Latin America with a Vanuatu passport: Peru, Ecuador and the Caribbean visa-free

Latin America with a Vanuatu passport: in brief

In brief: a Vanuatu citizen can enter 20 countries in the region without a visa: 2 in South America, 7 in Central America and 11 in the Caribbean. Another 5 countries are open on a visa on arrival, an eTA or an electronic visa, while the large countries of the south of the continent and Mexico require a visa in advance.

The number of days in the table and text is the permitted length of stay according to the BRIDGES visa-free destinations database. Regimes are set and changed by the countries of entry, so before each trip the regime is checked on the official website or with the consulate of the destination country. The full worldwide picture is collected in where the Vanuatu passport takes you, and Asian destinations in Asia with a Vanuatu passport.

Table of Latin American and Caribbean countries

In brief: the table lists 25 countries a Vanuatu citizen enters without an embassy visa, and the countries for which a visa is obtained in advance. Peru, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Dominica allow the longest stays: up to 180 days.

For four countries the database gives no length of stay: Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Suriname. Their length of stay is checked before the trip, and at the border it is usually shown in the stamp. Countries not in the visa-free database are planned with a visa: the application is filed at a consulate in advance, with time to spare for the review.

Visa-free: Peru, Ecuador and Central America

In brief: on the continent Peru is open without a visa for 180 days, Ecuador for 90 days, and seven Central American countries: Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador for 90 days, Costa Rica for 30 days, and Belize.

Peru gives up to 180 days without a visa, half a year for wintering, learning Spanish, travelling around the Andes and the coast, or working remotely from Lima and Cusco. From Peru it is easy to continue to neighbouring countries: Ecuador is open without a visa, Bolivia issues a visa on arrival, and for Colombia an electronic visa is obtained online.

Ecuador opens up to 90 days without a visa: Quito, the Andes and the Pacific coast. In Central America almost the whole isthmus is open. Panama is of interest as the region’s financial and logistics centre: banks, companies, transit through the canal. Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador give 90 days each, so the isthmus can be travelled slowly, country by country. Costa Rica admits holders for 30 days: enough for a holiday or getting to know the country before a longer trip.

The Caribbean: islands without a visa

In brief: in the Caribbean 11 countries are open without a visa: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Dominica for 180 days; the Bahamas, Grenada and Haiti for 90 days; Saint Lucia for 42 days; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Dominican Republic for 30 days; as well as Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

Long stays in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Dominica make these islands convenient for wintering: 180 days cover the whole season. The Dominican Republic, with stays of up to 30 days, suits a holiday, and the Bahamas and Grenada trips of up to three months. St Kitts and Nevis admits holders with an electronic eTA for 90 days, obtained online before departure.

The region’s dependent territories are open without a visa under their own rules: Anguilla for 90 days, as well as the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana. Entry to overseas territories is set by the territory itself, so it is checked separately even if you hold a visa for the metropolitan country.

Visa on arrival, eTA and electronic visa: Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba

In brief: Bolivia gives a Vanuatu citizen a visa on arrival for 90 days, Colombia and Cuba an electronic visa for 90 days, Suriname an electronic visa, and St Kitts and Nevis an electronic eTA for 90 days.

A Bolivian visa on arrival is issued at the airport or a land border: usually a form is completed, a fee is paid, and a return ticket, accommodation booking and travel funds are shown. Document requirements and the fee amount are checked before departure, because Bolivia sets them itself.

Electronic visas for Colombia, Cuba and Suriname are applied for online on the country’s official website, without an embassy visit. It is a full visa, so it is obtained before buying non-refundable tickets and printed together with the confirmation. An eTA is simpler than a visa, but without approval you will not be boarded either. Review times depend on the country and season, so apply with time to spare.

Lengths of stay in the region

In brief: 13 countries in the region give 90 days, 4 countries up to 180 days, Saint Lucia 42 days, and Costa Rica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Dominican Republic 30 days each. For four countries the stay is checked before the trip.

The length of stay is counted under the rules of the country of entry: some countries count the days of one trip, others add up days over six months or a year. For a long winter stay the counting rule is checked in advance, and exit and re-entry are planned so as not to exceed the permitted period: overstaying risks a fine and an entry ban.

A long stay in one country also affects taxes: a person who spends more than 183 days a year in a country usually becomes its tax resident. A Vanuatu passport does not change residence, which is determined by the country where a person actually lives, so for a six-month winter stay the tax side is worked out before the trip.

A multi-country trip: how to add up the stays

In brief: stays are counted separately for each country, so a long trip around the region is built from visa-free and visa-on-arrival countries, and electronic visas are obtained in advance for the entry dates.

For example, a six-month winter trip might start in Peru, where up to 180 days are allowed, continue in Ecuador for up to 90 days and end in Panama, from where onward flights are convenient. If Colombia is in the plan, the electronic visa is applied for before entry, and for Bolivia what is asked for a visa on arrival is prepared in advance: a form, an accommodation booking and a return ticket.

For a family the plan is checked for each member: children have their own Vanuatu passports, and the stay is counted per passport. Tickets, accommodation bookings and insurance are issued on the passport the family enters on, so the booking details match the document at the border. Practical tips for travelling with two passports are collected in travelling with a Vanuatu passport.

Where a visa is needed: Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico

In brief: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela, Guyana and Mexico are not in the visa-free database. For a trip there a visa is obtained in advance at a consulate, and the requirements are checked on the country’s official website.

A trip to these countries is planned from the visa review time: first the application is filed, then tickets are bought. A convenient scheme for a long trip around the continent: start with visa-free countries such as Peru, Ecuador or Panama, and apply in advance for a visa to the country that comes later in the plan.

Connections are also planned in advance. The USA, Canada and the UK require visas from Vanuatu citizens, and the UK has also required a visa for transit since 19 July 2023. So flights to Latin America are chosen via countries where no visa is needed for a connection, or a visa is obtained in advance: how this is done for the USA is covered in how to obtain a B1/B2 visa.

How to get a Vanuatu passport: time and cost

In brief: Vanuatu citizenship by investment is obtained in roughly 2-3 months without relocating. A single applicant or a couple does better with the DSP: $135,000 and $155,000 including the FIU fee; a family of three or more with the CIIP fund: $165,000 for a family of up to four, of which $50,000 is returned after 5 years.

The application is filed through a designated agent in two rounds: a short package for the Financial Intelligence Unit check, up to 7 working days without requests, then the full package for the Citizenship Commission, which sits twice a month. The contribution is paid after approval; before the decision only the FIU fee is paid. The passport is biometric and valid for 10 years, and the applicant travels in person only for biometrics: to Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, St Petersburg or Port Vila.

Programme conditions are covered in Vanuatu citizenship by investment. What the passport itself is like and how it compares with others is covered in the Vanuatu passport and its place in rankings, and the way we work on Vanuatu citizenship with BRIDGES.

Schengen and Europe: how trips are planned

In brief: a Vanuatu citizen needs a visa for the Schengen area: the EU fully suspended visa-free travel from 4 February 2023, and since 3 February 2025 Vanuatu has been on the visa list under Regulation 2025/11. Families with a Vanuatu passport start living in Europe through Greek residence.

The EU revised the regime in three steps: from 3 March 2022 a partial suspension for passports issued from 25 May 2015, from 4 February 2023 a full one, and from 3 February 2025 the visa list. For trips to Europe a Schengen visa is obtained at a consulate; the history of the changes is covered in the Vanuatu passport and Schengen.

For living in Europe, Greek residence is added to the passport: a property threshold from €250,000 to €800,000, the spouse, children and parents are included, and Schengen travel is allowed for up to 90 days in any 180. A turnkey package of Vanuatu citizenship and Greek residence takes up to 9 months; conditions on Greek residence for Vanuatu citizens.

Who a Vanuatu passport opens Latin America to

In brief: to those who winter in the Caribbean or Peru, do business through Panama, travel the Andes and Central America, and want every family member to have a second passport for travel without an embassy visa.

• Wintering. Up to 180 days in Peru, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Dominica.
• Business through Panama. 90 days visa-free in the region’s financial and logistics centre.
• Travel around the continent. Peru and Ecuador visa-free, Bolivia on arrival, Colombia by electronic visa.
• Central America. Seven isthmus countries visa-free, five of them for 90 days.
• Family. Every member of the application receives a passport: spouse, children under 25, parents over 50.

How a family application works and who is included is covered in Vanuatu citizenship for a family.

A Vanuatu passport is strongest where travel goes to Central America, the Caribbean, Peru and Ecuador, as well as Asia and Oceania. If Brazil, Argentina or Chile are in the plans, they go into the calendar with a visa, and Europe is added through Greek residence.

What to check before flying to Latin America

In brief: visa-free status gives the right to simplified entry, but the border officer decides. Check in advance the passport’s validity, a return ticket, an accommodation booking and funds, electronic visas and the permitted length of stay.

• Passport validity. Many countries require the passport to be valid for at least 6 more months after entry.
• A return or onward ticket. It is regularly asked for on visa-free entry, sometimes already at boarding.
• Accommodation and funds. A hotel booking or address and a bank card or statement; for a Bolivian visa on arrival this is part of the package.
• Electronic visa and eTA. For Colombia, Cuba, Suriname and St Kitts and Nevis, the permit is obtained before departure and kept electronically and on paper.
• The permitted stay. 30 days in Costa Rica and 90 days in Panama are counted strictly, and overstaying leads to a fine.
• Connections. Transit through visa-required countries is planned with a visa, or a different flight is chosen.

Neighbouring regions where a Vanuatu passport also opens many countries without a visa are covered in Oceania and Africa without a visa.