ExploPassport comparison · 2026 data
South Korean passport vs Mexican passport: which is stronger?
The South Korean passport is stronger: it reaches 164 destinations without an embassy visit, 29 more than the Mexican passport (135).
Side by side
| Measure | South Korean passport | Mexican passport |
|---|---|---|
| World rank | 2 of 197 | 52 of 197 |
| Without an embassy visit | 164 | 135 |
| Visa-free | 114 | 96 |
| Visa on arrival | 41 | 33 |
| eTA | 9 | 6 |
| e-Visa | 17 | 31 |
| Visa required | 15 | 30 |
Counts are out of the other 196 sovereign countries. “Without an embassy visit” is visa-free, visa on arrival and eTA together.
Places the South Korean passport can enter without an embassy visit and the Mexican passport cannot 29
Places the Mexican passport can enter without an embassy visit and the South Korean passport cannot 0
None: every place the Mexican passport reaches without an embassy visit is also open to the South Korean passport.
What both can enter
134 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 South Korean passport or the Mexican passport?
The South Korean passport is stronger: it reaches 164 destinations without an embassy visit, 29 more than the Mexican passport (135). The South Korean passport ranks 2 of 197 and the Mexican passport ranks 52.
How many countries can the South Korean passport and the Mexican passport enter without an embassy visit?
The South Korean passport: 164 (114 visa-free, 41 on arrival, 9 eTA). The Mexican passport: 135 (96 visa-free, 33 on arrival, 6 eTA). Both count the 196 other sovereign countries.
Where can one passport go that the other cannot?
The South Korean passport can enter 29 countries without an embassy visit that the Mexican passport cannot, among them Türkiye, Vietnam, China, India, Taiwan and Oman. There is no country that the Mexican passport can enter without an embassy visit and the South Korean passport cannot. Both passports can enter 134 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
Keep exploring
Entry rules · 4 min readHow strong is your passport? What visa-free scores tell youWe counted how many countries each of 197 passports can enter without an embassy visit. The spread is huge, and the number is still not the whole story.
Entry rules · 3 min readDual citizenship: which passport should you travel with?With two passports you can choose the easier entry, but the rules are not always simple. How to pick, when to show which and the mistakes to avoid.
Entry rules · 4 min readVisa-free, visa on arrival, e-visa, eTA: what each meansFive entry rules look alike but work very differently. Learn what visa-free, visa on arrival, eTA, e-visa and visa required mean, and when you need to act.- Email alertsVisa rule change alertsOne short email when an entry rule changes for your passport.
- Free toolPassport validity checkerIs your passport valid for long enough for this trip?
- Free toolWhere can I go?Every country your passport opens, sorted by how easy it is.
Plan the trips your passport opens up
Explo is a free app: light up the countries you have visited, save the ones you dream about, and check visa rules, weather and holidays before you go.
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.