Passport comparison
Malaysia vs Thailand passport: which opens more doors in 2026?
The Malaysia passport reaches 77 more destinations without a prior visa. But that headline hides the useful part: each passport opens countries the other one does not, and if you hold both, the right choice changes by destination.
🇲🇾 Malaysia
159
destinations without a prior visa
- Visa-free
- 117
- Visa on arrival
- 34
- eTA
- 8
- e-Visa
- 21
- Visa required
- 18
- No admission
- 0
🇹🇭 Thailand
82
destinations without a prior visa
- Visa-free
- 40
- Visa on arrival
- 37
- eTA
- 5
- e-Visa
- 33
- Visa required
- 83
- No admission
- 0
Travel on your Malaysia passport for these
81 destinations you can enter without a prior visa on the Malaysia passport but not on the Thailand one. If you hold both, this is the list that matters.
Travel on your Thailand passport for these
4 destinations you can enter without a prior visa on the Thailand passport but not on the Malaysia one. If you hold both, this is the list that matters.
Open to both: 77 destinations
77 places accept either passport without a prior visa. Here it makes no difference which one you travel on — though it can still be worth checking stay durations, which sometimes differ.
Closed to both: 35 destinations
35 destinations require a visa in advance on both the Malaysia and Thailand passports. Holding both does not help here; you will need to apply either way.
Frequently asked questions
Which is stronger, the Malaysia or the Thailand passport?
By destination count the Malaysia passport is ahead: Malaysia reaches 159 destinations without a prior visa and Thailand reaches 82, a difference of 77. But "stronger" is the wrong question if you hold both — what matters is which passport opens the specific country you are going to.
I hold both. Which one should I travel on?
It depends on the destination. There are 81 places that accept the Malaysia passport but not the Thailand one, and 4 the other way round. Check the lists above before you book. Note that most countries expect you to leave on the same passport you entered with.
How current is this comparison?
The counts are rebuilt from our visa dataset on every deployment. Turkish passport data comes from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the other passports use the open-source passport-index dataset. Visa rules change without notice, so confirm your own case with an official source before you travel.
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Important: this content is general information
Visa rules can change without notice. Always confirm your situation with an official source before you travel: Also check with the embassy or consulate of your destination country in your own country. The information on this page is guidance, not legal advice.