Asia with a Vanuatu passport: visa-free, visa on arrival and eVisa by country

In brief: what a Vanuatu passport gives in Asia

In brief: Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines are open without a visa for 30 days and Hong Kong for 90 days. Another 10 Asian countries give a visa on arrival, about 14 countries in the region issue an eVisa online, and Israel admits holders with an eTA.

Three regimes operate in Asia, and it is important to tell them apart. With no visa, the passenger arrives and crosses the border on the passport. A visa on arrival is issued at the airport, usually against a return ticket and a booking. An eVisa is applied for online on the country’s website before the trip, and the permission arrives by email.

For business travel the key combination is Hong Kong and Singapore as financial centres, Malaysia and the Philippines as manufacturing and tourist destinations, and the UAE and Qatar on an eVisa as connection hubs. The overall picture across all regions is collected in visa-free countries for the Vanuatu passport, and the passport’s place in indices in the Vanuatu passport and its place in rankings.

Asia without a visa on a Vanuatu passport

In brief: a Vanuatu passport admits holders without a visa to Hong Kong for 90 days, and to Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines for 30 days. Entry is on the passport alone, with no advance applications or fees.

This group of destinations makes the passport a working document for Asia. A meeting in Hong Kong or Singapore can be set for the next few days rather than after weeks of waiting for a visa, and connections through these airports require no separate permits.

• Hong Kong, up to 90 days. The region’s financial centre: banks, funds, trading companies. Three months are enough for negotiations, dealing with banks and trips to partners.
• Singapore, up to 30 days. The financial and logistics centre of South-East Asia, a convenient point for business visits and transit.
• Malaysia, up to 30 days. Kuala Lumpur as a business centre, and the resorts of Langkawi and Penang for holidays and long working trips.
• The Philippines, up to 30 days. Manila for business trips and the islands for holidays.

The length of stay is counted per entry and checked on the country’s official website before each trip. Visa-free entry gives the right to a tourist or business trip, not to work or long-term residence: for that a work visa, a study permit or the country’s residence permit is needed.

Visa on arrival and eVisa: what is quick to arrange

In brief: a visa on arrival is given to the Vanuatu passport by Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Cambodia, Laos and Timor-Leste for 30 days, Nepal and Jordan for 90 days, and Armenia for 120 days. An eVisa online is issued by the UAE and Qatar for 30 days, Georgia and Vietnam for 90, and India for 60.

A visa on arrival and an eVisa require no consulate visit. The difference is where the time is spent: at the border for a visa on arrival, at home before departure for an eVisa.

Visa on arrival. It is issued at the destination airport. The border officer usually asks for a return ticket and a hotel booking, so these documents are kept to hand. The length of such a visa is fixed, and a long trip across several countries is planned so as to stay within the permitted days in each.

eVisa online. The application is filed on the country’s official portal a few days before departure: approval is not always instant. According to the BRIDGES database, eVisas for the Vanuatu passport are issued by the UAE and Qatar for 30 days, Bahrain for 14, Georgia, Vietnam and Bhutan for 90, India for 60, Uzbekistan and Mongolia for 30, as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan.

• Apply only on the country’s government portal; intermediary sites charge a mark-up for the same service.
• Enter the details of the Vanuatu passport specifically if you will fly on it, and check the spelling of the name.
• Keep the confirmation on your phone and on paper: it is requested at check-in and at the border.

For Israel an electronic eTA for 90 days applies, also obtained online before the trip.

Where a visa is needed for entry

In brief: Japan, South Korea and mainland China are not on the simplified-entry lists for the Vanuatu passport, so a visa is obtained in advance at a consulate. The entry regime for other countries not in the database is checked before the trip.

Visas for these countries are obtained on general terms: a document package, proof of the purpose of the trip and funds, sometimes an interview. A citizen whose main passport gives a more convenient regime for Japan, Korea or China plans the trip on the main passport, and uses the Vanuatu passport for Hong Kong, Singapore and South-East Asia.

• Japan. A visa is obtained at a consulate before the trip.
• South Korea. A visa is obtained in advance.
• Mainland China. A visa is obtained in advance, while Hong Kong is open to the Vanuatu passport for 90 days without a visa.
• Indonesia and other countries not in the database. The entry regime is checked on the country’s official website before buying a ticket.

This combination is typical of passports with simplified entry to Asia: the business centres and resorts of South-East Asia are open, while the largest East Asian economies work by visa. So a trip is planned from the document: choose the country, check the type of entry, choose the passport.

For travel to Europe a Vanuatu citizen obtains a Schengen visa: the EU fully suspended visa-free travel from 4 February 2023, and EU Regulation 2025/11 moved Vanuatu to the visa list from 3 February 2025. The procedure is described in a Schengen visa with a Vanuatu passport. To live in Europe with a Vanuatu passport, Greek residence is arranged, giving travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180.

Why it matters for business and family

In brief: a Vanuatu passport removes visa pauses from trips to suppliers and partners in Asia and gives a family living in the region a second document with simplified entry to neighbouring countries.

• Business centres nearby. Hong Kong and Singapore are open without a visa, so meetings with banks, funds and partners are set without waiting for a visa.
• Suppliers in South-East Asia. Malaysia and the Philippines visa-free; Thailand, Cambodia and Laos on a visa on arrival; Vietnam by eVisa.
• A second document for the family. Each family member receives their own passport, and children born after the parents acquire citizenship obtain it by descent.
• Holidays without consulates. The Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand on a visa on arrival, Malaysia without a visa.

An industrialist from Cairo who assembles climate equipment from Asian components and regularly flies to suppliers in Malaysia and Hong Kong received a Vanuatu passport in 59 days, and his cycle of supplier trips was cut in half. Details in case: suppliers in Asia without visa pauses.

A family from Russia that has lived in Phuket for four years obtained three Vanuatu passports in 56 days remotely, without leaving Thailand. How it went is described in case: a family in Thailand without visa runs.

Asia on a Vanuatu passport suits trips and business visits, while long-term life in a particular country requires its residence permit. Overstaying the permitted period leads to fines and questions on later entries, so the days in each country are counted in advance. A comparison with Caribbean passports is collected in Vanuatu and Dominica and Caribbean passports.

Which passport to fly to Asia on

In brief: the ticket to an Asian country is bought on the passport you will enter on, and the same passport is shown at check-in. You leave and return to your country of citizenship on its passport.

At check-in the airline verifies the passenger’s right to enter the destination country. If a ticket to Hong Kong is issued on the main passport, but the passenger intends to enter visa-free on the Vanuatu passport, a question will arise at the desk. So the details on the ticket, eVisa and insurance match the entry passport letter for letter.

• Children. Each child has their own Vanuatu passport and cannot be entered in a parent’s passport, so tickets and permits for the family are issued on each person’s passport.
• Validity. The Vanuatu passport is biometric and valid for 10 years, while many Asian countries require at least 6 months’ validity on the date of entry.
• Connections. Transit rules are checked for each airport on the route: in some countries a connection without leaving the airport requires no permit, in others it does.

Trips to Asia for Russian citizens

In brief: a Russian citizen leaves and returns to Russia on the Russian passport, and enters Asian countries on the Vanuatu passport if its regime is more convenient. They notify the Interior Ministry of the second citizenship within 60 days of receiving the passport.

In Russia a citizen with two citizenships is treated only as a Russian citizen, so at the Russian border they present the Russian passport. For example, flying from Moscow to Hong Kong, exit control is passed on the Russian passport, while the ticket, check-in and entry into Hong Kong are on the Vanuatu passport, for 90 days without a visa.

For families living in Asia it is convenient that biometrics for the Vanuatu passport are given in person in Hong Kong or Dubai, as well as in Moscow, St Petersburg and Port Vila. The other stages are remote, and there is no need to fly to the islands. All duties of Russian citizens are covered in the Vanuatu passport for Russian citizens.

Asia combined with other regions

In brief: besides Asia, a Vanuatu passport opens most of the Caribbean and Latin America, Oceania and part of Africa without a visa, as well as Russia for 90 days. Trips across several regions are planned from the type of entry in each country.

For those who work with Asia and Latin America, Peru for 180 days and Ecuador for 90 days without a visa matter, as do Panama for 90 and Costa Rica for 30. In Oceania, Fiji for 120 days, Kiribati for 90 and Micronesia for 30 are open without a visa, while Samoa, Tonga and Palau give a visa on arrival.

Destinations by region are covered in Peru and Ecuador with a Vanuatu passport and Oceania and Africa without a visa.

How to check entry rules before a trip

In brief: visa rules are changed by the destination countries themselves, so any list of destinations reflects a specific date. Before a trip the entry regime is checked on the destination country’s official website and in the airline’s rules.

BRIDGES keeps a database of destinations for the Vanuatu passport by type: visa-free, visa on arrival, eTA and eVisa, with lengths of stay. Before a client’s trip we check the type of entry and length of stay against the destination country’s official sources.

1. Type of entry. Visa-free, visa on arrival, eVisa or a visa in advance.
2. Length of stay. How many days are given per entry and whether it can be extended locally.
3. Passport for the trip. Ticket, check-in and border on one document.
4. Passport validity. Many countries require at least 6 months on the date of entry.
5. Confirmations. A return ticket, a booking and the electronic permit on the phone and on paper.

Official information on Vanuatu citizenship is published by the Citizenship Office at vancitizenship.gov.vu, and on the EU visa regime by the Council of the EU.

Conditions for Vanuatu citizenship

In brief: Vanuatu citizenship is obtained in 2-3 months without relocating under two programmes: the DSP with a non-refundable contribution from $130,000, and the CIIP fund at $157,000 for a family of up to four with $50,000 returned after 5 years. Dual citizenship is recognised.

• The DSP programme. A contribution of $130,000 for one, $150,000 for a couple, $165,000 for a family of three, $180,000 for four; the turnkey total with the FIU fee from $135,000.
• The CIIP fund. $165,000 turnkey for a family of up to four, of which $50,000 is returned after 5 years.
• Payment order. The contribution is paid after Commission approval; before the decision only the FIU fee is paid.
• In-person attendance. Only for biometrics: Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, St Petersburg or Port Vila.
• Passport. Biometric, valid for 10 years.

The application is filed in two rounds: a short package for the FIU check, which without requests takes up to 7 working days, then the full package for the Citizenship Commission, which sits twice a month. After approval the applicant has 3 months for the contribution and the oath, and the passport is issued in 1-3 weeks.

A single applicant or a couple does better with the DSP, a family of three or more with the CIIP fund. Programme conditions are covered in Vanuatu citizenship by investment, timelines of different programmes in the overview a fast second citizenship, and the way we work on Vanuatu citizenship with BRIDGES.