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Passport comparison · 2026 data

French passport vs Nigerian passport: which is stronger?

French passport ahead

The French passport is stronger: it reaches 163 destinations without an embassy visit, 120 more than the Nigerian passport (43).

Side by side

MeasureFrench passportNigerian passport
World rank4 of 197178 of 197
Without an embassy visit16343
Visa-free12526
Visa on arrival3016
eTA81
e-Visa1843
Visa required15110

Counts are out of the other 196 sovereign countries. “Without an embassy visit” is visa-free, visa on arrival and eTA together.

Places the French passport can enter without an embassy visit and the Nigerian passport cannot 128

See all 128 in the compare tool

Places the Nigerian passport can enter without an embassy visit and the French passport cannot 8

What both can enter

35 countries are open to both passports without an embassy visit. The two home countries are not counted in these lists.

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Questions

Which is stronger, the French passport or the Nigerian passport?

The French passport is stronger: it reaches 163 destinations without an embassy visit, 120 more than the Nigerian passport (43). The French passport ranks 4 of 197 and the Nigerian passport ranks 178.

How many countries can the French passport and the Nigerian passport enter without an embassy visit?

The French passport: 163 (125 visa-free, 30 on arrival, 8 eTA). The Nigerian passport: 43 (26 visa-free, 16 on arrival, 1 eTA). Both count the 196 other sovereign countries.

Where can one passport go that the other cannot?

The French passport can enter 128 countries without an embassy visit that the Nigerian passport cannot, among them Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, United Kingdom and Croatia. The Nigerian passport can enter 8 countries without an embassy visit that the French passport cannot, among them Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Liberia and Mali. Both passports can enter 35 of the same countries without an embassy visit. The two home countries are left out of these counts.

How is passport strength measured here?

We count the other 196 sovereign countries a passport can enter with visa-free entry, a visa on arrival or an eTA. An e-Visa counts as a visa. The data is the open Passport Index dataset, last updated 18 February 2026. Other indexes count differently, so their rankings can differ, and rules change often, so check the official source before you book.

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Entry rules come from the open Passport Index dataset by Ilya Ilyankou (MIT), last updated 18 February 2026. Governments change rules often, so treat this as a guide and check with the embassy or the official immigration site before you book.