Vanuatu/European Union: European Council Fully Suspends Visa Waiver Agreement

Update - December 17, 2024: Effective December 12, 2024, the European Council adopted the European Parliament and European Commission’s proposal to move Vanuatu from the visa-exempt list to the visa required list. There are no practical changes from this adopted proposal since Vanuatu nationals already require a visa to enter the Schengen Area (due to the fact that they were already subject to a suspension of their visa-exempt status since 2022).

October 13, 2022: Visa-free travel in the European Union will be fully suspended for Vanuatu citizens due to security and compliance risks posed by the country’s investor-citizenship (golden passport) schemes. The European Union and Vanuatu’s visa waiver agreement has been in force since 2015, allowing short-stay travel within the European Union without a visa for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. On March 3, 2022, the visa waiver agreement was partially suspended, making those with ordinary passports issued by Vanuatu as of May 25, 2015 subject to the visa requirement. As of February 4, 2023, a Schengen visa will be required for all periods of stay for all Vanuatuan citizens, who will no longer be eligible for ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) once it comes into effect. Affected individuals should apply for a Schengen visa to avoid any sanctions once the suspension is in effect. Fragomen will revert with developments as they occur.