Oceania and Africa with a Vanuatu passport: where entry is free and where an e-visa is needed

Oceania and Africa: how Vanuatu citizens enter

In brief: in Oceania a Vanuatu passport has simplified entry to 11 countries, in Africa to 43. The type of entry determines preparation: with no visa the passport is enough, a visa on arrival is issued at the airport, and an electronic authorisation or electronic visa is obtained online before departure.

What matters for a decision is not the total number of countries but specific destinations and lengths of stay. Fiji admits Vanuatu citizens for 120 days, Mauritius and Tanzania for 90, Egypt on a visa on arrival for 30 days. Entry rules are set by the destination country, so they are checked against its official sources before travel.

• Visa-free. The passport is shown at the border, and the length of stay is set by the country’s rules.
• Visa on arrival. The visa is issued at the destination airport or port; nothing is filed in advance.
• Electronic authorisation. A short form is completed online, and the authorisation is received before the trip.
• Electronic visa. The application is filed on the country’s website, the decision arrives before the trip, and no embassy visit is needed.

The full list of destinations across all regions is collected in visa-free countries for the Vanuatu passport, and the document itself is described in which document a Vanuatu citizen receives.

Oceania: visa-free and visa on arrival

In brief: without a visa a Vanuatu citizen can enter Fiji for 120 days, Kiribati for 90 and Micronesia for 30 days. A visa on arrival is given by Nauru and the Marshall Islands for 90 days, Samoa and Papua New Guinea for 60, the Solomon Islands for 45, Tonga for 31, and Palau and Tuvalu for 30 days.

Vanuatu itself is in Oceania, so travel around neighbouring islands is simple for its citizens. A 120-day stay allows a whole season in Fiji, working with partners and travelling further around the region. For countries with a visa on arrival, the document is issued right at the border, and preparation comes down to a valid passport and documents on the purpose of the trip.

Besides countries, dependent territories in Oceania are open without a visa: the Cook Islands for 31 days, Niue for 30, Wallis and Futuna for 90, Pitcairn for 14 days, as well as French Polynesia and New Caledonia. Entry conditions for each territory are checked against its own rules before departure.

A Vanuatu citizen obtains a visa for Australia in advance. The procedure is described in visas for the UK, Canada and Australia.

Africa without a visa: 11 countries

In brief: a Vanuatu citizen can enter 11 African countries without a visa. Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and the Gambia admit holders for 90 days; Eswatini, Rwanda and Angola for 30 days.

• Indian Ocean islands. Mauritius for up to 90 days.
• East Africa. Tanzania and Uganda for up to 90 days, Rwanda for up to 30 days.
• Southern Africa. Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Lesotho for up to 90 days; Eswatini and Angola for up to 30 days.
• West Africa. The Gambia for up to 90 days.

These countries cover a significant part of the east and south of the continent: a trip through Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, or through Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, can be put together without visa forms. If one trip covers several countries, the length of stay is counted separately in each under its rules, and on re-entry it is checked whether the country limits the total stay per year.

Africa on arrival, by eTA and by electronic visa

In brief: a visa on arrival is given by 11 African countries, including Egypt for 30 days and the Seychelles and Madagascar for 90. Kenya admits holders with an eTA for 90 days, and 20 countries issue an electronic visa online, for example Nigeria, Ethiopia, Namibia and Gabon for 90 days.

A visa on arrival is issued in the Seychelles, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar for up to 90 days, in the Comoros for up to 45 days, and in Egypt, Cape Verde, Senegal, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique and Sierra Leone for up to 30 days. For these countries it is enough to arrive with a valid passport and travel documents.

An electronic visa is obtained in advance: Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Gabon, Chad, Ethiopia and Namibia issue it for 90 days, Djibouti for 31 days, Liberia, Benin, Somalia, Libya and Mauritania for 30 days, Togo for 15 and the DR Congo for 7 days. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe and South Sudan also issue electronic visas, with the length of stay stated when the visa is issued.

The French territories off the African coast, Réunion and Mayotte, are also open without a visa. If a country is not on these lists, the entry regime is checked with its consulate before buying tickets.

How to prepare a trip around the region

In brief: a trip is planned from the type of entry for each country: electronic visas and authorisations are obtained before buying tickets, and for visa-free and visa-on-arrival countries the passport’s validity and documents on the purpose of the trip are checked.

1. The list of countries on the trip. For each country, note the type of entry and the length of stay; for a chain of countries, count the stays separately.
2. Passport validity margin. Many countries require the passport to be valid for at least 6 more months on the date of entry.
3. Electronic visas in advance. The application is filed on the country’s official website, and a printout of the decision is taken along.
4. One passport for the whole trip. The ticket is bought on the passport used to cross the border of the destination country.
5. An official source. Before departure the entry regime is checked on the destination country’s website or with its consulate.

With two passports the rule is simple: you enter and leave a country on one document, and you enter your first country of citizenship on its passport. The Latin spelling of the name in both passports is checked in advance so that the airline and the border officer see one person.

Connections on the way to Oceania and Africa

In brief: a connection is planned as carefully as the destination. A Vanuatu citizen flies through Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong without a visa, obtains an electronic visa for 30 days to go into the city in the UAE and Qatar, and needs a transit visa to transit through the UK.

Oceania is conveniently reached through Asian hubs: Singapore and Malaysia admit Vanuatu citizens without a visa for 30 days, the Philippines for 30, and Hong Kong for 90 days. Africa is often reached via the Gulf or Ethiopia: the UAE and Qatar issue an electronic visa for 30 days, Ethiopia for 90 days. If the layover is long and you want to go into the city, the electronic visa is obtained in advance, before buying tickets.

• The United Kingdom. Since 19 July 2023 Vanuatu citizens need a visa, including for transit, so connections in British airports are not planned without one.
• The Schengen area. To leave the airport a Schengen type C visa is needed, and transit rules are checked against the requirements of the connection airport.
• Asia. Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines visa-free for up to 30 days, Hong Kong for up to 90 days, Thailand on a visa on arrival for 30 days.

Entry rules for Asian hubs are covered in detail in the UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong with a Vanuatu passport.

Travel for Russian citizens with a Vanuatu passport

In brief: a Russian citizen uses the Vanuatu passport abroad and enters and leaves Russia on the Russian passport. They notify the Interior Ministry of the second citizenship within 60 days of receiving the Vanuatu passport. Holders of other first citizenships follow their own country’s rules in the same way.

On a trip to Oceania or Africa the ticket is bought on the Vanuatu passport if it is used to cross the destination border, while departure from and return to Russia are on the Russian passport. The Latin spelling of names in both passports is checked in advance. Russian citizens need no visa for Vanuatu for trips of up to 90 days, and Vanuatu citizens enter Russia without a visa for 90 days.

Missing the Interior Ministry notification deadline carries a fine of RUB 500 to 1,000 under Article 19.8.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences, and failing to notify a fine of up to RUB 200,000 under Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code. All duties are covered in Vanuatu citizenship for Russian citizens.

Where a visa is needed in advance

In brief: a Vanuatu citizen obtains a visa in advance for the Schengen countries, the UK, the USA, Canada and Australia. Vanuatu citizens start living in Europe through Greek residence, and the whole turnkey package with a Vanuatu passport takes up to 9 months.

The EU fully suspended visa-free travel for Vanuatu citizens from 4 February 2023, and since 3 February 2025 Vanuatu has been on the EU visa list. The UK has required a visa since 19 July 2023, including for transit. For trips a Schengen type C visa is obtained, and for living in Europe Greek residence with a property threshold from €250,000 to €800,000: it gives the right to travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180.

The Schengen visa procedure is covered in the Vanuatu passport and Schengen, and US visas in a US visa with a Vanuatu passport. Residence conditions for Vanuatu citizens are collected on Greek residence for Vanuatu citizens.

The Vanuatu passport when travelling

In brief: the Vanuatu passport is biometric, valid for 10 years and issued with a green cover. Vanuatu recognises dual citizenship, so a citizen travels around Oceania and Africa on the Vanuatu passport and keeps their main passport.

The certificate of citizenship is kept separately from the passport: it is needed when replacing the document and confirms the status at the bank. Children included in the application receive their own passports, and children born after citizenship is granted acquire it by descent without a contribution.

The passport’s Asian destinations are covered in visa-free Asian countries for the Vanuatu passport, and Latin America and the Caribbean in Latin America with a Vanuatu passport.

Who a Vanuatu passport suits for Oceania and Africa

In brief: an entrepreneur working in the Pacific region, a family spending seasons on the islands, a specialist with projects in Africa, and anyone who needs a second passport as a back-up document.

• Business in the Pacific region. Fiji for 120 days; Kiribati, Nauru and the Marshall Islands for 90 days.
• Seasons on the islands. Mauritius for 90 days without a visa; the Seychelles and Madagascar for 90 days on a visa on arrival.
• Projects in Africa. Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Botswana without a visa; Ethiopia, Nigeria and Namibia by electronic visa.
• A back-up document. A second passport in 2-3 months without relocating, for the whole family.

If Europe is also in the plans, the Vanuatu passport becomes the first step: citizenship in 2-3 months, then Greek residence for living and travel in the Schengen area.

How the passport for such trips is obtained

In brief: the passport is obtained through citizenship by investment in roughly 2-3 months without relocating. Under the DSP the turnkey total is $135,000 for one applicant; under the CIIP fund $165,000 for a family of up to four, of which $50,000 is returned after 5 years.

Beyond the contribution, the only payment to the state is the FIU fee: $5,000 under the DSP and $8,000 under the fund for the whole application. The contribution is paid after Citizenship Commission approval; before the decision the family pays only the FIU fee. A single applicant or a couple does better with the DSP, a family of three or more with the fund.

The applicant travels in person only for biometrics, which are given in Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, St Petersburg or Port Vila. The main applicant prepares 11 documents, an adult member 7, a child 3. Programme conditions are collected in the overview Vanuatu citizenship by investment, costs by family size in the cost of Vanuatu citizenship, and the way we work on support under the Vanuatu programme.

Processing time and the travel calendar

In brief: the pre-check takes 1-2 working days, the FIU check up to 7 working days without requests, the Citizenship Commission sits twice a month, and the passport is issued 1-3 weeks after the oath.

The calendar is built from the trip: if the passport is needed for a season on the islands or a business trip to Africa, count back to the nearest Commission sitting and allow a margin for one additional sitting. After approval the applicant has 3 months for the contribution and the oath, so the biometrics date is chosen so it does not clash with trips.

Police clearances must be no older than 3 months on the filing date, so they are ordered last, when the other documents are ready.

What to check before flying to Oceania and Africa

In brief: before departure, check the type of entry and length of stay in each country, the passport’s validity, electronic visas and authorisations, and for Europe and English-speaking countries a visa or residence permit.