According to the 2025 Henley Passport Index, Australia has the sixth most powerful passport in the world.
Australian passport holders can access up to 189 international destinations out of 227 without visas.
The index is a system that uses data from the world’s largest and most accurate travel information database, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to rank the world's 199 passports according to the number of destinations they can access without a prior visa.
This comes as good news for travellers as Australia moved two places since 2023 ranking 8th in the world.
Some of the geographically closest countries Australians can travel to without a visa include Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, China, New Zealand, Samoa and Fiji.
However, while travel might be visa-free to these places, no international travel is possible without a passport.
Australian passports are now the most expensive in the world, followed closely by Mexico, the United States and New Zealand.
From 1 January this year, the price of obtaining a 10-year passport in Australia now costs $412, up from $398, pushing prices up 3.5% in one year.
Compared to Singapore, who secured the top spot in the index this year with visa-free travel to 195 global destinations.
In 2024 a 10-year passport in Singapore cost $79.69.
Annual indexation, anti-fraud technology and upgraded systems contribute to passport fee increases.
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the increased costs were expected to raise $349 million over the next three years. The additional revenue was used to cover rising passport costs.
