Spotlight on EMEA – Switzerland
In our Spotlight on EMEA we round up the latest immigration developments from around the region. In this post we look at the introduction of a visa requirement for Vanuatu nationals which will be effective from 4 February 2025.
Effective 4 February 2025, citizens of Vanuatu will no longer be able to enter the Schengen area (which includes Switzerland) without a visa. According to the EU, citizenship programmes in Vanuatu pose a security risk to Schengen Member States. The Federal Council adopted this amendment to the Schengen acquis at its meeting on 15 January.
Why the Change?
An agreement between the EU and the Republic of Vanuatu has been in force since May 2015, exempting Vanuatu nationals from the short-stay visa requirement to enter the Schengen area. Since then, there has been a sharp increase in the number of passports issued by Vanuatu to foreigners who invest in the country. The EU believes that these citizenship programmes allow people to circumvent the visa procedure, and that they pose a risk to the internal security and public order of the Schengen States, as the Vanuatu authorities do not carry out the necessary checks on people seeking citizenship.
For the reason stated above, the EU has already suspended the visa exemption for holders of Vanuatu passports issued after 2015. It will now extend this to include all Vanuatu citizens. Although Vanuatu has since adopted a series of legislative amended, it is considered that these have not alleviated the issues that have been identified. As such, as part of its association with the Schengen area, Switzerland will reintroduce a permanent visa requirement for nationals of Vanuatu from February 2025.
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