Vanuatu Passport Visa-Free Countries: 85 Destinations by Region

How the 85 destinations break down

The figure 85 needs to be read correctly. It combines three groups with different levels of convenience. The difference matters when you plan: in one case you just fly, in another you fill in a form before departure, and in the third you arrange entry on the spot.

Below, destinations appear as examples by region. This is not the full list of 85 but a set of reference points for checking your own routes. As for the 41 electronic visas, you apply online in advance: they are not part of the 85, but you do not need to visit an embassy either.

Asia

The two big exceptions in the region are China and Japan, which require a visa in advance. So build Asian travel plans around specific countries rather than the region as a whole.

For business trips and transit, this region usually matters most. The destinations without a prior visa include major financial centers and popular Asian countries.

How long you can stay depends on the country:

• Hong Kong: 90 days
• Singapore: 30 days
• Malaysia: 30 days
• Philippines: 30 days

Europe outside Schengen, and Russia

Some European countries outside the Schengen Area are open without a prior visa. Moldova, Bosnia and Montenegro admit travelers for up to 90 days. This works well for a short trip or a meeting with partners in Europe, but check the term before each journey.

Russia is also on the list. For applicants who already hold Russian citizenship this has no practical effect, yet it matters for family members and partners with other nationalities.

Do not confuse two large groups here. Moldova, Bosnia and Montenegro are open without a prior visa, while Schengen countries are not. A trip to Montenegro and a trip to a neighboring Schengen country therefore need different preparation.

Latin America

Two destinations stand out here. Panama admits travelers for 90 days and Peru for 180, the longest stay among the examples in this article.

If you plan to travel around the region, check each country's regime individually. The index gives the overall picture, not a full route.

Where you need a visa in advance

It is better to know this upfront. A total of 100 destinations require a visa before you travel, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China.

The UK has required a visa since 19 July 2023. Schengen is not visa-free either: suspension applied partly from 3 March 2022 for passports issued from 25.05.2015, and fully from 4 February 2023 under Council Decision 2022/2198. Since 3 February 2025 Vanuatu has been on the visa-required list under Regulation 2025/11.

A visa in advance does not mean a country is closed. It means you apply before traveling and the destination decides. We will not promise that visa-free access to Europe is coming back soon, since the workable path today is a different one.

How to travel to Europe anyway

The route to Europe with this passport runs through residence. A Vanuatu passport lets you apply for Greek residence through buying a home, which a Russian passport currently does not allow. The threshold is 400 000 € for most of the country, 800 000 € for Attica, Thessaloniki and the large islands, and 250 000 € for commercial-to-residential conversions and restored heritage buildings.

There is also income-based residence: from 3 500 € a month, a spouse adds 20% and a child 15%, with a 3-year card. Hungary may serve as a second residence option. A passport and a residence permit together do the job better than either one alone.

The reservation and deposit on a home in Greece are placed before the passport, and the purchase and application are done on the Vanuatu passport. Children under 21 live with their parents under property-based residence. The tax is 3% today, and the government has announced 15% for non-EU buyers from 1 July 2027, though there is no law yet. It is better to close before that date.

What to check before you travel

An index is a snapshot of one date, here 4 October 2026. Entry rules change, so before each trip check the destination's conditions, the permitted stay and any passport validity requirements.

The passport itself is biometric. An adult passport lasts 10 years and a child's 5. An expired passport does not cancel your citizenship, but travel requires a valid document, so plan a replacement in good time. Passport replacement is available as a separate service after you become a citizen.

Every participant, children included, gives biometrics, so each person gets their own passport. Remember that a child's passport has a shorter term than an adult's, and on family trips it will be the first to expire.

Judging the passport by your own routes

The total matters less than the countries you actually visit. List your regular destinations and compare them with the regimes in the table. If your main routes are in Asia and countries outside Schengen, the passport covers them well. If you need Europe, add residence to the plan.

The passport usually takes 2 months and 3 at most, with no flight to Vanuatu. The free preliminary check before any contract takes 1-2 working days and will show whether the program suits your family.

For clarity, here are the stays mentioned in this article in one table. Dual citizenship is allowed, so you can choose which passport is more convenient for a given country if its entry rules permit that.

Common questions