Ecuador
Not only is Ecuador becoming well-known for being a terrific home for expats and one of the greatest places to retire, but it also offers one of the world’s friendliest visa regulations. Only residents of ten nations are required to obtain a visa before traveling. Visitors to Ecuador are granted 90 days without a visa upon arrival; the sole exclusion is any restrictions imposed on travel to the Galapagos Islands. By making a brief journey to Colombia, you can also renew or extend your tourist visa. You’ll find enough to do there and may even decide to remain for a while because Ecuador offers a number of expat-friendly cities and is a bastion of inexpensive foreign real estate. Ecuador is a convenient location for visa runs and extended stays.
Panama
One of the nations that Americans may travel to the most easily is Panama. Western visitors can arrive with a 180-day tourist visa. This makes it a natural option for US perpetual travelers who are just getting started, in addition to the fact that the nation uses the US dollar. One of the world’s most straightforward permanent resident visa systems is offered by Panama. From beginning to end, the process only takes roughly six months. That makes Panama a fantastic destination in and of itself. It is possible to obtain a 90-day tourist visa from neighboring Colombia that can be extended to 180 days, which means you might travel between Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador for an entire year.
Mexico
Mexico permits residents of 65 Western nations to travel there and stay there for up to 180 days for business or pleasure. Although I wouldn’t advise doing so, one immigration officer informed me that they don’t really care how long you remain, even if it’s longer than 180 days. Despite being a well-liked tourist destination, Mexico is a little more restrictive about visa-free travel than some of the other nations on this list and is not as welcoming to all nationalities. However, those with non-Western passports who have been granted legal permanent residence in a Western nation may also enter Mexico with this visa. In other words, even if you have residency in Estonia, you could enter Mexico without a visa even if you have a passport that calls for one.
Seychelles
Perhaps the world’s friendliest nation to tourists is Seychelles. Upon arrival, visitors from any nation — yes, every nation — are eligible to request a visit permit valid for three months. Until the Ebola issue is resolved, nationals of affected nations must apply for visas. Visitors can extend their tourist visa once they arrive in the Seychelles for up to three months at a time, provided that their overall stay does not exceed twelve months. Seychelles is a well-liked location for offshore banking and easy offshore company formation.
Hong Kong
Due to its historical ties to Great Britain, Hong Kong grants holders of British passports a 180-day visa-free stay. My British acquaintances there tell me that some British people still engage in the old-fashioned habit of running up their tourist visas in Hong Kong, taking the hour-long ferry to Macau for a weekend of gaming, and then returning to get fresh visas. The 90-day visa-free period in Hong Kong is available to all other Westerners. For such a wealthy nation, Hong Kong is fairly lenient with visa requirements; many nationals of Africa can enter with full tourist visas. When you’re done in Hong Kong, the majority of Westerners can obtain 30-day visas in nearby Macau, and mainland China now grants US citizens a ten-year multiple-entry visa.
Malaysia
One of the easiest countries in the world for Westerners to enter is Malaysia. In contrast to the Latin American nations described above, Malaysian immigration rarely requests evidence of future travel, financial stability, or even your intended destination. No paperwork is required upon arrival either. It’s simple. All Westerners are granted 90 days of visa-free entry into Malaysia. Singapore is only a short, inexpensive flight away and welcomes EU, US, and South Korean nationals for 90 days. Both nations welcome travelers from the majority of nationalities and don’t merely allow Westerners to travel there. Furthermore, as Malaysia technically qualifies as a Muslim nation, individuals from Muslim nations with scant opportunities for visa-free travel can frequently visit Malaysia without a visa as well.
Cambodia
One of those nations that has historically required a visa from almost everyone is Cambodia. If you enjoy traveling extensively in Southeast Asia, you might be able to obtain a really subpar second passport with the knowledge that entering Cambodia would be no more difficult than with your previous Western passport. However, Cambodia currently provides citizens of nearly all nations with two simple ways to obtain a visa. The first is an electronic visa, which costs $30 and calls for submitting a recent photo and answering a few online questions. The second choice is the brand-new “visa on arrival” option. Both allow you to stay in Cambodia for 30 days. Once you are in Cambodia, you can pay about $300 to upgrade your visa to a “Business Visa” that is valid for a full year.
