Vanuatu tourist visas carry a 120-day limit without extension or status change

Treat the tourist category as a fixed-purpose stay

Vanuatu’s Department of Immigration and Passport Services describes its tourist visa as permission for tourism, leisure or social visits lasting up to 120 days. Its current Tourist Visa page prohibits extension, change of status and commercial, employment or business activity. This guide checks the existing position on 29 October 2026; the reviewed material does not establish a newly announced change today.

The practical consequence is that a long holiday allowance should not be treated as a route to begin work or remain indefinitely. For illustration, someone invited to take a job during a holiday cannot assume the tourist permission can simply be converted inside Vanuatu. Establish the appropriate route before making commitments that depend on a different immigration status.

The tourist guidance distinguishes arrival permission for exempt nationalities from advance applications for non-exempt travellers. Applicants using the advance route must be outside Vanuatu. The published online checklist gives a charge of VT5,150 for non-exempt applicants and requires a genuine intention to leave within the permitted period.

Resolve conflicting nationality listings before relying on arrival permission

The department’s separate Visa Exempted Countries page is the resource for nationality classification. It lists countries eligible for arrival arrangements and countries requiring prior permission. However, its published lists contain apparent overlaps: Bahrain, Turkey, Rwanda and Monaco appear in both categories. The page alone therefore does not provide an unambiguous answer for those passports.

Travellers affected by an overlap should request confirmation from Vanuatu Immigration before departure, specifying the passport nationality, purpose and proposed dates. A booking agent’s interpretation of one half of the list should not replace clarification from the authority. This report does not invent an exemption to resolve the discrepancy.

The UK government’s Vanuatu entry guidance likewise directs British travellers to the destination’s immigration authority to check whether advance permission is needed. It separately requires a British passport to remain valid for at least six months after arrival. Check both the passport requirement and the visa classification; satisfying one does not settle the other.

Prepare financial, travel and family evidence

The department’s downloadable Tourism Visa form provides the detailed evidence checklist. It asks for a completed signed form, a certified passport biodata copy and used visa pages, and return or other transport arrangements showing departure within 120 days. The passport must be the document intended for entry.

The form identifies support equivalent to VT60,000 per month, or evidence of support from family or friends in Vanuatu. It also asks for evidence supporting a genuine intention to leave, such as approved employment leave, tourism bookings or other commitments abroad. Explain the actual arrangement rather than assuming a return reservation answers every question about funding and purpose.

For applicants under eighteen, the form requires parental or guardian consent. An unaccompanied minor outside an organised tour also needs the specified undertaking from a suitable adult in Vanuatu covering accommodation, food and welfare. Arrange those responsibilities before lodging.

Use the current charge and confirm how to lodge

The downloadable form prints a VT5,000 application charge, whereas the current Tourist Visa web checklist gives VT5,150. Confirm the current payable amount and official payment instructions with Immigration instead of relying on the lower figure in the form. The discrepancy is a reason to check the transaction, not evidence of a newly announced fee increase.

The form says information outside English, French or Bislama requires certified translation into one of those languages. The department’s separate processing notice tells online applicants to upload certified attachments in PDF format. Check legibility and completeness before submitting, especially passport pages and supporting financial records.

Allow for the published processing period and the departure deadline

The department’s processing notice states that visa processing increased from three consecutive days to fourteen working days from 1 February 2023. That dated notice remains published, but it is not a new October announcement or a guaranteed turnaround for an individual case. Lodge well before travel and obtain any required advance approval before departure.

Keep the granted conditions available during the visit and plan departure before the authorised stay ends. The tourist category’s express prohibition on extension means a delayed return booking should not be assumed to create extra lawful time. If circumstances change, contact Immigration promptly with the permit details and proposed departure arrangements.