Georgia offers visa-free entry to Americans and Canadians, EU citizens, Russians and now Chinese with ordinary passports.
Are there any other countries or regions with a similarly welcoming policy to travelers from all those groups simultaneously?
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4I would start first from where Chinese nationals are visa-exempt. If you consider places with separate immigration controls instead of countries, Hong Kong and Macau comes off head as a potential candidate. A visa (or rather an endorsement) is technically required for mainland Chinese citizens, but it is now essentially a formality since 2017 (endorsement can be obtained from automated machines).– xngtngCommented Oct 26, 2023 at 12:40
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@xngtng looks like HK and Macau qualify. I wasn’t sure of the process for mainlanders crossing the boundary.– Spehro PefhanyCommented Oct 26, 2023 at 14:04
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3Wikipedia has a "Visa requirements for X citizens" page for just about every nationality X, e.g. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Russian_citizens. So it should be a fairly easy matter to open those for Russia, China, US, and some representative EU country, and get a quick list of candidates.– Nate EldredgeCommented Oct 26, 2023 at 14:19
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6A few that meet the eye on the map: Ecuador, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Angola, Suriname, Thailand, Mozambique, Bahamas, several of the smaller Caribbean nations...– Nate EldredgeCommented Oct 26, 2023 at 14:27
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4 Answers
The Maldives has probably the world's most generous visa policy: anyone, regardless of nationality, is welcome for 30 days as long as they have a hotel booking or sufficient funds, plus a return flight.
answered Oct 26, 2023 at 17:53
Svalbard allows literally anyone of any nationality to enter and live in Svalbard indefinitely, as long as they can support themselves and aren't breaking any local laws.
The caveat with this is that it's hard to get to Svalbard without going through the Schengen area, which will require at least a Schengen transit visa if you can't be waived through. Perhaps once things settle down in Russia, (chartered) flights or ships from Murmansk are an option again, if Schengen is the thing keeping you from entering Svalbard. See https://travel.stackexchange.com/a/184278/287 for details.
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2Technically only citizens of the 46 states that have signed the Svalbard Treaty have the right to reside, although as you note they're more generous in practice. Commented Oct 27, 2023 at 4:00
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10In the end the distinction is probably moot for most people. I for one would rather stay 30 days in the Maldives than indefinitely in Svalbard. ;)– decezeCommented Oct 27, 2023 at 5:34
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12@deceze The secret is that if you're not properly prepared before you go to Svalbard, you'll get eaten by a polar bear before reaching 30 days; and if you are properly prepared, applying for a visa is nothing compared to that so there's no reason to require it.– JiKCommented Oct 27, 2023 at 11:28
Using strictly Wikipedia as a source, and following the procedure suggested by @xngtng (starting with the most presumably restrictive citizenships), I come up with about 30 countries that meet the original requirements. HK and Macau are a bit tricky because of the defacto e-visa so I have not included them.
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
* Barbados
Belarus (not at land borders)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Dominica
Ecuador
* Fiji
Georgia
* Grenada
* Haiti
*Jamaica
* Kazakhstan
* Kiribati
* Mauritius
* Micronesia
Morocco
Mozambique
* Oman
Qatar
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
* Samoa
Serbia
Suriname
Thailand
Tunisia
UAE
Uzbekistan
* Vanuatu
The 14 countries with an asterisk also allow visa-free entry for Indian citizens.
If we add Pakistan as well, only five countries remain.
Barbados
Dominica
Haiti
Micronesia
Vanuatu
Georgia stands out as allowing 1 year stay without visa for North Americans (including Mexico), Russians and EU citizens. As does Kazakhstan as being a very welcoming non-island country.
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2Maldives is missing despite lambshanxy's answer. Just a slip or some interesting explanation?– badjohnCommented Oct 27, 2023 at 2:47
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2@badjohn doesnt Maldives technically require everyone to have a visa, but hands them out like candy Commented Oct 27, 2023 at 3:49
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2@badjohn I used Wikipedia as the source, and they say free visa on arrival. The limited practical difference between that and other visa on arrival, and indeed some e-visas, which appear to be pretty much dispensed ‘like candy’ , sometimes for less than $10, is one of the issues with this question. Commented Oct 27, 2023 at 4:51
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3(+1) Passport Index has a ‘Welcoming Countries Rank’ page that lists countries ranked by how many passports they accept visa-free, with visa on arrival or with eTA. Some countries may have restrictions on visa-free entry eg Barbados requires Cuban nationals to have an onward ticket back to the country of residence. Commented Oct 27, 2023 at 6:54
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1@FreeMan Several different major organizations (including the UN, Airports Council International, etc.) group Mexico with something like "Central America" or "Latin America," so I think this answer is just clarifying that it isn't doing that. Of course, no one disputes that Mexico lies on North America (as does almost the entirety of Central America,) but the term still somewhat commonly gets used in ways that don't line up with the geographical definition.– reirabCommented Oct 27, 2023 at 20:01
Are there any other countries or regions with a similarly welcoming policy to travelers from all those groups simultaneously?
Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam. They have a visa exemption policy for international visitors for a temporary stays of up to 30 days.
answered Feb 20 at 17:19
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+1 30 days isn't a super-long time but you can't get more inclusive than "all foreign nationals". Commented Feb 20 at 17:30
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@SpehroPefhany yes, that would clearly be an issue if tourists contributed longer than 30 days to the local economy. Commented Feb 20 at 17:34
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The limit suggests they don't want to particularly encourage digital nomads and long-term backpackers with this initiative. Commented Feb 20 at 17:58
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@SpehroPefhany In some countries, employers may give more than 4 weeks of vacation per year to their employees. But anyway, I don't expect much from public policies, even if that's on some remote island. Commented Feb 20 at 18:04