Vatican entry requirements, by passport
Vatican visa requirements at a glance: 93 of the 198 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter Vatican without arranging a visa beforehand: visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorisation. The other 105 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for Vatican for your nationality.
What we've verified for Vatican
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 2 October 2026). The specifics depend on your nationality: open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Consular fee: €90
- Typical processing time
- Required documents (3)
- Required vaccinations
- Overstay penalties
- Stay and transit rules
Sources: exteriores.gob.es (travel advice of Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Holy See, updated 4 June 2025: ID card, no visa, no vaccinations, Embassy to the Holy See); vatican.va (Holy See, Informazioni utili: access via via di Porta Angelica and the Gate of St Anne with an identity document); museivaticani.va (Vatican Museums: opening hours and free entry on the last Sunday); data.unesco.org (World Heritage List). All checked on 2 October 2026.
This table summarises the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track. The difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorisation, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorisation: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 12 October 2026. Published: 2 October 2026.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Albania | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Andorra | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Argentina | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Australia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Austria | Visa-free | — |
| Bahamas | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Barbados | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Belgium | Visa-free | — |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Brunei | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bulgaria | Visa-free | — |
| Canada | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Chile | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Colombia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Costa Rica | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Croatia | Visa-free | — |
| Cyprus | Visa-free | — |
| Czech Republic | Visa-free | — |
| Denmark | Visa-free | — |
| Dominica | Visa-free | 90 days |
| El Salvador | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Estonia | Visa-free | — |
| Finland | Visa-free | — |
| France | Visa-free | — |
| Georgia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Germany | Visa-free | — |
| Greece | Visa-free | — |
| Grenada | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Guatemala | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Honduras | Visa-free | — |
| Hong Kong | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Hungary | Visa-free | — |
| Iceland | Visa-free | — |
| Ireland | Visa-free | — |
| Israel | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Italy | Visa-free | — |
| Japan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Kiribati | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Kosovo | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Latvia | Visa-free | — |
| Liechtenstein | Visa-free | — |
| Lithuania | Visa-free | — |
| Luxembourg | Visa-free | — |
| Macao | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malaysia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malta | Visa-free | — |
| Marshall Islands | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Mauritius | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Mexico | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Micronesia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Moldova | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Monaco | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Montenegro | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Netherlands | Visa-free | — |
| New Zealand | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Nicaragua | Visa-free | 90 days |
| North Macedonia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Norway | Visa-free | — |
| Palau | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Panama | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Paraguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Peru | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Poland | Visa-free | — |
| Portugal | Visa-free | — |
| Romania | Visa-free | — |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Saint Lucia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Samoa | Visa-free | 90 days |
| San Marino | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Serbia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Seychelles | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Singapore | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Slovakia | Visa-free | — |
| Slovenia | Visa-free | — |
| Solomon Islands | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Korea | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Spain | Visa-free | — |
| Sweden | Visa-free | — |
| Switzerland | Visa-free | — |
| Taiwan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Timor-Leste | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Tonga | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Tuvalu | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ukraine | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United States | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Uruguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Venezuela | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Visa required | ||
| Afghanistan | Visa required | — |
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Angola | Visa required | — |
| Armenia | Visa required | — |
| Azerbaijan | Visa required | — |
| Bahrain | Visa required | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Belarus | Visa required | — |
| Belize | Visa required | — |
| Benin | Visa required | — |
| Bhutan | Visa required | — |
| Bolivia | Visa required | — |
| Botswana | Visa required | — |
| Burkina Faso | Visa required | — |
| Burundi | Visa required | — |
| Cambodia | Visa required | — |
| Cameroon | Visa required | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa required | — |
| Central African Republic | Visa required | — |
| Chad | Visa required | — |
| China | Visa required | — |
| Comoros | Visa required | — |
| Cuba | Visa required | — |
| Djibouti | Visa required | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa required | — |
| DR Congo | Visa required | — |
| Ecuador | Visa required | — |
| Egypt | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Eritrea | Visa required | — |
| Eswatini | Visa required | — |
| Ethiopia | Visa required | — |
| Fiji | Visa required | — |
| Gabon | Visa required | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | Visa required | — |
| Guyana | Visa required | — |
| Haiti | Visa required | — |
| India | Visa required | — |
| Indonesia | Visa required | — |
| Iran | Visa required | — |
| Iraq | Visa required | — |
| Ivory Coast | Visa required | — |
| Jamaica | Visa required | — |
| Jordan | Visa required | — |
| Kazakhstan | Visa required | — |
| Kenya | Visa required | — |
| Kuwait | Visa required | — |
| Kyrgyzstan | Visa required | — |
| Laos | Visa required | — |
| Lebanon | Visa required | — |
| Lesotho | Visa required | — |
| Liberia | Visa required | — |
| Libya | Visa required | — |
| Madagascar | Visa required | — |
| Malawi | Visa required | — |
| Maldives | Visa required | — |
| Mali | Visa required | — |
| Mauritania | Visa required | — |
| Mongolia | Visa required | — |
| Morocco | Visa required | — |
| Mozambique | Visa required | — |
| Myanmar | Visa required | — |
| Namibia | Visa required | — |
| Nauru | Visa required | — |
| Nepal | Visa required | — |
| Niger | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| North Korea | Visa required | — |
| Oman | Visa required | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Palestine | Visa required | — |
| Papua New Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Philippines | Visa required | — |
| Qatar | Visa required | — |
| Republic of the Congo | Visa required | — |
| Russia | Visa required | — |
| Rwanda | Visa required | — |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Visa required | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa required | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| Sierra Leone | Visa required | — |
| Somalia | Visa required | — |
| South Africa | Visa required | — |
| South Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Suriname | Visa required | — |
| Syria | Visa required | — |
| Tajikistan | Visa required | — |
| Tanzania | Visa required | — |
| Thailand | Visa required | — |
| Togo | Visa required | — |
| Tunisia | Visa required | — |
| Turkey | Visa required | — |
| Turkmenistan | Visa required | — |
| Uganda | Visa required | — |
| Uzbekistan | Visa required | — |
| Vanuatu | Visa required | — |
| Vietnam | Visa required | — |
| Yemen | Visa required | — |
| Zambia | Visa required | — |
| Zimbabwe | Visa required | — |
Vatican rules for every passport
Vaccinations, customs limits and penalties are the same for every traveller.
Vaccinations
- No vaccinations are required, according to Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Overstay penalties
A visitor's stay in the Vatican is not separate from the stay in Italy: going over 90 days is an irregular stay in the Schengen area. The amount of any fine could not be confirmed against an official source.
Grounds for refusal
- Not holding a Schengen visa when your nationality requires one, which prevents entry into Italy.
- Having already used the 90 days of the 180-day period in the Schengen area.
Travel insurance
Each destination decides whether to require insurance, and some check it at the border. If yours does, make sure the policy covers the whole trip.
See IATI's international site →IATI sells its policies according to the country you live in. Where do you live?
If your country isn't listed, try IATI's international site.
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What draws travellers to Vatican
The whole of Vatican City has been on the World Heritage List since 1984: at its centre is St Peter's Basilica, built over the apostle's tomb with work by Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini and Maderno, in front of the great square with its double colonnade and surrounded by palaces and gardens. The Holy See's extraterritorial properties in Rome and St Paul Outside the Walls are part of the Historic Centre of Rome, another listed site. Most visitors combine the basilica with the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Gardens and the Necropolis have their own visits. On the last Sunday of each month entry to the Museums is free.
Sources for this section: data.unesco.org (World Heritage List: Vatican City, 1984; Historic Centre of Rome, the Holy See properties and San Paolo Fuori le Mura, 1980); vatican.va and museivaticani.va. Accessed 2 October 2026.
Things to see and do in Vatican
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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Where can Vatican passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.