Vanuatu Passport After the EU Visa Suspension: What Changed and What Still Works

When people ask me about Vanuatu, the first question is almost always the same: “Can I still travel to Europe without a visa?” The short answer is no. The longer answer is more useful, because the loss of visa-free Europe changed what the passport is for rather than making it pointless.

In this article I go through what happened, in order and with dates from the EU and UK themselves, then explain what it means for people who already hold the passport and for those who are still deciding.

Why the EU acted

A visa waiver agreement between the EU and Vanuatu applied from 28 May 2015 and allowed stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. From 25 May 2015 Vanuatu was also running investor citizenship schemes. The Council of the EU said openly that these schemes let people who would otherwise need a Schengen visa obtain Vanuatu citizenship for an investment and, with it, visa-free access to the EU. In its December 2024 decision it described the result as security and migration risks for the EU.

The Commission opened a dialogue with Vanuatu in 2022. According to the Council, the concerns were not resolved, and the EU moved step by step to a full visa requirement.

The timeline, step by step

Date	What happened	Source
3 March 2022	The EU partially suspended the visa waiver for Vanuatu passports issued from 25 May 2015	Council of the EU
4 May 2022	The partial suspension started to apply, for nine months	Council of the EU
4 February 2023	Full suspension of the visa waiver for all Vanuatu citizens	Council of the EU
19 July 2023	The UK imposed a visa requirement on Vanuatu nationals, with a short transition period	GOV.UK
12 December 2024	The Council decided to move Vanuatu to the EU visa-required list	Council of the EU
3 February 2025	Regulation (EU) 2025/11 applies: Vanuatu is on the visa list	EUR-Lex

The last two steps are what make the change long-lasting. A suspension of an agreement can, in theory, be lifted. Moving a country to the visa list is done by amending the EU visa regulation itself, so I do not expect a quick reversal and I do not advise anyone to plan around one.

What it means if you already hold the passport

Your citizenship is not affected. The EU changed the visa regime for Vanuatu citizens; it did not cancel passports or citizenship. In practice:

• You need a Schengen visa for short trips, applied for in the normal way at the consulate of the country you plan to visit.
• You need a UK visit visa before travelling to the UK.
• If you hold another passport that gives visa-free access, you can keep travelling on that one.
• Older passports can be replaced with the current 10-year biometric passport.

If someone tells you that a Vanuatu passport still opens Schengen without a visa, they are working from information that has been out of date since February 2023.

What the passport still does well

When I talk to families who chose Vanuatu after 2023, European travel was rarely their main reason. These are the reasons I actually hear:

Speed. About two to three months from a complete application to the passport. For a family that needs a second document by a specific date, nothing else in the market is comparable.

No relocation and remote processing. Biometrics are given in person in one of several cities, and the oath is taken by video call. Nobody needs to fly to Port Vila.

Asia and the Pacific. The passport gives visa-free entry to Hong Kong for 90 days and to Singapore and Malaysia for 30 days, plus most of the Pacific and much of the Caribbean and Latin America. For people whose business runs through Asian hubs, this matters more than Europe. I list the destinations in my article on visa-free countries for Vanuatu citizens.

A back-up for the family. A second citizenship that can be passed to children born later, with no obligation to live anywhere.

Europe through residence, not through a passport

For families whose real goal is to live in or travel freely to Europe, I suggest separating two questions. The passport answers the question of a second citizenship. A European residence permit answers the question of Europe.

A residence permit in a Schengen country lets the holder live there and move within the Schengen area for short stays. Greece is the route I see most often in combination with Vanuatu, because its golden visa programme is based on property and does not require living in the country. BRIDGES describes this combination on its page about Greek residence for Vanuatu citizens. Whatever country you choose, plan both timelines together from the start, because the residence application will need documents that you will also be collecting for the citizenship file.

The difference between visa-free travel and residence is worth repeating. Visa-free entry is about short trips. Residence is about the right to live somewhere. Most of the families I advise actually need the second, and no passport outside the EU gives it automatically.

What did not change

• The programme still operates and still issues passports in roughly two to three months.
• Dual citizenship is still recognised.
• There is still no requirement to live in Vanuatu.
• Visa-free access in Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and much of Latin America and Africa did not depend on the EU decision.

Questions I am asked most often

Will the EU restore visa-free travel? I cannot predict that, and anyone who promises it is guessing. A return would require a new legal decision at EU level. I advise planning on the assumption that the visa requirement stays.

Does the UK decision apply to all Vanuatu citizens? Yes. It applies to all ni-Vanuatu nationals, not only those who obtained citizenship by investment.

Is a Vanuatu passport a problem for a Schengen visa application? It is a normal visa application. What matters is the usual evidence: purpose of the trip, funds, ties and travel history.

Should I still apply? That depends on your goal. If Schengen without a visa is the main point, no. If you need speed, a family back-up and good access to Asia, the programme still does exactly that.