ExploPassport comparison · 2026 data
French passport vs Polish passport: which is stronger?
The French passport is stronger: it reaches 163 destinations without an embassy visit, 3 more than the Polish passport (160).
Side by side
| Measure | French passport | Polish passport |
|---|---|---|
| World rank | 4 of 197 | 20 of 197 |
| Without an embassy visit | 163 | 160 |
| Visa-free | 125 | 119 |
| Visa on arrival | 30 | 33 |
| eTA | 8 | 8 |
| e-Visa | 18 | 20 |
| Visa required | 15 | 16 |
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 Polish passport cannot 3
Places the Polish passport can enter without an embassy visit and the French passport cannot 0
None: every place the Polish passport reaches without an embassy visit is also open to the French passport.
What both can enter
159 countries are open to both passports without an embassy visit. The two home countries are not counted in these lists.
Compare with another passport
Questions
Which is stronger, the French passport or the Polish passport?
The French passport is stronger: it reaches 163 destinations without an embassy visit, 3 more than the Polish passport (160). The French passport ranks 4 of 197 and the Polish passport ranks 20.
How many countries can the French passport and the Polish passport enter without an embassy visit?
The French passport: 163 (125 visa-free, 30 on arrival, 8 eTA). The Polish passport: 160 (119 visa-free, 33 on arrival, 8 eTA). Both count the 196 other sovereign countries.
Where can one passport go that the other cannot?
The French passport can enter 3 countries without an embassy visit that the Polish passport cannot, among them Vietnam, Guyana and Lesotho. There is no country that the Polish passport can enter without an embassy visit and the French passport cannot. Both passports can enter 159 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.
Go deeper
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Get ExploEntry 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.