Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment

Yes. The Vanuatu Citizenship Commission identifies three grounds: citizenship granted fraudulently, citizenship granted contrary to the Citizenship Act or Constitution, and failure to comply with restrictions under the Citizenship Act after approval. Receiving a citizenship certificate does not prevent authorities from examining whether the original grant was lawful. Your application must be accurate, your contribution must meet the applicable requirements, and you must comply with the legal obligations attached to your citizenship.

Article 11 of Vanuatu’s Constitution does not impose a numbered generational limit: a child born in Vanuatu or abroad qualifies through at least one citizen parent. Successive generations can therefore qualify under the same rule. Families must still follow the relevant Citizenship Office procedures, including documenting parentage and the timing of the parent’s acquisition of citizenship.

Vanuatu's citizenship by investment program is a government-run pathway that grants full citizenship and a Vanuatu passport to foreign nationals who make a qualifying financial contribution to the country. The program has been active since 2017 and is administered by the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission, operating under the Citizenship Act (Cap 112).

There are currently two main routes: the Development Support Program (DSP) and the Capital Investment Immigration Plan (CIIP). Both result in full Vanuatu citizenship and a passport. The difference is in how much you pay upfront and whether part of your contribution is refundable.

Vanuatu is the only country in the Asia-Pacific region with a citizenship by investment program. Most applicants receive their citizenship certificate and passport within 30 to 60 days of submitting a complete application.

The official government website for the program is https://vancitizenship.gov.vu/.

Applicants must meet these requirements:

• Be between 18 and 65 years old
• Have a clean criminal record, supported by a current police clearance certificate
• Not have been denied a visa by any country with which Vanuatu has a visa-free agreement
• Demonstrate a personal or combined net worth of at least USD 250,000

Nationals of Syria, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and Yemen are restricted from applying unless they qualify for specific exceptions outlined by the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission.

Your application undergoes an FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit) probity check, a criminal record and background investigation that is standard for all applicants.

Vanuatu issues biometric passports that comply with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) international border regulations. The e-passport includes an RFID chip containing your fingerprints, photograph, and facial recognition data.

Manual passport applications are no longer accepted. Every applicant, regardless of age, must attend an in-person biometric enrollment appointment.

The biometric passport process works as follows:

After your citizenship certificate is issued, your civil status registration is completed and you receive a Vanuatu birth registration certificate and national ID card. Your authorized agent then completes the biometrics registration form and submits it to the Vanuatu Passport Office with your citizenship certificate, birth registration certificate, national ID card, FIU probity clearance, police clearance certificate, and a copy of your original passport.

An appointment is then scheduled for your biometric data collection. You must attend in person at one of the designated enrollment centers. Once your biometrics are captured and verified, your passport is printed in Vanuatu and collected by your agent for secure courier delivery to your address.

There are currently four locations where you can complete biometric enrollment for your Vanuatu passport:

Port Vila, Vanuatu, at the Vanuatu Immigration Service and Passport Office. This is the main enrollment center.

Hong Kong, at the Vanuatu Consulate Office.

Dubai, UAE, at the Vanuatu Consulate Office.

New Caledonia, at the Vanuatu Consulate Office.

You do not need to travel to Vanuatu itself. Most of our clients complete their biometric enrollment at the Hong Kong or Dubai consulate, whichever is more convenient for their location.

The Vanuatu government is considering additional enrollment locations and may offer a mobile biometric unit option at an additional cost.

Biometric enrollment fees are separate from the main citizenship program contribution.

The passport application fee is VUV 100,000 per person, which is paid by your agent at the Vanuatu government cashier on your behalf.

The biometric enrollment fee is paid directly by you at the consulate or enrollment office where you attend your appointment. This is USD 1,000 for the principal applicant and USD 800 per dependent.

These fees are not included in the standard citizenship application costs, so factor them into your overall budget when planning your application.

Yes. The Vanuatu citizenship by investment program allows you to include your spouse and dependent children in a single application. Children must be financially dependent on the principal applicant and under 25 years of age.

Under the DSP, a family of up to four is covered by the USD 180,000 contribution. Under the CIIP, a family of up to four is covered by the USD 165,000 contribution (with USD 50,000 refundable after four years). Additional dependents beyond four family members may incur extra fees.

Every family member included in the application, including children of any age, must complete biometric enrollment in person at one of the designated centers.

Yes. Vanuatu permits dual citizenship. You do not need to renounce your current nationality, and Vanuatu does not notify your home country of your new citizenship. This allows you to maintain your existing citizenship while holding a Vanuatu passport.

No. The application, review, approval, and oath ceremony are all done remotely.

You do need to attend an in-person biometric enrollment appointment at one of four locations: Port Vila (Vanuatu), Hong Kong, Dubai, or New Caledonia. Most applicants choose Hong Kong or Dubai.

There is no residency requirement. You do not need to live in Vanuatu or maintain any physical presence in the country. Your citizenship remains valid regardless of where you live.

Vanuatu has no personal income tax on locally earned or foreign-sourced income. There is also no capital gains tax, inheritance tax, estate tax, or wealth tax.

Companies incorporated in Vanuatu are similarly free from income taxes, dividend distribution taxes, capital gains taxes, and withholding taxes.

Vanuatu does levy indirect taxes: a standard VAT rate of 12.5% on goods and services, and taxes on certain property transactions. For individuals and businesses earning income, there is no direct tax burden.

Obtaining Vanuatu citizenship does not change your tax residency automatically. Tax residency depends on where you live and your home country's tax laws. Some countries, including the United States, tax their citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live. Seek assistance from an international tax advisor to understand how this affects your specific situation.

Vanuatu has restricted nationals of Syria, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and Yemen from applying for citizenship by investment. There are limited exceptions available for nationals of these countries, but eligibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis by the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission.

If you hold citizenship from one of these countries but also hold citizenship or permanent residency from another (non-restricted) country, you may still be eligible. Contact us to discuss your specific situation.

Vanuatu’s Passport Services guidance provides for applicants who have changed their names and requires them to disclose all previously used names. A change must be supported by the appropriate legal and identity documents. Obtaining citizenship does not itself authorize a new name, so any proposed change should be coordinated with your citizenship and passport records.

No. There is currently no real estate investment option that qualifies for the Vanuatu citizenship by investment program. The only qualifying investment routes are the DSP (a non-refundable government contribution) and the CIIP (a contribution with a partially refundable investment component through the Cocoa Sustainable Fund).

Some other citizenship by investment programs in the Caribbean offer real estate pathways, but Vanuatu does not. If a real estate option is introduced in the future, we will update this page.

Once your citizenship is approved, several things happen in sequence.

First, your citizenship certificate is issued and your civil status registration is completed. This results in the issuance of a Vanuatu birth registration certificate and a national ID card.

Second, your agent submits the biometrics registration form and supporting documents to the Passport Office on your behalf. The required fees are paid (VUV 100,000 application fee per person, plus the biometric enrollment fee of USD 1,000 for the principal applicant or USD 800 per dependent).

Third, an appointment for biometric data collection is scheduled at one of the four enrollment centers (Port Vila, Hong Kong, Dubai, or New Caledonia). You attend in person for fingerprint scanning, photographs, and facial recognition capture.

Fourth, once your biometrics are verified, your passport is printed in Vanuatu. Your agent collects it and arranges secure courier delivery to your nominated address.

From citizenship approval to passport in hand, this final stage typically takes a few additional weeks depending on appointment availability and courier timelines.

The Vanuatu biometric passport is valid for five years from the date of issue. Renewal requires an in-person appointment at one of the designated enrollment centers for biometric data recapture.

Your citizenship itself does not expire. Only the passport document needs periodic renewal.

No. Vanuatu does not require you to renounce any existing citizenship. You can hold your Vanuatu passport alongside any other passports you currently possess.

Whether your home country allows dual citizenship is a separate matter that depends on their laws. Most countries do, but some (like China and certain Gulf states) have restrictions on dual nationality. Check the rules in your country of origin before applying if this is a concern.

The Vanuatu Citizenship Commission is the government body responsible for overseeing all citizenship by investment applications. It operates under the authority of the Citizenship Act (Cap 112) and works in coordination with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Vanuatu Immigration and Passport Services, and authorized citizenship agents.

The Commission reviews every application, conducts (or coordinates) due diligence checks, approves or denies applications, and issues citizenship certificates. The Vanuatu Investment Migration Bureau (VIMB) handles certain operational aspects of the process, including civil status registration and passport application logistics.