Visa-free countries for Vanuatu passport in 2026: complete list

Briefly: what a Vanuatu passport will open in 2026

A Vanuatu passport gives visa-free or simplified entry to approximately 88-90 countries and territories. This is a strong set for Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean, Africa and the post-Soviet space - but without Schengen and without the UK, which the EU and London closed due to complaints about the citizenship by investment program.

In short: Vanuatu means a quick second passport (1-2 months), zero taxes and real mobility in the “global south”. But if your goal is a visa-free Europe, this document does not solve it. Below is a analysis by region and an explanation of why this happened.

The program itself is described in detail in our material Vanuatu citizenship by investment - it’s about the fee, deadlines and due diligence.

How many countries are there in reality: about the discrepancy in numbers

In advertising of intermediaries, either “113”, then “118”, or “130 visa-free countries” appear. In practice, the figure is more modest, and the discrepancy is explained by the calculation method. Before you trust any list, it is important to understand what exactly is included.

There are four different levels of border “openness”, and they are often lumped together:

• Pure visa-free (visa-free) - you arrive and enter using a stamp, without filling out anything in advance. This is true mobility.
• Visa on arrival - the visa is issued right at the airport or at the border, but you still fill out the form and pay the fee. Convenient, but not the same as visa-free.
• Electronic Authorization (eTA) - the application is submitted online before departure, usually approved quickly. Intermediate option.
• Electronic visa (eVisa) - a full-fledged visa, simply issued through the website. Essentially this is a visa regime.

Different ratings count differently:

• Strict Counting (2026) gives about 88 visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations - and ranks Vanuatu about 50th in the world.
• Some ratings inflate the number to 113-118, adding countries with eVisa. Formally, this is not visa-free.
• Some lists have still not removed the Schengen countries and the UK, although visa-free travel there has been abolished. This is either outdated data or a deliberate overstatement.

working estimate for 2026: about 88-90 directions, if you count visafree, visa on arrival and eTA together. Without taking into account eVisa, the net visa-free regime will be noticeably less. We deliberately do not write “130” - Vanuatu does not have such a number, and any consultant who calls it either does not follow the updates or is misleading the client.

Why there is no Schengen: the history of the abolition of the EU visa-free regime

This is the main and most hushed fact. Until 2022, a Vanuatu passport actually opened visa-free Schengen - and this is what made the program a bestseller. Then the logic was ironclad: for a couple of months and a relatively small contribution, a person received free movement throughout Europe. Today this advantage does not exist, and any material that promises it is at least three to four years out of date.

The chronology is and well documented:

• March 2022 - The EU introduces a partial suspension of the visa-free agreement. It includes passports issued after a certain date, as well as those obtained under citizenship by investment programs.
• November 8, 2022 - The EU Council completely suspends the visa-free regime: the restriction applies to all citizens of Vanuatu, including those who received a passport long before the start of investment programs. It was a tough and revealing step.
• 2023 - Vanuatu is given about 18 months to reform the program: strengthen the verification of applicants, establish data exchange, and limit the mass issuance.
• December 2024 - The EU makes the suspension permanent. The European Parliament voted almost unanimously, and Vanuatu was moved from the “visa-free” list to the “visa” list. From now until 2026, Vanuatu citizens need a visa to enter Schengen.

The reason is straightforward: Brussels considered that Vanuatu issues citizenship too en masse and with insufficient verification of applicants, which creates security and migration risks for the EU. The speed was especially alarming - the passport was issued literally in weeks, which, according to European regulators, did not leave time for full due diligence. The official wording is in EU Council press release.

What does this mean in practice? The holder of a Vanuatu passport today travels to Europe in the same way as any other citizen of the country on the visa list: submits documents to the consulate, substantiates the purpose of the trip, and waits for a decision. There is no advantage here compared to a regular passport from many countries. Moreover, when the ETIAS system is operational, it will be overlaid on top of the visa question for those destinations where it is applicable.

Prospects for return. In theory, visa-free travel could be returned if Vanuatu brings the program into line with EU requirements for due diligence and data exchange. But for 2026 there are no signs of an imminent recovery, and you cannot plan to move to Europe on this passport. If Schengen is critical for you, it’s more to look at Caribbean passports or European residence permit programs.

UK: also visa from 2023

The second unpleasant surprise that they forget to tell about. The UK has introduced a visa regime for Vanuatu citizens in July 2023 - for the same reason as the EU: complaints about the citizenship by investment program.

Now, to travel to the United Kingdom you need a Standard Visitor Visa: apply online through the gov.uk portal, pay the fee, submit biometrics and hand over your passport. The visa gives the right to stay in the country usually up to 6 months for tourism, business or short study. So “Vanuatu passport + visa-free UK” is outdated information that no longer has a place in a list.

It is important to understand the logic: the EU and the UK closed visa-free travel almost simultaneously and for the same reason. These are not random decisions, but a coordinated reaction of Western regulators to rapid citizenship by investment programs. Therefore, you should not expect that one of these jurisdictions will “change their mind” alone - the issue is being resolved at the level of the entire applicant verification policy.

Asia: Vanuatu's strongest region

It is Asia that makes Vanuatu's passport truly useful. Key business and logistics hubs are concentrated here.

Hong Kong and Singapore - the main trump cards. This is visa-free entry into two global financial centers, which is valuable for business, banking and travel within the region. Singapore - clear visa-free for 30 days, Hong Kong - by 90. For an entrepreneur who does business in Asia, these two areas are often more important than half of the European list: here are banks, negotiations, and logistics.

Please note the nuance: South Korea and Indonesia are marked in the table as eTA - this is not a pure visa-free travel, but an electronic permit that is issued online before departure. The procedure is simple and quick, but requires an application to be submitted in advance. Thailand and the Maldives work on a visa on arrival - the visa is issued right at the border. All of these are convenient regimes, but it is more to call them by their proper names, rather than write them down en masse as “visa-free”.

Oceania: Home Region

Vanuatu is a Pacific country, so its regional neighbors are open widely and often for long periods of time.

• Fiji - visa-free up to 120 days (one of the longest periods in the passport portfolio).
• Samoa - visa-free / permit on arrival.
• Kiribati - up to 90 days.
• Solomon Islands - visa on arrival.
• Palau - visa on arrival.
• Micronesia (FSM) - up to 30 days.
• Tuvalu - visa on arrival.

For most owners, these are not the most popular destinations for frequent travel, but they form a significant share of the overall “88-90 countries” and are a nice bonus for those who love the Pacific region. Fiji with its 120 days is a real advantage for a long holiday or remote work by the sea.

Caribbean and Latin America

The Caribbean is wide open to Vanuatu - including the same islands that themselves sell passports for investment.

Latin America adds several large and interesting destinations: Peru with long stays, Ecuador, Panama. This is convenient for long trips and leisurely travel, and Panama is also interesting as a regional financial and logistics hub.

An interesting detail: a Vanuatu passport is opened visa-free by the same Antigua, Dominica and Grenada, which themselves sell citizenship for investment. There are reciprocal visa-free arrangements between the Caribbean and Pacific programs, and this is a plus for the traveler. Stays here are some of the most generous in the portfolio, with up to 180 days in Antigua, Dominica and Peru.

Africa: broad but specific coverage

Africa gives Vanuatu many lines on the list - mainly through visa on arrival. These are tourist and safari destinations, not business hubs, but they are real.

• Mauritius - visa-free up to 90 days (a nice premium destination).
• Botswana - up to 90 days.
• Tanzania - visa on arrival / eVisa, up to 90 days.
• Zambia, Zimbabwe - up to 90 days.
• Angola - up to 30 days.
• Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Cape Verde - visa on arrival or entry permit.

The African bloc is a clear example of why the overall figure “sounds impressive.” Many of these countries, even without a second passport, are accessible with a visa on arrival to most tourists, including Russians and CIS citizens. That is, formally these directions add lines to the list, but they may not provide a real increase in mobility compared to your current passport. This is another reason to count not the total number of countries, but precisely those destinations that would be closed to you without Vanuatu.

Middle East and UAE

The Middle East is limited for Vanuatu, and it is important not to confuse visa-free travel with an e-visa.

• UAE - you need an electronic visa (eVisa) for 30 days. This is NOT a pure visa-free visa: the application must be completed online in advance. Many lists list the UAE as “visa-free”, which is misleading.
• Jordan - visa on arrival.
• Iran - visa on arrival.
• Israel - electronic authorization (eTA), introduced gradually.

That is, the owner of Vanuatu has a convenient entry into Dubai, but this is an eVisa, and not a stamp without preparation. This is a statement to keep in mind when planning. The UAE is a frequent example of how a destination is included in the “visa-free lists” incorrectly: the e-visa regime is passed off as visa-free for the sake of a beautiful number. In practice, the difference is noticeable - you still go through the registration procedure before departure.

Russia, CIS and post-Soviet space

For readers with business or family ties to the region, this block is often decisive.

• Russia - visa-free up to 90 days during the calendar year.
• Belarus - up to 30 days.
• Kyrgyzstan - eTA / simplified entry.

Direct visa-free entry into Russia for 90 days is a noticeable practical advantage for those who are connected with the Russian Federation by business or family interests. We wrote more about who this passport is suitable for and why in the article about Vanuatu citizenship for Russians.

It is worth keeping in mind that the visa-free list is not static. Countries change visa policies, and destinations come and go. The story of the EU and the UK is a clear example of how a strong advantage can disappear in a couple of years. Therefore, any list (including this one) is a snapshot for a specific moment, and not an eternal guarantee. It is always worth double-checking the status of a particular country before traveling.

Europe outside Schengen: what remains

Europe is not completely closed - but we are only talking about countries outside the Schengen zone.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina - visa-free up to 90 days.
• Kosovo - short visa-free entry (to be confirmed).

This is all that really remains in the European direction. Not a single Schengen country is on Vanuatu's visa-free list for 2026 - and any source that claims otherwise is using outdated data.

Why do we need a visa-free list at all?

Before comparing passports by number of countries, it is worth answering the question: what exactly does visa-free access provide and who really needs it. Otherwise, it's easy to overpay for data you'll never use.

A visa-free passport solves several practical problems:

• Speed ​​of business travel. If you regularly fly for negotiations, not having to apply for a visa for each trip saves days and nerves. Here Vanuatu is strong in Asia.
• Planning flexibility. Visa-free travel allows you to buy a ticket and fly away without having to deal with visa processing deadlines. For spontaneous trips this is key.
• Alternate airfield. A second passport with a wide visa-free regime is insurance in case of problems with the main document or restrictions against the citizenship of your country.
• Tax and banking residence. Often people go for a Vanuatu passport not for the sake of tourism, but for the sake of zero taxes and the opportunity to open accounts as a citizen of a neutral jurisdiction.

If your goal is tourism in Europe, then Vanuatu does not cover it, and the number of African or Pacific lines on the list does not compensate for this. But when it comes to speed, taxes and access to Asia, the passport works. It all depends on what specific problem you are solving.

Comparison with Caribbean passports

A reasonable question: if Vanuatu does not have Schengen, is it not more profitable to take Caribbean citizenship? In terms of coverage - yes, noticeably.

Caribbean passports retain Schengen and UK visa-free travel and open 50+ more destinations on average. So if the priority is mobility and Europe, the Caribbean is usually stronger. Detailed comparison - in our analyzes Vanuatu vs DominicaandCaribbean passport.

Where Vanuatu wins is speed (1-2 months versus several months in the Caribbean) and zero taxes. See also fastest second citizenshipandVanuatu vs Nauru.

How to choose a passport for the countries you need

The visa-free list is a tool, not an end in itself. Before choosing a program, answer a simple question: which countries do you really need open?

• Need Asia, Russia, Caribbean and zero taxes at top speed - Vanuatu is suitable. Citizenship is obtained in 1-2 months, the DSP program fee is approximately from 130,000 USD per applicant (more for a family), plus due diligence fees; The exact amount for 2026 will be determined individually.
• Need visa-free Schengen and UK - Vanuatu does not solve the problem; it is more to look at the Caribbean or a European residence permit.
• Need a path to the EU or US - these are individual strategies that we select to suit the goal.

BRIDGES GLOBAL has been on the market since 2004. We do not sell “130 visa-free countries” where they do not exist - we first find out your real routes and tax situation, and then select a passport or residence permit for them. Request a passport selection for the countries you need - we will show a list of directions for each option.

Expert's view: how to read visa-free lists

Behind the loud numbers in passport advertising there is almost always a calculation method. Understanding these mechanics saves both money and frustration. Here's what we advise every client to check before purchasing any investment passport - not just Vanuatu.

• Separate pure visa waiver from visa on arrival and eVisa - these are different levels of convenience, and a list always indicates the type of access for each country.
• Check the source date. After 2022 and 2024, any listings of Vanuatu with Schengen and the UK are invalid. If the document is older, the numbers cannot be trusted.
• Count not the number of lines, but the number of countries you personally need. A list of 90 destinations, where three are relevant to you, loses to a list of 50, where all are relevant.
• Double-check the status before each trip. Visa policy is changing, and what was open a year ago may require a visa today - the history of the EU has proven this.

The main principle of fair selection: a passport is a tool for a specific task, and not a collection of flags on a map. We always start by asking about your actual routes and tax situation, and only then look at which document covers them.

BRIDGES analysis on this topic: Vanuatu after the EU visa-free suspension.

BRIDGES service: Vanuatu citizenship by investment with BRIDGES support.