VizaBilateral visa waiver agreements signed in late 2025 and early 2026 are opening new passport-free corridors. Here's where you can now travel without a visa that you couldn't before.
The past 12 months have seen an acceleration in bilateral visa waiver agreements, opening new visa-free travel corridors for millions of passport holders. Here are the most significant new agreements now in force as of early 2026.
Major New Visa-Free Agreements (2025–2026)
Gulf Region Openings
Saudi Arabia ↔ 15 New Countries: As part of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has extended visa-free access to nationals of an additional 15 countries including several Eastern European and Southeast Asian nations. Saudi citizens similarly gained visa-free access to these countries.
UAE ↔ Kazakhstan: A new bilateral agreement provides UAE and Kazakhstani nationals 30-day visa-free access to each other's countries.
Africa
African Union Free Movement: 12 additional African Union member states have ratified the African Union Free Movement Protocol, creating a growing zone of free movement across the continent.
Kenya ↔ India: A new agreement grants Indian passport holders visa-free access to Kenya for 30 days, a change from the previous requirement for an eVisa or visa on arrival.
Latin America
Colombia ↔ China: After years of negotiations, Chinese nationals can now visit Colombia for up to 30 days without a visa, and Colombian nationals have reciprocal visa-free access to China for 30 days.
Brazil ↔ Several Gulf States: Brazil signed new visa waiver agreements with Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, granting nationals of these countries 90-day visa-free access to Brazil.
Asia-Pacific
Philippines ↔ Multiple Partners: The Philippines has concluded visa waiver agreements with 5 additional countries, including Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
Vietnam ↔ Germany: An expanded agreement now allows German nationals to stay in Vietnam for up to 90 days without a visa (up from the previous 45-day e-visa arrangement).
Why Are Agreements Expanding?
Several factors are driving the global expansion of visa-free travel:
- **Post-pandemic tourism recovery**: Countries are eager to attract tourists after the severe disruption of 2020–2022
- **Economic diplomacy**: Visa waivers are used as diplomatic tools to strengthen bilateral trade and investment relationships
- **Reciprocity pressure**: When one country opens up, diplomatic pressure mounts for the reciprocal agreement
Checking Current Requirements
- Official government immigration portals
- The destination country's embassy website
- VizaHunt's real-time visa checker (updated continuously)
Data accurate as of March 2026. Policies may change without notice.