Australian passport holders can now travel without a visa to more global destinations than ever before

When it comes to travel, the power really is in your hands. The Australian passport has just been ranked as one of the most powerful in the world – and it’s cracked the top five for the very first time. In 2024, we proudly claim fifth place – tied with Portugal – thanks to our handy little travel documents that grant us visa-free access to 189 out of 227 destinations worldwide.

For the past 19 years, the Henley Passport Index has used data from the International Air Transport Authority to compare the visa-free access of 199 nations’ passports to 227 global locations. Last year, passports from six countries were named the joint most powerful in the world. However, Singapore was the only country to cling to the title in 2024, setting a new record with visa-free travel to 195 destinations. France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain followed in second place, with citizens free to travel to 192 global destinations without a visa.

Australia edged its way into the top five for the first time in the Index’s 19-year history, climbing one spot from its sixth-place ranking in 2023, and eighth spot in 2022. Citizens in Australia – along with Portugal – can travel freely to 189 destinations worldwide, either without needing a visa, or being able to easily obtain a visa, visitor’s permit or electronic travel authority (ETA) upon arrival.

Aussies planning a one-week vacay can stay close to home with visa-free travel to hot spots in Oceania, like the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and New Zealand, along with more than a dozen places in Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Dreaming of a Euro-summer getaway? You can embark on a visa-free adventure across 50 European destinations, such as France, the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. Take it even further by exploring exotic places like Botswana, Qatar, Mexico, and the Bahamas, all without the hassle of a visa.

So the question is this, Aussies: where in the world would you like to go?

Here are the most powerful passports in the world:

  1. Singapore
  2. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain
  3. Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden
  4. Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, UK
  5. Australia, Portugal

PUBLISHED ON: www.timeout.com by Melissa Woodley, Travel & News Editor, Time Out Australia