Vanuatu Visa-Free Countries: The Current List and How to Read It

“How many countries can I visit without a visa?” is one of the first questions about any passport, and for Vanuatu the answers online vary a lot. Some lists still include the Schengen area, which has required a visa from Vanuatu citizens since 2023. Others mix visa-free entry, visas on arrival and electronic visas into one big number.

In this article I split the destinations by type of entry, list the main ones by region with permitted stays, and explain how I read such a list with clients.

The numbers, counted properly

Based on Passport Index 2026 data as compiled in the BRIDGES destinations database on 2 September 2026, a Vanuatu citizen can enter:

Type of entry	Destinations
Visa-free	46 countries
Visa on arrival	42 countries
eTA (online authorisation before travel)	3 countries: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Israel, Kenya
Dependent territories, visa-free	22, including Hong Kong
eVisa (a full visa applied for online)	about 39 countries

I count an eVisa separately, because it is a real visa that you apply for in advance, even if you never visit an embassy. Visa regimes are set by the destination country and change, so before every trip I recommend checking the destination’s official website or consulate.

Visa-free countries by region

Permitted stay in days is shown after each country where it is known.

Europe and the CIS: Russia 90, Belarus 30, Moldova 90, Bosnia and Herzegovina 90, Montenegro 90.

Asia and the Pacific: Singapore 30, Malaysia 30, Philippines 30, Fiji 120, Kiribati 90, Micronesia 30.

The Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda 180, Bahamas 90, Barbados 180, Dominica 180, Grenada 90, Saint Lucia 42, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 30, Haiti 90, Dominican Republic 30, plus Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

Latin America: Panama 90, Costa Rica 30, Guatemala 90, Honduras 90, Nicaragua 90, El Salvador 90, Ecuador 90, Peru 180, plus Belize.

Africa and the Indian Ocean: Mauritius 90, Botswana 90, Lesotho 90, Eswatini 30, Zambia 90, Zimbabwe 90, Tanzania 90, Uganda 90, Rwanda 30, The Gambia 90, Angola 30.

Visa on arrival

In these countries the visa is issued at the airport or port, usually with a form, a fee and a return ticket.

Asia and the Middle East: Thailand 30, Sri Lanka 30, Maldives 30, Cambodia 30, Laos 30, Nepal 90, Timor-Leste 30, Jordan 90, Egypt 30, Iran 30.

The Caucasus: Armenia 120.

The Pacific and Latin America: Samoa 60, Tonga 31, Tuvalu 30, Palau 30, Nauru 90, Marshall Islands 90, Solomon Islands 45, Papua New Guinea 60, Bolivia 90.

Africa and the Indian Ocean: Seychelles 90, Cabo Verde 30, Comoros 45, Guinea-Bissau 90, Senegal 30, Burundi 30, Madagascar 90, Malawi 30, Mozambique 30, Sierra Leone 30.

Territories and electronic authorisations

Hong Kong gives Vanuatu citizens 90 days visa-free, which is one of the most valuable entries on the whole list for business travellers. Other territories in the database include Kosovo, Wallis and Futuna, Anguilla, the Cook Islands, Niue and Pitcairn. French and British overseas territories set their own entry rules, so check each one separately.

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Israel and Kenya require an eTA, an online authorisation obtained before departure, for stays of up to 90 days.

eVisa countries

About 39 countries issue Vanuatu citizens an eVisa online. Among the ones I am asked about most: the UAE (30 days), Georgia (90), India (60), Vietnam (90), Qatar (30), Colombia (90) and Kazakhstan. The UAE is a frequent surprise: a Vanuatu citizen enters Dubai with an eVisa, not a stamp on arrival.

Where you need a full visa

• The Schengen area: visa required since the full suspension on 4 February 2023; Vanuatu is now on the EU visa list under Regulation (EU) 2025/11.
• The United Kingdom: visa required since 19 July 2023.
• The United States, Canada and Australia: visa required.

Any list that still shows Schengen or the UK as visa-free for Vanuatu is out of date. I explain the background in my article on the EU visa suspension.

How I read a visa-free list with clients

A large total looks impressive, but it rarely helps a decision. I ask clients to write down the ten countries they actually travel to for business, family and holidays, and then we check those ten. A passport that opens 50 countries including all of yours is more useful than one that opens 90 and misses the three you need.

Three more things I always check:

1. Permitted stay and how it is counted. Some countries count days per trip, others over 180 days or a year.
2. Transit. Connecting through a country that requires a transit visa can break an itinerary that looks visa-free on paper.
3. Tax. A long stay in one country can make you tax resident there, usually after 183 days in a year.

Who benefits most from this list

The Vanuatu passport is strongest for people whose life runs through Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, Latin America and the former Soviet Union. Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia without a visa cover the main Asian financial centres. Families focused on Europe usually combine the passport with a European residence permit rather than relying on travel alone.

BRIDGES keeps a fuller, regularly updated list of Vanuatu passport destinations with stays for each country, which is a good place to check a specific destination.