel
- Exercise a high degree of caution
- Exercise normal safety precautions
Currently, the Smartraveller website has advice for 178 countries.
Advice for countries is updated in response to a range of factors such as wars and civil unrest and can change depending on what's happening in each country.
The most recent updates came on January 11, while the oldest update was on June 27, 2022.
Here's the advice listed as of January 14:
Exercise normal safety precautions
Africa
- Mauritius
- Seychelles
- Zambia
Americas
- Argentina
- Canada
- United States of America
- Uruguay
Asia
- Bhutan
- Brunei Darussalam
- Cambodia
- Japan
- Laos
- Malaysia
- Mongolia
- Singapore
- South Korea (Republic of Korea)
- Taiwan
Europe
- Armenia
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Georgia
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Middle East
- Oman
- Qatar
Pacific
- Cook Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Guam
- New Zealand
- Palau
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Vanuatu
Exercise a high degree of caution
Africa
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Cameroon
- Djibouti
- Eswatini
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- The Gambia
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Zimbabwe
Americas
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Lesotho
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- The Bahamas
- Trinidad and Tobago
Asia
- Bangladesh
- China
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyz Republic
- Macau
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
Europe
- Albania
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Cyprus
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Serbia
- Türkiye
- United Kingdom
Middle East
- Bahrain
- Israel and the Palestinian Territories
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- United Arab Emirates
Pacific
- Marshall Islands
- New Caledonia
- Niue
- Papua New Guinea
- Tonga
Reconsider your need to travel
Africa:
- Algeria
- Burundi
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Sudan
Americas:
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
Asia
- Pakistan
- Turkmenistan
Middle East
- Lebanon
- Saudi Arabia
Do not travel
Africa
- Burkina Faso
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Somalia
- South Sudan
Americas
- Haiti
- Venezuela
Asia
- Afghanistan
- Myanmar
- North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)
Europe
- Belarus
- Russia
- Ukraine
Middle East
- Iraq
- Syria
- Yemen
- Iran
Advice, placenames and country categories have been replicated as they were listed by Smartraveller on January 14
