Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment

Vanuatu’s citizenship by investment program is a route to full nationality, not a visa. That distinction matters. A tourist or visitor visa only gives you temporary stay, while the investment programs can lead to a citizenship certificate and then a Vanuatu passport.

The government’s citizenship office frames the program as a way for foreign investors to support national development while becoming citizens. The main paths mentioned in the official material are the Capital Investment Immigration Plan, the Real Estate Option and, in some cases, honorary citizenship under the Vanuatu Economic Rehabilitation Program.

Main investment routes

• Capital Investment Immigration Plan (CIIP): The citizenship office says investors under CIIP can apply for Vanuatu citizenship if they meet the Citizenship Act criteria. Applications are collected through Vanuatu Registry Services and the process follows the usual citizenship steps, with fees being the main difference.
• Real Estate Option (REO): This route started on July 23, 2021. Applicants must invest in a property inside a government-approved project and pay the prescribed fees. The approved projects named by the government are Pacific Springs, Narpow Point Coral Bay, FPF Rainbow City Project and Milai.
• Honorary citizenship: The Citizenship Office also refers to VERP-linked honorary citizenship, which goes through due-diligence checks before it reaches the Citizenship Commission and the prime minister.

The process isn't a simple form-and-pay setup. Citizenship applicants go through screening, document checks, review by the Citizenship Commission and an oath before the citizenship certificate is issued. The official portal doesn’t list a single fixed processing time for these investment routes, so don’t assume it’ll be quick just because it’s marketed that way.

This is also different from Vanuatu’s investor visas. Those are still visas, with temporary or long-stay permission, but they don’t give nationality. For anyone actually looking for a passport, CIIP and REO are the relevant tracks, though the government has tightened scrutiny because of international concerns around investor citizenship.

One practical wrinkle, Vanuatu citizenship can carry travel consequences. The EU has already moved to require visas for certain holders of Vanuatu passports issued under the investment schemes, so this isn’t the kind of passport you buy and forget about.

Vanuatu’s citizenship by investment programs are open to foreign nationals who can pass the government’s due-diligence checks and make the required non-refundable contribution. The main routes are the Development Support Program, plus related contribution-based options such as CIIP and REO. There isn’t a single public fee sheet with every family combination, so some pricing is published through authorized agents rather than one clean government tariff.

Eligibility starts with the basics. You need to be at least 18, have no criminal record and show a legal source of funds. The Financial Intelligence Unit reviews applicants before approval and serious criminal history, sanctions issues or a poor compliance record can sink an application fast.

• Main applicant age: 18 or older.
• Background check: Clean criminal record and FIU due-diligence clearance.
• Funds: Legal source of wealth and roughly $250,000 in assets or net worth.
• Travel history: A prior visa refusal from a country with visa-free access to Vanuatu can count against you.

The standard DSP contribution is straightforward, if not cheap. A single applicant pays $130,000. A main applicant and spouse pay $150,000 and a family of three starts at $165,000. Add a second child and the figure rises to $180,000, with roughly $25,000 for each extra dependent.

Dependants can usually be included in the same file, including a spouse and financially dependent children. Major program partners also allow some parents to be added, often if they’re 50 or 65-plus and fully supported, but the exact age cutoffs vary. Anyone 16 or older is normally subject to due diligence and police clearance.

There’s no published ongoing income requirement after citizenship is granted. What matters is showing that your money is legitimate and that you can support the contribution, so bank statements, source-of-wealth records and business ownership documents usually do the heavy lifting. The official portal doesn’t publish one fixed document list for every case, which is part of the annoyance here, so applicants should expect some back-and-forth through a licensed agent.

Processing is relatively quick once the file is clean. FIU clearance is often reported in about 14 days and the full process commonly runs around 2 to 3 months, depending on the due-diligence file. That’s fast for citizenship, but it’s not instant and sloppy paperwork will slow it down.

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Documents & Requirements

Vanuatu’s citizenship by investment files don’t come with one neat public checklist. The official framework sits under the Development Support Program, with FIU due-diligence rules and licensed agents filling in the practical details, so the exact template set can vary a bit by provider.

The good news is that the core documents are pretty consistent. The bad news is that you’ll still be asked for a fair amount of paperwork and some of it needs to be certified or notarized.

• Passport copy: A valid passport for the main applicant and dependents, usually with at least 6 months of validity beyond the application date.
• Secondary ID: A national ID card copy or a driver’s licence copy if you don’t have an ID card.
• Civil-status records: Birth certificate for each applicant, plus a marriage certificate or divorce certificate if relevant.
• Photos and CV: Recent passport-style photos and a curriculum vitae in English.
• Police clearance: A recent certificate of no criminal record from the places where you’ve lived for 12 months or more.
• Medical certificate: A medical examination form completed by a licensed physician for the main applicant and adult dependents.

Financial proof is where the file gets more specific. Specialist providers working with the program say applicants should be able to show at least $250,000 in net assets, supported by bank statements, an asset report and a bank reference letter. If your income comes from a job or business, expect to back it up with an employer letter, business registration papers or audited accounts.

Agents and the Financial Intelligence Unit can also ask for source-of-funds evidence and professional references, especially if anything in the file looks thin. That part can feel intrusive, but it’s standard for this program.

• Proof of funds: Bank statements showing assets, usually around the $250,000 net-worth mark.
• Asset report: A certified summary of assets prepared by an accountant, lawyer, notary or auditor.
• Bank reference: A letter from your bank.
• Professional reference: A reference from a lawyer, accountant or other professional who knows you.
• Income or business proof: Employment letters, business ownership documents or audited accounts.

Expect to complete FIU forms and the program’s own nomination and citizenship paperwork through a licensed agent. If your documents aren’t in English, you’ll usually need certified translations too. The official portal doesn’t publish a fixed processing checklist for every case, so the safest move is to have your agent confirm the exact format before you submit anything.

The money side of Vanuatu citizenship isn’t subtle. The official Citizenship Office breaks it into two parts, a small application charge and the larger citizenship contribution and the total depends on how many people are in the file.

• Application fee: VT 5,000 per application, plus a USD 5,000 FIU due-diligence fee.
• Citizenship fee for one applicant: USD 130,000.
• Married couple: USD 150,000.
• Married couple plus 1 child: USD 165,000.
• Married couple plus 2 children: USD 180,000.
• Additional applicant: USD 10,000 each.

There’s also a separate Form D track and it’s a lot more expensive. That form carries a USD 250 application fee and a USD 260,000 citizenship fee for an applicant, spouse and 1 child under 18, then USD 19,250 for each extra child under 18 and USD 44,250 for each dependent aged 18 to 21.

On the investor visa side, the Department of Immigration lists different entry points with their own price tags and validity periods. The fees are VT 51,500 for a Provisional Investor Visa, VT 206,000 for a Business Investor Visa, VT 309,000 for a Direct Investor Visa and VT 3,090,000 for a Permanent Investor Visa.

• Provisional Investor Visa: valid for up to 12 months.
• Business Investor Visa: valid for up to 3 years.
• Direct Investor Visa: valid for up to 8 years.
• Permanent Investor Visa: indefinite.

The government doesn’t publish a fixed decision timeline for the citizenship application itself on the pages reviewed, so anyone quoting a guaranteed turnaround is guessing. The same goes for a clean one-size-fits-all document list. For the investor visas, though, the rules are clearer and they’re not especially forgiving.

• Provisional Investor Visa: proof of interest in investment promotion, at least VT 10,000,000 in funds and genuine documents.
• Business Investor Visa: foreign investment approval certificate, Financial Services Commission registration, valid business licence, business bank account and a physical establishment.
• Direct Investor Visa: proof of assets in Vanuatu worth more than VT 20,000,000 plus the relevant approvals and registration documents.
• Permanent Investor Visa: at least 10 years of lawful residence on an investor visa or proof of assets above VT 50,000,000 if qualifying on that basis.

Extension and status-change rules exist, but they’re not automatic. The Provisional and Business Investor Visas can be extended if you still meet the conditions, the Business Investor Visa can move up to Direct Investor or Permanent Investor status and the Permanent Investor Visa can be extended but can’t change status.

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Vanuatu’s citizenship by investment routes are handled through licensed representatives, not a public walk-in desk. You can’t file directly with the government yourself and you don’t need to travel to Vanuatu to apply. If your documents are clean and your funds are ready, the process usually takes about 1 to 3 months from the first filing to the passport.

How the main application works

The two main routes are the Development Support Program, which is the standard donation option and the Capital Investment Immigration Plan, which pairs a contribution with an approved investment. The Citizenship Office and Commission oversees the program, with due diligence checks run through the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit. In practice, your agent does the filing and pushes the case through the official review stages.

• Choose an authorized representative: Start with a Vanuatu Investment and Migration Bureau or officially appointed DSP representative. If they’re not properly appointed, keep walking.
• Pre-approval stage: You submit a nomination form, initial ID and financial documents, then pay the $5,000 due diligence fee.
• Full application: After pre-approval, you send the full file and the remaining payment package for the program you’ve chosen.
• Issuance: Once approved, your citizenship and passport are processed without an in-country stay requirement.

There’s no fixed monthly income requirement in the official FAQ. The practical test is financial strength and current operator guidance points to a verified net worth or liquid balance of about $250,000. You’ll also need to show the legitimate source of your funds. That’s where a lot of applicants get slowed down, so your paper trail needs to be tidy.

What it costs

For a single applicant, the current headline DSP cost is a $130,000 government donation, plus the $5,000 due diligence fee and a $2,000 administration fee. Typical published fee schedules also show a $150 citizenship commission fee and a $250 passport fee per person. That puts the minimum government-side total around $137,400 to $137,800 before agent and legal fees.

If you’re applying with family, the donation amount rises. A commonly used schedule lists $150,000 for a main applicant and spouse, $165,000 for a couple with one child under 18 and $180,000 for a couple with two children under 18.

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Vanuatu’s citizenship-by-investment route doesn’t work like a normal visa. There’s no renewable stay period to manage, because the end result is citizenship, not a temporary residence permit. That means there isn’t an official “duration” in the usual sense for the citizenship route itself.

The one timing rule the government does spell out is the post-approval window. Once the Commission approves an applicant, they have 3 months to complete the oath in Vanuatu’s court and pay the citizenship fee. If there’s a reasonable excuse, the applicant can ask for a 2-month written extension before that deadline runs out.

If that window passes without the oath and payment, the approval expires. At that point, the person has to submit a new application. That’s the part that can trip people up, especially if they’re trying to coordinate travel, family schedules or document logistics from abroad.

The official process also says a successful applicant gets the decision letter about a week after the Commission meeting. After that, the rest of the steps are the same as other citizenship routes, except for the fees. The pages I could verify don’t publish a full current fee schedule, so I’m not going to guess at numbers that aren’t clearly listed.

• Approval window: 3 months to complete the oath and pay the fee
• Possible extension: 2 months, but only if requested in writing with a reasonable excuse before the deadline
• If you miss it: the approval expires and you need a new application
• Renewal: none, because this route leads to citizenship, not a renewable visa

The short version is simple. If your application is approved, don’t sit on it. Book the oath, sort the payment and move fast, because the government doesn’t leave much room for delay.

Vanuatu is about as simple as it gets on personal taxes. The country doesn't levy personal income tax, so there’s no income tax on local earnings or foreign-sourced income for individuals, including citizenship by investment holders. There’s also no capital gains tax or inheritance tax at the national level.

That doesn’t mean life in Vanuatu is tax-free. The main costs you’ll actually run into are indirect taxes, especially 15% VAT on most goods and services supplied by VAT-registered businesses and on most imports. If you buy a lot locally, that adds up fast. There’s also rent tax on certain rental income, plus customs duties and stamp duties on some transactions.

For most people, the biggest practical issue isn't Vanuatu tax law, it’s home-country tax law. Vanuatu has very few double-tax treaties, so getting relief from another country’s tax system isn’t automatic. A Vanuatu passport or citizenship by investment approval doesn’t create a special tax break on its own.

Taxes that can affect you

• VAT: 15% on most taxable goods, services and imports. VAT registration is compulsory once taxable supplies exceed VT 4 million in any 12-month period.
• Rent tax: For individual landlords, the first VT 200,000 of rental income in each six-month period is exempt, then the balance is taxed at 12.5% on a gross basis.
• Transaction taxes: Import duties and stamp duties can apply to some property and share transfers.

Rent tax is the one that catches people off guard. Long-term residential rental income is generally taxed under the rent tax rules, while commercial and short-term rental income may fall under VAT if you’re VAT-registered or required to register.

There’s no official personal tax residency test that really matters for ordinary individuals because there’s no personal income tax system to plug into. Public guidance focuses on business activity, VAT registration and rental income, not on taxing residents differently from non-residents.

For CBI holders, the message is pretty plain. You’re subject to the same low-tax framework as everyone else in Vanuatu, with no special ring-fenced regime just because you hold the passport. The real question is usually how your home country treats you, not what Vanuatu will tax.