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Passport comparison · 2026 data

Japanese passport vs Australian passport: which is stronger?

Japanese passport ahead

The Japanese passport is stronger: it reaches 162 destinations without an embassy visit, 3 more than the Australian passport (159).

Side by side

MeasureJapanese passportAustralian passport
World rank12 of 19724 of 197
Without an embassy visit162159
Visa-free115110
Visa on arrival3842
eTA97
e-Visa1821
Visa required1616

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

Places the Japanese passport can enter without an embassy visit and the Australian passport cannot 5

Places the Australian passport can enter without an embassy visit and the Japanese passport cannot 2

What both can enter

156 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 Japanese passport or the Australian passport?

The Japanese passport is stronger: it reaches 162 destinations without an embassy visit, 3 more than the Australian passport (159). The Japanese passport ranks 12 of 197 and the Australian passport ranks 24.

How many countries can the Japanese passport and the Australian passport enter without an embassy visit?

The Japanese passport: 162 (115 visa-free, 38 on arrival, 9 eTA). The Australian passport: 159 (110 visa-free, 42 on arrival, 7 eTA). Both count the 196 other sovereign countries.

Where can one passport go that the other cannot?

The Japanese passport can enter 5 countries without an embassy visit that the Australian passport cannot, among them Vietnam, India, Chile, Azerbaijan and São Tomé and Príncipe. The Australian passport can enter 2 countries without an embassy visit that the Japanese passport cannot, among them Burkina Faso and Gambia. Both passports can enter 156 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.