The Vanuatu passport in the Gulf: no eVisa for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, online for Bahrain

In brief

• Saudi Arabia. Vanuatu is not on the tourist eVisa list, Turkey is. The tourist visa regulations offer other grounds: a valid US, UK or Schengen visa already used for entry, permanent residence in the US, EU or UK, or a residence permit in a Gulf country.
• Kuwait. The Ministry of Interior portal lists 54 states for the eVisa and visa on arrival. Turkey is among them, Vanuatu is not. The portal refers such applicants to a Kuwaiti embassy.
• UAE. The UAE MOFA list marks both Vanuatu and Turkey as "Visa Required". The visa is arranged in advance, including through an airline, travel agency or hotel in the Emirates.
• Qatar. A Vanuatu citizen needs a visa through the Hayya platform. With a visa or residence permit from Schengen, the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand or Canada, or Gulf residence, a visa on arrival with a hotel booking also opens.
• Bahrain. Vanuatu is on both the online visa list and the visa on arrival list.
• Oman. Vanuatu is not on the 14-day visa-free list, Turkey is. The visa is issued through the Royal Oman Police portal.

What the official lists of the six countries show

I compared not retellings on travel sites but what the authorities themselves publish: electronic visa portals, foreign ministries and tourism bodies. The table is easiest to read down the Vanuatu column: where it says "not on the list", the passport alone does not give simplified entry, and you need either a visa through an embassy or an additional basis.

Of the six countries, the Vanuatu passport passes without caveats only in Bahrain. In Qatar and the UAE a visa is required but is arranged online or through the host, without an embassy. In Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman a Vanuatu citizen with no additional basis will have to prepare a visa in advance and allow more time.

What this means for you. If you plan regular trips to the Gulf, count not only the passport but also a second support: a Schengen visa, a US or UK visa, or a residence permit in one of the region's countries. That is what changes the picture in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Saudi Arabia: Vanuatu is not on the eVisa list, but the rules leave three doors open

Saudi Arabia issues the tourist eVisa to citizens of countries on a list published on the Visit Saudi portal. According to the indexed version of the portal page, the list has 68 countries, and Oceania is represented only by Australia and New Zealand. Turkey is on the list, in the Asian part together with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Malaysia and Japan. The portal itself blocked automated access during our check, so the list is worth opening by hand before a trip.

The process for those not on the list is set out in the Ministry of Tourism tourist visa regulations. A citizen of such a country obtains a visa through a Saudi diplomatic mission or through the digital embassy on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs platform. The application includes a return ticket, an accommodation booking, an employment certificate and proof of financial means: a bank statement or salary certificate.

The same regulations take three groups of applicants out of the general process, and this is what matters for a Vanuatu passport holder. The first is holders of a valid US, UK or Schengen tourist or business visa that has been used at least once for entry. The second is holders of permanent residence in the US, EU or UK. The third is Gulf residents with a residence permit valid for at least three months in professions listed by Visit Saudi. In all three cases the right extends to first-degree relatives travelling with them.

The Saudi MFA platform ksavisa.sa shows the same conditions in its form: "valid tourist/business visa from the US/UK/Schengen region, used to travel at least once", "valid residency in the GCC countries, no less than three months", "permanent residency in the US/UK/EU". The regulations also allow a visa with a tour package bought from a licensed agent. On the MFA platform the package visa is available to citizens of selected countries, and we could not verify whether Vanuatu is among them.

What this means for you. For a Vanuatu citizen with a used Schengen visa, a trip to Saudi Arabia is arranged as quickly as for a citizen from the list. Without such a visa you will have to go through an embassy or the digital embassy with a full set of documents.

Kuwait lets 54 countries in online and sends the rest to an embassy

On the Kuwait Ministry of Interior portal kuwaitvisa.moi.gov.kw, the tourist visa instructions list the countries whose citizens obtain a visa online or on arrival at Kuwait International Airport. There are 54 states: EU and Schengen countries, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Georgia, Serbia, Turkey and several others. Vanuatu is not on the list.

The portal sets the tourist visa terms as follows. The visa is single-entry, valid for one month from issue, and allows a stay of up to three months from entry. The fee is 3 Kuwaiti dinars, though the portal notes that it varies by nationality. The passport must be valid for at least six months from entry, and the application includes a passport copy, a ticket, a hotel booking and a photo. Overstaying costs a fine of 10 dinars a day and possibly an entry ban.

For a nationality off the list the portal gives a direct answer: the online visa is not available, and you can apply through a Kuwaiti embassy. There is also a separate category for Gulf residents. The portal lists the professions under which a Gulf resident can obtain a tourist visa: doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, engineers, consultants, university professors, journalists, pilots, programmers, managers, businessmen, and owners and representatives of companies. The Gulf residence permit must remain valid for six months from entry. Whether this category covers any nationality is not stated directly in the portal's public materials.

What this means for you. If you live, for example, in the UAE on a manager's work visa or an investor visa, your way into Kuwait is the Gulf resident category, not the Vanuatu passport. If you live in Europe, allow time for a visa through an embassy.

UAE and Qatar: a visa is required, but no embassy visit

The UAE MOFA publishes a list of nationalities marked "Visa Free" or "Visa Required" for ordinary passports. It has 197 entries, and citizens of 90 of them enter without a visa. Vanuatu and Turkey are both marked "Visa Required", so the Turkish passport gives no advantage for the UAE. In 2017 the UAE and Vanuatu signed a memorandum on mutual visa exemption, but for Vanuatu citizens it covers only diplomatic and private passports.

A UAE tourist visa for those who need one is arranged before travel. The government portal u.ae names the channels directly: airlines, licensed travel agencies and hotels in the Emirates. How this works in practice and what lengths of stay are granted we covered in the article on the UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong with a Vanuatu passport. Since June 2026 the UAE has extended visa on arrival to six nationalities holding residence permits of the US, EU, UK and several other countries. Vanuatu was not included.

The Visit Qatar website has a nationality check built into its visa page. For Vanuatu the answer depends on what other documents a person holds. Without residence or a Western visa, an A1 visa through the Hayya platform is required, with a hotel booking at the application stage and the fee paid after approval. A Gulf resident applies for an A2 visa through Hayya. A holder of a visa or residence permit from Schengen, the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand or Canada applies for an A3 visa. In the last two cases a visa on arrival is also available: book a hotel in advance through Discover Qatar and pay a 100 Qatari riyal fee at the airport. Turkish citizens enter visa-free or with an A1 visa through Hayya.

What this means for you. In the UAE the Vanuatu and Turkish passports are on equal terms. In Qatar there is a difference, but with a Schengen visa or Gulf residence it almost disappears: the visa is issued on arrival.

Bahrain accepts Vanuatu online, Oman asks for a visa

The Bahrain eVisa portal evisa.gov.bh publishes two lists: countries whose citizens can obtain a visa online, and countries whose citizens obtain a visa on arrival. Vanuatu is on both, as is Turkey. The portal notes that conditions apply and invites applicants to check their eligibility via the link on the country name. In our comparison this is the only Gulf state where the Vanuatu passport works without additional grounds.

According to the Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on a page updated on 22 September 2026, Oman exempts citizens of more than 100 countries from a visa for stays of up to 14 days. They are split into two groups: 78 countries in the first and 24 in the second. Turkey is in the first group. Citizens of the second group qualify only if they hold a residence permit or visa of the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Schengen or Japan, or a residence permit in a Gulf country. Conditions for all: a passport valid for at least six months, a return ticket, a hotel booking, health insurance and funds for the stay. This entry cannot be extended or converted into residence.

Vanuatu is in neither group. The Oman MFA refers citizens of other countries to the Royal Oman Police eVisa portal evisa.rop.gov.om, where the visa type is matched to nationality. For a tourist this is usually the unsponsored tourist visa. We could not check what the portal offers a Vanuatu citizen: the matching works only in an interactive form.

What this means for you. A trip to Bahrain can be planned on a Vanuatu passport without intermediaries. For Oman, arrange the visa in advance through the police portal and allow time for it.

Why the Turkish passport wins in the Gulf, and where it stops

The comparison with Turkey comes up for a reason: both programmes are chosen by people for whom a second passport matters for travel. On the official lists the Turkish passport gives simplified entry to five of the six countries: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. The Vanuatu passport does so for one, Bahrain. In the UAE both passports need a visa.

Gulf eVisa lists are not fixed. According to the official SPA news agency, Saudi Arabia has added countries to its programme several times in recent years, and in June 2026 the UAE extended its visa on arrival. Vanuatu could be added to these lists, but no authority has announced such plans, and trips should not be built on that. Rely on what the portal publishes on the day you book.

But I would not choose a programme by this column alone. Turkish citizenship requires buying property from USD 400,000 and holding it for three years. Vanuatu citizenship takes 2-3 months without buying property, with a contribution from USD 130,000. The differences in timing, amounts and travel are set out in our comparison of Vanuatu and Turkey, and the programme terms on the page on Turkish citizenship.

What this means for you. If the Gulf is your main travel destination and you have neither a Schengen visa nor residence in the region, the Turkish passport is more convenient. If you already live in Europe or the Emirates, the Gulf difference comes down to one or two countries.

Who this difference hardly affects

The first group is Gulf residents. If you hold a residence permit in the UAE, Bahrain, Oman or Qatar, under the rules of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait you fall into a separate category of applicants, and Qatar issues a visa on arrival. In this combination the Vanuatu passport is used for travel worldwide, and entry to neighbouring countries comes from residence.

The second group is holders of permanent or temporary residence in Europe, the UK and the US, as well as holders of a used Schengen, US or UK visa. For them the Saudi tourist visa and the Qatar visa on arrival open up. How a Vanuatu citizen obtains a Schengen visa and what changed in 2026 we covered in the article on Schengen with a Vanuatu passport.

The third group is those who visit the Gulf once every few years. A visa through a Kuwaiti embassy or the Oman police portal takes time, but for an occasional trip this is no reason to change a citizenship plan. Nor is there any need to rush the decision if you are choosing a passport for Europe, the UK or Asia: in those directions Vanuatu has its own advantages, collected in the overview of visa-free countries for the Vanuatu passport.

How to plan a Gulf trip with a Vanuatu passport

What we could not verify

Three questions remain open. First, the full current Saudi eVisa list: visa.visitsaudi.com blocks automated checks, so the figure of 68 countries and the Oceania data come from the indexed version of its page. Second, whether Kuwait's Gulf resident category covers citizens of any country. Third, which visa type the Oman portal offers a Vanuatu citizen. All three are answered by the interactive check on the portals themselves, which is worth running before a trip.

If your Vanuatu passport is about to expire, it is renewed through Vanuatu passport renewal, and documents for a Gulf visa can be prepared with an apostille on Vanuatu documents.

How this piece was prepared

All sources were checked on 20 October 2026. Saudi Arabia: Ministry of Tourism tourist visa regulations (document V012), the MFA platform ksavisa.sa, the visa.visitsaudi.com portal in its indexed version. Kuwait: tourist visa instructions on the Ministry of Interior portal kuwaitvisa.moi.gov.kw. UAE: the UAE MOFA list of visa-exempt nationalities, the UAE MOFA news item on the memorandum with Vanuatu of 24 September 2017, the UAE MOFA news item on visa on arrival of 25 June 2026, the u.ae tourist visa page updated on 1 October 2026. Qatar: the visa page of the Visit Qatar website. Bahrain: the lists of countries for the online visa and visa on arrival on evisa.gov.bh. Oman: the Oman MFA entry visa page updated on 22 September 2026. The piece covers ordinary passports and tourist travel. It is not a legal opinion; entry rules change, so check the country's portal before travelling.