J ohn Hancock Variable Insurance Trust

1 John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust ( JHVIT or the Trust ) is an open-end management investment company, commonly known as a mutualfund. Shares of JHVIT are not offered directly to the public but are sold only to Insurance companies and their separate accounts as the underlyinginvestment option for Variable annuity and Variable life Insurance contracts ( Variable contracts ). JHVIT provides a range of investment objectivesthrough separate investment portfolios or funds (each a fund, collectively the funds ). The following funds are described in this Prospectus. OnlySeries I of certain funds have ticker symbols, which are noted below, as applicable. JHVIT offers Series NAV, Series I, Series II and Series III shares,although not all funds offer all classes of shares.

2 Ticker TickerFund NameSeries IFund NameSeries I500 Index Trust (formerly 500 Index Trust B)JFIVXL ifecycle 2050 Trust Active Bond Trust Lifestyle Aggressive Portfolio (formerly Lifestyle Aggressive PSSeries) American Asset Allocation Trust Lifestyle Balanced Portfolio (formerly Lifestyle Balanced PSSeries)JHBPXA merican Global Growth Trust Lifestyle Conservative Portfolio (formerly Lifestyle ConservativePS Series)JHCIXA merican Growth Trust Lifestyle Growth Portfolio (formerly Lifestyle Growth PS Series)JHGPXA merican Growth-Income Trust Lifestyle Moderate Portfolio (formerly Lifestyle Moderate PSSeries)JHMPXA merican International Trust Managed Volatility Aggressive Portfolio (formerly LifestyleAggressive MVP) Blue Chip Growth Trust Managed Volatility Balanced Portfolio (formerly LifestyleBalanced MVP)JELBXC apital Appreciation Trust Managed Volatility Conservative Portfolio (formerly LifestyleConservative MVP)JELCXC apital Appreciation Value Trust Managed Volatility Growth Portfolio (formerly Lifestyle GrowthMVP)JELGXCore Bond Trust Managed Volatility Moderate Portfolio (formerly LifestyleModerate MVP)JELMXE merging Markets Value Trust Mid Cap Index TrustJECIXE quity Income Trust Mid Cap Stock Trust Financial Industries TrustJEFSXMid Value TrustJEMUXF undamental All Cap Core TrustJEQAXM oney Market TrustJHOXXF undamental Large Cap Value Trust Mutual Shares Trust Global TrustJEFGXNew Income Trust Global Bond Trust Real Estate Securities Trust Health Sciences TrustJEHSXS cience & Technology TrustJESTXHigh Yield Trust Select Bond Trust (formerly Bond Trust ) International Equity Index Trust (formerly International EquityIndex Trust B)

3 JIEQXS hort Term Government Income Trust International Growth Stock Trust Small Cap Index TrustJESIXI nternational Small Company Trust Small Cap Opportunities Trust International Value Trust Small Cap Stock Trust (formerly Small Cap Growth Trust )JESGXI nvestment Quality Bond Trust Small Cap Value TrustJESVXL ifecycle 2010 Trust Small Company Value Trust Lifecycle 2015 Trust Strategic Equity Allocation Trust Lifecycle 2020 Trust Strategic Income Opportunities TrustJESNXL ifecycle 2025 Trust Total Bond Market Trust (formerly Total Bond Market Trust B)JTBMXL ifecycle 2030 Trust Total Stock Market Index TrustJETSXL ifecycle 2035 Trust Ultra Short Term Bond TrustJUSAXL ifecycle 2040 Trust Utilities TrustJEUTXL ifecycle 2045 Trust Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC ) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of thesesecurities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus.

4 Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. No person, including anydealer or salesperson, has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations, unless the information orrepresentation is set forth in this Prospectus. If any such unauthorized information or representation is given, it should not be relied uponas having been authorized by JHVIT, the advisor or any subadvisors to JHVIT or the principal underwriter of the shares. This Prospectus isnot an offer to sell shares of JHVIT in any state where such offer or sale would be dated April 30, 2018 John Hancock Variable Insurance TrustTable of contents500 Index Trust Active Bond Trust American Asset Allocation Trust American Global Growth Trust American Growth Trust American Growth-Income Trust American International Trust Blue Chip Growth Trust Capital Appreciation Trust Capital Appreciation Value Trust Core Bond Trust Emerging Markets Value Trust Equity Income Trust Financial Industries Trust Fundamental All Cap Core Trust Fundamental Large Cap Value Trust Global Trust Global Bond Trust Health Sciences Trust High Yield Trust International Equity Index Trust International Growth Stock Trust International Small Company Trust International Value Trust Investment Quality Bond Trust Lifecycle 2010 Trust Lifecycle 2015 Trust Lifecycle 2020 Trust Lifecycle 2025 Trust Lifecycle 2030 Trust Lifecycle 2035 Trust Lifecycle 2040 Trust Lifecycle 2045

5 Trust Lifecycle 2050 Trust Lifestyle Aggressive Portfolio Lifestyle Balanced Portfolio Lifestyle Conservative Portfolio Lifestyle Growth Portfolio Lifestyle Moderate Portfolio Managed Volatility Aggressive Portfolio Managed Volatility Balanced Portfolio Managed Volatility Conservative Portfolio Managed Volatility Growth Portfolio Managed Volatility Moderate Portfolio Mid Cap Index Trust Mid Cap Stock Trust 1148111417202327313538424650535659636669 7275798286919610110611111612112613113614 1146151156163170177184191194 Mid Value Trust Money Market Trust Mutual Shares Trust New Income Trust Real Estate Securities Trust Science & Technology Trust Select Bond Trust Short Term Government Income Trust Small Cap Index Trust Small Cap Opportunities Trust Small Cap Stock Trust Small Cap Value Trust Small Company Value Trust Strategic Equity Allocation Trust Strategic Income Opportunities Trust Total Bond Market Trust Total Stock Market Index Trust Ultra Short Term Bond Trust Utilities Trust ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDSOTHER PERMITTED INVESTMENTS BY THE FUNDS OF FUNDSADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS OF FUNDS' PRINCIPAL RISKSADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS' PRINCIPAL RISKSADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS' INVESTMENT POLICIES (INCLUDING EACH FUND OF FUNDS)

6 MANAGEMENTB oard of TrusteesInvestment ManagementSubadvisors and Portfolio ManagersSHARE CLASSES AND RULE 12B-1 PLANSS hare classesRule 12b-1 PlansGENERAL INFORMATIONP urchase and redemption of sharesValuation of sharesValuation of securitiesDividendsDisruptive short term tradingPolicy regarding disclosure of fund portfolio holdingsXBRL filingsAdditional information about fund expensesFINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTSAPPENDIX ASCHEDULE OF MANAGEMENT FEESFOR MORE INFORMATION21972002032072102132172202232 2623023323624024324624925225525825826026 6280281281281282294294294295295295295296 297297297298299330337500 Index Trust (formerly 500 Index Trust B)Investment objectiveTo approximate the aggregate total return of a broad-based domestic equity market and expensesThis table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. The fees and expenses do not reflect fees andexpenses of any Variable Insurance contract that may use the fund as its underlying investment option and would be higher if they fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the valueof your investment)Series ISeries IISeries NAVM anagement and service (Rule 12b-1) annual fund operating expense reimbursement1 annual fund operating expenses after expense advisor contractually agrees to reduce its management fee or, if necessary, make payment to the fund in an amount equal to the amount by which expenses of the fundexceed of average daily net assets of the fund.

7 For purposes of this agreement, expenses of the fund means all fund expenses, excluding (a) taxes, (b) brokeragecommissions, (c) interest expense, (d) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund s business, (e) class-specific expenses, (f) borrowing costs, (g) prime brokerage fees, (h) acquired fund fees and expenses paid indirectly, and (i) short dividend expense. This agreement expireson April 30, 2019, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the advisor and the fund based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that exampleThe examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The examplesassume that $10,000 is invested in the fund for the periods indicated and then all shares are redeemed at the end of those periods.

8 The examples alsoassume that the investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund s operating expenses remain the same. The expense example does not reflectfees and expenses of any Variable Insurance contract that may use the fund as its underlying investment option and would be higher if they your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:Expenses ($)Series ISeries IISeries NAV1 year3151263 years1512151355 years28239225510 years665907604 Portfolio turnoverThe fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover ratemay indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund sperformance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund s portfolio turnover rate was 3% of the average value of its investment strategiesUnder normal market conditions, the fund seeks to approximate the aggregate total return of a broad-based domestic equity market index.

9 Topursue this goal, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) at the time of investment in (a) thecommon stocks that are included in the S&P 500 Index and (b) securities (which may or may not be included in the S&P 500 Index) that the subadvisorbelieves as a group will behave in a manner similar to the index. The subadvisor may determine that the fund s investments in certain instruments, suchas index futures, total return swaps and exchanged-traded funds ( ETFs ) have similar economic characteristics as securities that are in the S&P 500 Index. As of February 28, 2018, the market capitalizations of companies included in the S&P 500 Index ranged from $ billion to $ index is an unmanaged group of securities whose overall performance is used as an investment benchmark. Indexes may track broad investmentmarkets, such as the global equity market, or more narrow investment markets, such as the small cap equity market.

10 In contrast to activelymanaged funds, which seek to outperform their respective benchmark indexes through research and analysis, index funds are passively managed fundsthat seek to mirror the performance of their target indexes, minimizing performance differences over time. The fund attempts to match theperformance of the S&P 500 Index by: (a) holding all, or a representative sample, of the securities that comprise that index and/or (b) by holdingsecurities (which may or may not be included in the index) that the subadvisor believes as a group will behave in a manner similar to the , an index fund has operating expenses and transaction costs, while a market index does not. Therefore, the fund, while it attempts to target index closely, typically will be unable to match the performance of the index exactly. The composition of an index changes from time to time,and the subadvisor will reflect those changes in the composition of the fund s portfolio as soon as of Hedging and Other Strategic Transactions.