Where a visa you already hold gets you in somewhere else

Visa tables are built around nationality, which hides a rule that matters enormously to travelers from countries with weaker passports: a number of states waive their own visa entirely if you already hold a valid US, UK, Schengen or GCC visa or residence permit. It is the same traveler, the same passport, and a completely different requirement. These are the waivers we have confirmed against the issuing authority.

34 of 199 destinations researched for this topic.

DestinationIf you holdYou getMax stayThe ruleSource
AlbaniaA valid US visaVisa-free90 daysHolders of a valid multiple-entry Schengen, EU, US or UK visa that has already been used in the country that issued it, or of a valid residence permit from one of those countries, can enter Albania visa-free. They must leave Albania at least 3 days before that visa or permit expires. The exemption does not apply to Iranian citizens, who need a visa in all cases.punetejashtme.gov.alLaw No. 79/2021 “On foreigners”; Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 858 of 29.12.2021
Antigua and BarbudaA valid US visaVisa on arrival30 daysThe Immigration Department says holders of a valid US, Canadian, UK or Schengen visa or residence card may be granted a single-entry Tourist Visa-on-Arrival for a stay of up to 30 days, for USD 100 per passenger (including children). It is for tourist visits or casual visits to friends or relatives only, is non-extendable and non-convertible except in medical cases with the Chief Immigration Officer's approval, and requires a passport with at least six months' validity, a return ticket and sufficient money for the stay.immigration.gov.ag
ArgentinaA valid US visaVisa-freeChinese, Dominican and Indian ordinary-passport holders with a valid US visa of a similar category can enter Argentina without a consular visa or an AVE. Dominican and Indian citizens qualify for tourism only, for up to 90 days; Chinese citizens for tourism or business, for up to 30 days, and the Migraciones AVE page says a US green card also qualifies for them. The stay can be extended once for a similar period, and a change of immigration category is not allowed. Resolution 316/2025 says those not covered must apply for their visa at Argentine consulates.migraciones.gob.arResolución 316/2025 and Resolución 353/2025, Vicejefatura de Gabinete del Interior, art. 1 (Boletín Oficial, 21 July and 27 August 2025)
ArmeniaA qualifying residence permit (see the rule)Visa-free180 daysFrom 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2027, nationals of 111 listed countries who hold a residence permit issued by the US, an EU or Schengen state, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Oman, valid for at least six months from entry, can enter without a visa and stay up to 180 days within a one-year period. The permit must be a physical card or a passport sticker; the border authorities may recognise it if it shows, in Latin script, the document title, name, nationality, date of birth and validity dates.mfa.am
BahrainA GCC residence permiteVisa14 daysNPRA says GCC residents can be issued a two-week single-entry electronic visa, applied for from outside Bahrain, with a copy of the visitor's residence permit with a valid return visa valid for at least 3 months (application fee 5 BHD, non-refundable, plus visa issuance fee 5 BHD); issuance takes 1 working day.npra.gov.bh
BahrainA valid US visaVisa on arrival14 daysNo official source we could read sets out in a sentence which visas or residence permits open the visa on arrival or the eVisa to these nationalities; NPRA's eVisa eligibility check gives the answer per nationality and its country lists say terms and conditions apply.evisa.gov.bh
BelizeA valid US visaVisa-free30 daysBelize's Immigration Department exempts from the entry visa, for visits not exceeding 30 days, holders of a valid multiple-entry visa or permanent residence card from the United States. The same exemption covers holders of a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa, and of a valid multiple-entry visa or permanent residence card from Canada.immigration.gov.bz
Bosnia and HerzegovinaA valid US visaVisa-free30 daysCitizens of countries with which Bosnia and Herzegovina has a visa regime can enter visa-free if they hold a valid multiple-entry visa or a residence permit issued by a Schengen state, an EU member state or the United States. A single uninterrupted stay may last up to 30 days, with up to 90 days in total in any 180-day period, and never beyond the validity of the visa or permit.fipa.vijeceministara.gov.ba
CanadaA valid US visaETA180 daysCitizens of the visa-required countries on IRCC's eTA eligibility list — Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay — may apply for the CAD 7 eTA instead of a visitor visa if they currently hold a valid US non-immigrant visa (or held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years) and are flying to or transiting through a Canadian airport.canada.ca
ColombiaA valid US visaVisa-free90 daysColombia's Foreign Ministry list says nationals of Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam are exempt from the visa if they hold a US or Schengen visa valid for more than 180 days when they enter Colombia. For Nicaragua it lists exemptions for holders of a Schengen or US visa valid for at least 180 days on entering Colombia, holders of a valid Schengen or US residence permit, and natives of the North or South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region.cancilleria.gov.coResolución 5488 de 2022 and Resolución 3717 de 2023 (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores)
Costa RicaA valid US visaVisa-free30 daysNationals who need a consular visa may enter Costa Rica without it if they hold a multiple-entry visa or residence of the United States or Canada valid for at least 1 day (US C1, C2 and C3 transit visas are not accepted), a residence of the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or an EU country that allows multiple entries or is valid for at least 90 days, or a multiple-entry Schengen C or D visa; with a US or Canadian visa or residence, the stay granted will not run beyond its validity.migracion.go.crDGME resolution AJ-484-11-2025, Directrices Generales de Visas de Ingreso y Permanencia para No Residentes (Alcance 148, La Gaceta 216, 17 November 2025)
Dominican RepublicA valid US visaVisa-freeUnder Decree No. 691-07, foreigners with permanent residence or a valid multiple-entry visa for the United States, the European Union (Schengen), Canada or Great Britain can enter the Dominican Republic for tourism with only a valid passport and a tourist card.consultas.mirex.gob.do
El SalvadorA valid US visaVisa-free90 daysEl Salvador's migration regulation (Art. 34, published in the Diario Oficial) says people classified in category "B" who hold a visa of the United States, Canada or Schengen are treated as category A: their passport is stamped "Exento de Visa", and they pay for the Tarjeta Migratoria de Ingreso on entry.diariooficial.gob.svReglamento de la Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería (Decreto Ejecutivo No. 35 de 2019), Art. 34(3) (disposiciones especiales de visa)
GeorgiaA valid US visaVisa-free90 daysUnder Georgia's Government Resolution No. 256, holders of a visa or residence permit from a listed country, among them the US, the UK and Germany, can enter Georgia visa-free and stay for 90 calendar days in any 180-day period; the visa or permit must be valid on the day of entry.gc-pfiles.mfa.gov.geGovernment of Georgia Resolution No. 256 of 5 June 2015, as amended by Resolution No. 122 of 17 April 2025 — 90 days in any 180-day period; GCC visa or permit valid at least one year for citizens of the 17 countries in Annex 1
GeorgiaA GCC residence permitVisa-free90 daysGeorgia's Government Resolution No. 256 also lists the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait: holders of a visa or residence permit from those states can enter visa-free for 90 calendar days in any 180-day period. Citizens of the countries in its Annex 1 qualify only with a multiple-entry visa or residence permit from those states that is valid for at least one year on the day they enter Georgia.gc-pfiles.mfa.gov.geGovernment of Georgia Resolution No. 256 of 5 June 2015, as amended by Resolution No. 122 of 17 April 2025 — 90 days in any 180-day period; GCC visa or permit valid at least one year for citizens of the 17 countries in Annex 1
JamaicaA valid US visaVisa-free30 daysTourists from Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Honduras who hold a valid US, Canadian, UK or Schengen visa may enter Jamaica without a Jamaican visa for 30 days or less. All except Honduras must also carry proof of vaccination against measles, rubella and polio.pica.gov.jm
JordanA GCC residence permitVisa on arrival30 daysJordan's Ministry of Interior says ordinary-passport holders resident in the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, GCC states, South Korea, EU states, the Nordic countries or the UK can get a visa on arrival without prior approval if their residence is valid for at least six months, and that air arrivals must hold a return ticket; the same applies to holders of a Schengen or US visa valid for at least six months. It says ordinary-passport holders of Nigeria, Iran and Bangladesh, and holders of Arab and foreign travel documents (except those issued by the Vatican), need prior approval.moi.gov.jo
KosovoA valid US visaVisa-free15 daysNationals who otherwise need a visa can enter Kosovo without one, for a stay limited to 15 days, if they hold a valid multi-entry Schengen visa or a valid biometric residence permit issued by a Schengen state. Kosovo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs names no such exemption for US or UK visas.ambasadat.net
KuwaitA valid US visaeVisa90 daysKuwait's Ministry of Interior lists eligible professions for GCC residents applying for the tourist visa (among them doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, engineers, managers and businessmen) and asks them for a copy of the GCC residency clearly indicating the profession.kuwaitvisa.moi.gov.kw
MexicoA valid US visaVisa-free180 daysINM lists, as alternatives to the Mexican visa, a document proving permanent residence in Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, any Schengen country or a Pacific Alliance country (Chile, Colombia and Peru), and a valid visa from Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom or any Schengen country. It says a visitor cannot exceed 180 days.gob.mx
MoldovaA valid US visaVisa-free90 daysThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs' visa-required list marks citizens of Bahrain, Belize, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cabo Verde, China, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Gabon, Guyana, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Kuwait, Madagascar, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nauru, Oman, Papua New Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Eswatini, Thailand, Comoros and Togo as excepted when they hold a residence permit or valid visa (not a transit visa) issued by an EU or Schengen state, the UK, the US or Canada, during its validity.mfa.gov.md
MontenegroA valid US visaVisa-free30 daysHolders of a valid Schengen, US, UK, Irish, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand or Japanese visa, or of a residence permit from the Schengen area or one of those countries, may enter Montenegro without a visa and stay up to 30 days, and no longer than until the visa or permit expires if it is valid for less than 30 days. Holders of an APEC Business Travel Card get the same 30 days.gov.meUredba o viznom režimu (Decree on Visa Regime), Article 7
MoroccoA valid US visaeVisa30 daysVisa-required nationals holding a valid multiple-entry non-electronic visa (with at least 90 days remaining) from the US, Schengen, the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Japan, Norway or New Zealand qualify for Morocco's eVisa. So do visa-required nationals living in the EU, the US, Australia, Canada, the UK, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, the UAE or Switzerland with a residence card or permit valid at least 180 days on the date of application.acces-maroc.ma
North MacedoniaA valid US visaVisa-free15 daysUnder a temporary decision valid from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026, foreign citizens holding valid travel documents of third countries and a valid multiple-entry British, American or Canadian visa inserted in the passport may stay up to 15 days, the visa being valid 5 days longer than the planned stay. Third-country nationals with a multiple-entry Schengen (type C) visa valid for at least 5 days beyond the intended stay, or with temporary or permanent residence in an EU Member State or Schengen signatory, may stay no longer than 15 days on every entry, as long as the total stay does not exceed 90 days in any 180-day period.mfa.gov.mk
OmanA GCC residence permiteVisa28 daysThe Royal Oman Police grants its GCC Resident Visa to foreign residents of GCC countries who visit Oman for tourism, provided they hold professions it specifies. It needs no sponsor and allows a single entry and a stay of four weeks, extendable for one week.evisa.rop.gov.om
OmanA valid US visaVisa-free14 daysCitizens of the Foreign Ministry's second group of countries (among them India, Egypt, Morocco, Mexico and Vietnam) are exempt from entry visas for stays up to 14 days if they live in, or hold a valid entry visa for, the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, a Schengen country or Japan, or live in a GCC country in a profession eligible for the resident visa. The stay cannot be extended, and a passport valid for six months, a return ticket, a hotel reservation, health insurance and enough money are required.fm.gov.om
PanamaA valid US visaVisa-freeExecutive Decree 196 of 28 October 2024 amended Article 2 of Executive Decree 521 of 6 August 2018, which removes the visa requirement to enter Panama as a tourist for foreigners of nationalities that need a visa who hold a visa to enter Canada, the United States, Australia, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore or any European Union member state. No official text we could read sets out the decree's further conditions or a length of stay.migracion.gob.paDecreto Ejecutivo No. 521 de 6 de agosto de 2018, art. 1; art. 2 modificado por Decreto Ejecutivo No. 196 de 28 de octubre de 2024 (Gaceta Oficial No. 30149-D)
PeruA valid US visaVisa-free180 daysPeru's Foreign Ministry table says Chinese and Indian citizens with valid ordinary passports can enter Peru without a temporary tourist visa if they hold a visa valid for at least six months from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia or a Schengen state, or permanent residence in one of them; it lists their stay as 180 days, not extendable, within 365 days of first entry.cdn.www.gob.pe
PhilippinesA valid US visaVisa-free30 daysThe Department of Foreign Affairs says Indian nationals holding valid and current US, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, Schengen, Singapore or UK visas or residence permits may enter visa-free for a non-extendible period of 30 days for tourism, with a passport valid at least six months beyond the stay and a return or onward ticket.evisa.gov.ph
QatarA GCC residence permitVisa on arrival30 daysHayya says GCC residents holding a GCC residence permit valid for 3 months from the date of the application, travelling from their country of residency, can apply for the GCC Resident Visa (A2): QAR 100, single entry, up to 30 days from the date of entry. It says on-arrival visas are still available for GCC residents.hayya.qa
São Tomé and PríncipeA valid US visaVisa-free15 daysLaw 5/2015 (article 25(1)(f) of the Foreigners Act) lets citizens of any other country enter without a visa if they hold a passport valid for more than three months and a valid Schengen or United States visa, and their planned stay does not exceed fifteen days.smf.stLei n.º 5/2015, article 1, adding article 25(1)(f) to Law 5/2008
Saudi ArabiaA valid US visaVisa on arrival90 daysVisit Saudi says holders of a US, UK or Schengen business or tourist visa that has been used at least once and has an entry stamp from the issuing country (digital entry stamps are not accepted), and holders of a UK, US or EU permanent residence permit, can apply for a visa on arrival.visitsaudi.com
Saudi ArabiaA GCC residence permiteVisa90 daysVisit Saudi says GCC residents can apply for the eVisa with a residency visa from one of the GCC countries valid for at least three months beyond the date of entry, and a passport valid for at least six months beyond the date of entry.visitsaudi.com
SerbiaA valid US visaVisa-free90 daysSerbia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that under a Government decision of 30 October 2014, holders of all types of national passports — other than emergency travel documents and travel documents issued under international conventions — with a valid Schengen, UK, EU member state or US visa, and holders of foreign national passports with a residence permit in the Schengen area, the EU or the US, may enter, transit and stay in Serbia without a visa for up to 90 days during a six-month period, within the validity of the visa or residence permit.mfa.gov.rs
SingaporeA valid US visaVisa-free4 daysICA says nationals of India and holders of a PRC Travel Document, a Hong Kong SAR Document of Identity or a Macau SAR Travel Permit (holders of ordinary, diplomatic, public affairs and service PRC passports are excluded) may be eligible for the 96-hour Visa-Free Transit Facility when in transit to or from a third country, with a valid onward air, ferry or cruise ticket departing within 96 hours and a valid visa or long-term pass (valid at least one month from entry) for Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States. Nationals of the CIS states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), Georgia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine need a valid onward air ticket departing within 96 hours and must depart by air. Extension of stay under the facility is strictly not allowed.ica.gov.sg
SurinameA valid US visaETASuriname's e-Visa portal, operated by VFS Global, says that from 1 September 2026 Dominican Republic passport holders are eligible to enter Suriname on payment of the applicable entry fee (single or multiple), provided they hold a valid Schengen visa or U.S. visa at the time of travel.suriname.vfsevisa.com
TurkeyA valid US visaeVisa30 daysTürkiye's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says ordinary passport holders of several visa-required nationalities can get a one-month single-entry e-Visa if they hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit, for some nationalities provided that they meet certain conditions.mfa.gov.tr
United Arab EmiratesA valid US visaeVisa14 daysICP issues a 14-day entry visa to nationals of India, Kenya, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and South Africa, limited to ordinary passport holders and their family members who hold a valid visa or residence permit issued by the US, EU or UK (for Indians, also a US Green Card), or a valid residence permit issued by Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Singapore or New Zealand. Applications are made through the ICP Smart Services website. The pre-entry validity period is 30 days, the stay is 14 days from the date of entry, and the visa can be extended only once and for the same duration. Fees are AED 100 issuance and AED 100 smart services. Dubai’s tourism department says Indian nationals with a US visit visa or green card, or a UK or EU residence or visit visa, can obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 14 days, and can apply once to extend their stay for an additional 14 days.icp.gov.ae
United Arab EmiratesA GCC residence permiteVisa30 daysThe UAE government portal says GCC residents and their companions need to apply online for a visa and must obtain it before arriving in the UAE. The entry permit is valid for 30 days from the date of issue, the stay is 30 days from the date of entry, and the visa is extendable once for 30 days. GCC residency must be valid for at least 1 year from the arrival date, and the applicant’s profession must be on the list of professions approved for issuing the visa (subject to evaluation by the concerned authority).u.ae

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