Where the Passport Is Accepted

A Vanuatu passport once offered easy access to the world. Now, it comes with a major asterisk. While it still provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to 88 countries, its power has been sharply curtailed. Both the European Union (from 4 February 2023) and the UK (from July 2023) have suspended their visa-waiver agreements. For passport holders, this means any trip to London or Paris now involves a visa application. Understanding this new reality is key to using the passport's remaining strengths across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Oceania.

Visa-Waiver Suspension - Ending, for a time or indefinitely, an existing arrangement that let one country's citizens enter another without a visa. For Vanuatu, the EU's suspension is set out in amendments to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, so a Schengen visa must now be obtained before travelling.

Development Support Program (DSP) - Vanuatu's principal path to citizenship by investment, created by the country's Citizenship Act [Cap 112]. Applicants make a non-refundable donation to the government and, after clearing due diligence, receive citizenship and a passport.

The Current Risk: Navigating Recent Changes to Vanuatu's Visa-Free Access

A second passport is only as good as the doors it opens. For Vanuatu passport holders, some of the most important doors—to Europe and the UK—have slammed shut. This single change has created massive uncertainty and fundamentally altered the value proposition for investors and global citizens.

The European Union's decision was sweeping. It suspended its visa-waiver agreement for all Vanuatu passport holders effective 4 February 2023. Initially, the suspension only hit newer passports issued after May 2015, but it was quickly expanded. Officially, the suspension is slated to last until at least 3 February 2025, but don't count on a quick return to normal. Reinstatement isn't guaranteed, and the decision, rooted in Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, depends on Vanuatu addressing the EU's concerns.

Then the UK followed suit. Citing worries about the due diligence process in Vanuatu's citizenship programs, the UK government cancelled visa-free access in July 2023.

What does this mean for you? Forget spontaneous trips to Europe. Business and leisure travel to two of the world's most significant hubs now requires a formal visa application. Travelers must verify the specific entry rules for each country, as old privileges are gone. The passport's utility demands a serious re-evaluation.

Comparing Vanuatu's Mobility: Passport Strength vs. Alternatives

A passport's power lies in the freedom it grants. The Vanuatu passport was once a formidable contender, but losing EU and UK access has changed its position. Now, comparing it against alternatives like Caribbean citizenship by investment (CBI) programs is essential.

Vanuatu still has the lower price tag. But Caribbean passports from nations like St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada, or Dominica offer a critical travel advantage: continued visa-free access to the Schengen Area. Since 1 July 2024, those Caribbean programs standardized their minimum investment at US$200,000. Vanuatu’s US$130,000 entry point is more affordable, but it comes with a clear trade-off in global mobility.

The table below breaks down the critical differences between the Vanuatu passport and its main competitors in the CBI market as of late 2026.

Feature	Vanuatu (DSP)	Caribbean (Average)
Visa-Free Destinations	88 countries & territories	140-160 countries & territories
Schengen Area Access	No. Visa required since Feb 2023.	Yes. Visa-free access (90 days in 180).
UK Access	No. Visa required since July 2023.	Yes. Visa-free access (6 months).
Minimum Investment	US$130,000 (single applicant)	US$200,000 (single applicant)
Processing Time	2-4 months (industry average)	6-9 months (industry average)
Taxation	No income, capital gains, or inheritance tax	No income, capital gains, or inheritance tax
Hereditary Citizenship	Yes	Yes

The Takeaway: For an investor who values speed and a lower cost—and whose travel is focused on Asia, Africa, or the Americas—Vanuatu still makes sense. But for anyone needing seamless, frequent travel to Europe and the UK, a Caribbean program reaches more destinations without a prior visa, at a higher price and longer wait.

The Destination List in Detail

Every destination a Vanuatu passport reaches without a visa arranged beforehand appears below, sorted by the mechanism of entry. The 88 used in the rankings is made up of 55 visa-free destinations, 26 that issue a visa on arrival and 7 partially recognised territories listed apart from the rest. Stay lengths are the published ones and are decided by each destination.

Visa-free entry

The passport is presented and entry follows. Nothing lodged in advance, no fee, no prior authorisation.

Africa (11)

Destination	Permitted stay
Angola	30 days
Botswana	90 days
Eswatini	30 days
Gambia	90 days
Lesotho	90 days
Mauritius	90 days
Rwanda	30 days
Tanzania	90 days
Uganda	90 days
Zambia	90 days
Zimbabwe	90 days

The Americas and the Caribbean (17)

Destination	Permitted stay
Antigua and Barbuda	180 days
Bahamas	90 days
Barbados	180 days
Belize	—
Costa Rica	30 days
Dominican Republic	30 days
Ecuador	90 days
El Salvador	90 days
Grenada	90 days
Guatemala	90 days
Haiti	90 days
Honduras	90 days
Jamaica	—
Nicaragua	90 days
Panama	90 days
Peru	180 days
Trinidad and Tobago	—

Asia and the Pacific (7)

Destination	Permitted stay
Fiji	120 days
Hong Kong	90 days
Kiribati	90 days
Malaysia	30 days
Micronesia	30 days
Philippines	30 days
Singapore	30 days

Europe (5)

Destination	Permitted stay
Belarus	30 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina	90 days
Moldova	90 days / 180
Montenegro	90 days
Russia	90 days per calendar year

Territories (15)

Destination	Permitted stay
Anguilla	3 months
Bermuda	—
British Virgin Islands	—
Cayman Islands	—
Cook Islands	31 days
French Guiana	—
French Polynesia	—
Gibraltar	—
Montserrat	—
New Caledonia	—
Niue	30 days
Pitcairn Islands	14 days, landing fee
Réunion	—
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	—
Wallis and Futuna	3 months

Visa on arrival

A visa is issued at the border once the passport is shown. There is normally a charge, and several destinations require onward travel or accommodation to be evidenced. Convenient, but the decision has been moved to arrival rather than removed.

Africa (6)

Destination	Permitted stay
Burundi	30 days
Cape Verde	30 days
Comoros	45 days
Egypt	30 days
Senegal	30 days
Seychelles	3 months

Asia and the Pacific (10)

Destination	Permitted stay
Macau	—
Maldives	30 days
Marshall Islands	90 days
Nauru	90 days
Palau	30 days
Samoa	60 days
Solomon Islands	45 days
Timor-Leste	30 days
Tonga	31 days
Tuvalu	30 days

Both eVisa and visa on arrival (10)

Destination	Permitted stay
Bolivia	90 days
Cambodia	30 days
Guinea-Bissau	90 days
Laos	30 days
Madagascar	90 days
Malawi	30 days
Mozambique	30 days
Nepal	90 days
Sierra Leone	30 days
Thailand	15–30 days

Partially recognised territories

Because these feed into the ranking total, they stay on the list. Several, though, come with conditions that leave the access far less useful than the number suggests.

Territory	Access and conditions
Kosovo	visa free, 90 days
Northern Cyprus	visa free
Palestine	visa free
Akrotiri and Dhekelia	visa-free up to a 28-day limit per 12 months, a permit thereafter
South Ossetia	visa-exempt with conditions: Russian visa for multiple entries, plus notice given three days before
Transnistria	visa free; registration required after 24 hours
Somaliland	visa on arrival, 30 days, US$30

Electronic visa — not visa-free

About 40 other destinations grant Vanuatu citizens an e-visa: applying, paying and getting a decision online rather than at a consulate. They are not part of the 88. Larger published totals usually come from adding e-visas in.

Africa (16)

Burkina Faso, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Liberia, Djibouti, Benin, Libya, Namibia, Mauritania, Togo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Guinea

.

Asia (20)

Pakistan, Iraq, Armenia, Mongolia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, Vietnam, Israel, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Syria, Uzbekistan, India, Afghanistan, Qatar, Iran

.

Europe and the Americas (4)

Albania, Colombia, Cuba, Ukraine

.

Where a Visa Is Required Beforehand

The absences generally decide more than the list itself, and two of them are recent.

Schengen Area. Visa needed before travel. Step one was the full suspension of the waiver on 4 February 2023; step two was Regulation (EU) 2025/11, issued 19 December 2024, which moved Vanuatu permanently into Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 from 3 February 2025.

UK. A visa has been part of the process since 19 July 2023, after Vanuatu's addition to the visa national list in the Immigration Rules, Appendix Visitor.

Japan, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, China and Australia. A prior visa is required. There has never been a period when these countries accepted Vanuatu passport holders without one.

Each destination controls its entry requirements and may change them at short notice. The above was correct when written; make a check with the immigration authority of the country you plan to enter part of your travel process.