Visa-free countries with Vanuatu citizenship

Which countries can be visited visa-free with a Vanuatu passport

Vanuatu citizens travel visa-free to 48 countries. A visa on arrival is required for 26 countries, an eVisa for 42 countries, and an Electronic Travel Authorisation for 5 countries.

Visa-free destinations include countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as some countries in Asia and Europe. Citizens of Vanuatu freely visit Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the Philippines.

Hong Kong and Singapore are major centres of Asian business. Vanuatu passport holders visit them without a visa. This status is useful for those who often meet business partners from Asia.

With a Vanuatu passport, travellers may stay in Hong Kong visa-free for 90 days and in Singapore for 30 days.

Citizens of Vanuatu do not need a visa to travel to Singapore for up to 30 days. Before entry, they fill out an electronic SG Arrival Card no earlier than 3 days before the trip.

The card is obtained free of charge on the website of Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority. The form requires passport and contact details, travel dates, address of stay in Singapore, and health information.

Entry also requires a passport valid for at least 6 months, as well as a return ticket or a ticket to a third country. An immigration officer may request proof of a hotel booking or another place of stay.

In Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, travellers need a passport, hotel booking, and return tickets. Tickets and hotel bookings help immigration officers confirm that a tourist does not intend to overstay or remain in Hong Kong beyond the permitted period. Otherwise, entry may be refused.

Travellers may also be required to show hotel bookings and return tickets when crossing the border in other countries. It is recommended to check the entry requirements before every trip.

To travel to the Schengen Area and the UK, Vanuatu citizens need a visa. Several European countries may be visited without a visa, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, and Kosovo.

Before planning a trip, it is worth checking the visa-free entry rules between the countries, as they may change. This information is available on the official websites of the consulate or embassy of the specific country.

Which countries offer digital visas and visas on arrival to Vanuatu citizens

Citizens of Vanuatu enter 26 countries with a visa on arrival, 42 with an eVisa, and 5 with an Electronic Travel Authorisation. These documents differ from a standard visa: travellers do not visit a consulate or wait for a visa to be placed in their passport. 

In some countries, two entry methods are available. For instance, to enter Nepal, a Vanuatu citizen can get either a visa on arrival or an electronic visa.

A visa on arrival is obtained at passport control. Travellers do not wait for the application to be reviewed in advance: the documents are checked immediately, and a stamp is placed in the passport. A passport, proof of hotel booking, and return tickets are required. The disadvantage of this entry method is possible queues at the airport.

Vanuatu passport holders obtain a visa on arrival in 26 countries, including the Maldives, Egypt, and most countries in Africa and Oceania. This visa is required to visit Macao, a special administrative region of China.

Electronic visas, or eVisas, replace visas on arrival in some countries. This helps reduce waiting time in queues at passport control.

A visa application is submitted on the website of the immigration authority of the country the traveller plans to visit. An eVisa is a digital document valid for several months or years.

Electronic visas to Iran and Australia are issued for up to 12 months. A visa to Pakistan is issued for 3 months and may be extended to 6 months.

Electronic visas are usually approved within an hour to several days. In most cases, applicants pay a fee or duty.

Citizens of Vanuatu obtain a eVisa in 42 countries, including Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Thailand, and Nepal. The Iran visa fee is $80, while an Australian eVisa is free of charge.

Electronic Travel Authorisation, or eTA, is a digital document obtained on the website of the consulate of the country the traveller plans to visit. Entry authorisation is issued for short-term visits.

5 countries offer Electronic Travel Authorisation to Vanuatu citizens: Côte d’Ivoire, Israel, St Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka. An eTA allows travellers to visit a country for holidays, medical treatment, short courses, cultural and sports events, business meetings, and symposiums.

Entry to Sri Lanka is limited to 30 days, but it may be extended to 6 months. The application fee is $50. Other countries issue an eTA for 90 days.

Biometrics requirements when travelling with a Vanuatu passport

Some visa-free and simplified-entry countries collect biometric data from foreign travellers. This may include fingerprints, a facial image, or an iris scan.

Singapore, for instance, uses iris, facial, and fingerprint biometrics at immigration checkpoints. Travellers aged 6 and above may pass immigration using iris and facial recognition, while fingerprints may be used if these biometrics are not available.

Hong Kong offers automated e-Channel clearance to eligible visitors. Depending on the type of travel document, the system may use facial recognition or fingerprint verification.

Australia may collect biometrics when a traveller applies for a visa or enters the country. The data is checked against stored records to confirm the traveller’s identity.

Biometric requirements depend on the destination, entry method, age of the traveller, and point of entry. Before a trip, Vanuatu citizens should check the rules on the official website of the immigration authority, consulate, or embassy of the destination country.

How to obtain a Vanuatu passport

Vanuatu citizenship can be obtained in several ways: by naturalisation, by marriage, or by investment. The first 2 options require a person to live in the country continuously.

To obtain citizenship by marriage, a person needs to live in the country for at least 2 years. Naturalisation requires 10 years of residence. Children may obtain Vanuatu citizenship by birth or descent if at least one parent was a citizen of the country at the time of the child’s birth.

Vanuatu citizenship by investment is the fastest option. An investor contributes at least $130,000 to the country’s economy. The process takes at least 3 months, and the passport is valid for 10 years.

Documents for citizenship by investment are submitted through a licensed agent, such as Passportivity. We also help renew or replace a Vanuatu passport.

There are 2 ways to obtain a Vanuatu passport by investment: a non-refundable contribution to the country’s national fund or a contribution to a private fund.

Vanuatu citizenship by investment in the national fund

Investors make a non-refundable contribution of at least $130,000 to the Vanuatu national fund. The money is used to develop healthcare, education, tourism, culture, and agriculture. The contribution cannot be returned, and investors do not receive income from it.

If an investor applies with family members, the investment amount increases:

• by $20,000 for a spouse;
• by $15,000 for each additional applicant.

The total investment for 2 adults and 2 children is $180,000.

Vanuatu citizenship by investment in a private coconut or cocoa fund

Investors make a contribution to a private investment fund. There are 2 options:

1. Purchase of fund shares for coconut oil production — at least $157,000 for families of up to 4 people. An additional $26,500 is paid for each subsequent relative.
2. Support for cocoa production — $159,500. An additional $25,000 is paid for each family member, starting with the 5th.

The Government of Vanuatu plans to return part of the investment under this option — around $50,000 5 years after the passport is obtained.

The option was launched in spring 2024. Investors’ money is directed to specially created funds that support sustainable development: CNO Future Fund and Sustainable Development Fund.

Additional expenses

Additional expenses under both options include:

• Due Diligence fees — $5,500 per application;
• fees for issuing an ID card and birth certificate — at least $1,000 per person;
• government fees for submitting biometrics — at least $1,000 per person if submitted in Vanuatu, or at least $3,000 if submitted in Dubai.

Biometrics are required to issue passports. Both the investor and their family members must submit their biometric data in person. This can be done in Vanuatu or in one of the country’s embassies in the following cities:

• Brussels, Belgium;
• Dubai, the UAE;
• Hong Kong;
• Nouméa, New Caledonia.

Who can obtain Vanuatu citizenship

Vanuatu citizenship is available to adult foreigners with no criminal record and no serious illnesses. The investor’s spouse in a registered marriage, children up to 25 years old, and parents over 50 may obtain passports together with the investor, provided they are financially dependent on the main applicant.

Nationals of several countries cannot apply for Vanuatu citizenship by investment. This includes:

• Afghanistan,
• Belarus,
• Cuba,
• Democratic Republic of Congo,
• Ghana,
• Iran,
• Iraq,
• Lebanon,
• Libya,
• Myanmar,
• North Korea,
• Russia,
• Somalia,
• Sudan,
• Syria,
• Venezuela,
• Yemen.

Citizens of all these countries except for Afghanistan, Belarus, North Korea, and Russia, may qualify if they meet the following criteria:

• have not lived in their home country for at least 10 years before the application;
• do not have significant assets in their home country;
• have not been and are not engaged in business or similar activities with their home country.

Key points about visa-free countries with a Vanuatu passport and citizenship

1. Vanuatu citizens visit 48 countries without a visa. Hong Kong and Singapore are among popular business destinations. Hong Kong may be visited for 90 days, and Singapore for 30 days.
2. Citizens of Vanuatu enter 26 countries with a visa on arrival, 42 with an eVisa, and 5 with an Electronic Travel Authorisation.These include Armenia, Australia, Georgia, and Thailand.
3. A Vanuatu passport is obtained by naturalisation, by marriage to a citizen of the country, or by investment. The fastest way is to invest at least $130,000 in the country’s economy. In the latter case, obtaining citizenship takes at least 3 months.
4. In addition to the investor, the citizenship application may include a spouse, children up to and including 25 years old, and parents aged 50 or over. Vanuatu citizenship obtained by investment is not inherited.
5. A Vanuatu passport is issued for 10 years. To renew the passport, travelling to Vanuatu is not required. This can be done through the country’s consulate in Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong, or Nouméa.