Vanuatu: citizenship by investment
VanuatuOceaniaOverview
Vanuatu draws applicants who want a second citizenship quickly and at a lower entry point than the Caribbean programmes, and who do not depend on visa-free travel to Europe. Typical profiles are founders and investors from countries with weak passports who mainly travel in Asia, the Pacific and the Gulf, and who want a lawful backup nationality for the family.
Travel access has narrowed. The UK made ni-Vanuatu visa nationals in July 2023, citing the citizenship programme, and the EU moved Vanuatu to its visa-required list from 3 February 2025 after first suspending the visa waiver in 2022 and 2023. The Commission said in December 2024 that it was strengthening checks to reopen talks, but no waiver has been restored.
Several routes sit in the Citizenship Act: the Development Support Program (DSP), the Vanuatu Contribution Program, the Capital Investment Immigration Plan (CIIP), which adds a USD 50,000 investment component, and a Real Estate Option in government-approved projects. Most applications go through the DSP.
Only designated agents can lodge applications, and independent lawyers should advise you on the legal and tax side; Redomiciled helps you judge whether Vanuatu fits your wider plans before you commit.
Vanuatu citizenship by investment
Vanuatu citizenship by investment is a discretionary grant of citizenship under the Citizenship Act to applicants who clear Financial Intelligence Unit checks and pay a prescribed contribution. In 2026 the main route, the Development Support Program, has a government-mandated minimum of USD 130,000 for one person and USD 180,000 for a couple with two children.
The process starts with the agent, not the government. A designated agent, who under the 2019 regulations must be a Vanuatu citizen with a registered office in Port Vila, sends the applicant's passport, police clearance and other documents to the Financial Intelligence Unit for due diligence. Only after a clean result does the file go to the Citizenship Office, a screening committee and finally the Citizenship Commission.
Payment is staged. The 2019 DSP regulations require 25% of the prescribed amount before the Commission considers the file and the remaining 75% before the certificate is issued, and the first instalment is lost if the application is refused. The Citizenship Office's fee page describes the citizenship fee as payable after approval, so confirm the current order with your agent. Once the Commission approves and the balance is paid, the regulations require the certificate within 90 days.
The government-mandated DSP amounts are USD 130,000 for a single applicant, USD 150,000 for a married couple, USD 165,000 with one child under 18 and USD 180,000 with two, plus USD 10,000 for each additional applicant. The CIIP is the investment-linked alternative: part of the payment buys a USD 50,000 stake in an approved domestic sector, and the Commission says it monitors that investment and may revoke citizenship for non-compliance.
Applicants from countries on the government's restricted list can be considered only if they have not lived there for the last five years and hold permanent residence elsewhere. The Commission has also revoked citizenships it found were granted outside the law, so accurate disclosure matters.
Vanuatu's Citizenship Act provides for dual citizenship, yet your current country may withdraw its nationality when you voluntarily take another, so check home rules first. Designated agents prepare and lodge the file, and qualified lawyers should advise on legal and tax consequences before you sign.
Who it suits
Families wanting a backup nationality
You want a lawful second citizenship for spouse and children and accept limited travel access.
Travellers focused on Asia, the Pacific and the Gulf
Your trips rarely involve the Schengen area or the UK, where Vanuatu passports now need visas.
Applicants with clean, documented wealth
You can pass FIU checks quickly and evidence where every dollar came from.
Investors open to the CIIP
You prefer part of the payment to sit in a domestic investment rather than a pure contribution.
Requirements
- Required
Adult main applicant
The application is made by an adult who lodges it through a designated agent.
- Required
No criminal conviction
The DSP regulations bar approval for anyone with a criminal conviction.
- Required
FIU due diligence
Background checks on the applicant and everyone listed before the file is lodged.
- Required
Prescribed payment
The government-mandated amount, paid in the stages the regulations set.
- Depends on your case
Residence outside a restricted country
Nationals of restricted countries need five years living elsewhere and permanent residence abroad.
- Depends on your case
Dependants
A spouse, children under 18 and further applicants can be added at the published rates.
Documents
- Passport and national IDCertified copies for every person in the application.
- Civil status recordsBirth certificates and, where relevant, marriage certificates and proof of name changes.
- Police clearancesFrom the country of origin and the country of residence.
- Financial fileBank reference, bank statements and evidence of employment or business income.
- CV and proof of addressBackground and residence history for the main applicant and adult dependants.
- Commission formsOfficial forms collected through the Citizenship Office; copies found online are for reference only.
- DSP, single applicant
- USD 130,000As of 2026-10-25 · [1]
- DSP, married couple
- USD 150,000As of 2026-10-25 · [1]
- DSP, married couple and one child under 18
- USD 165,000As of 2026-10-25 · [1]
- DSP, married couple and two children under 18
- USD 180,000As of 2026-10-25 · [1]
- DSP, each additional applicant
- USD 10,000As of 2026-10-25 · [1]
- Payment stages (DSP)
- 25% before the Commission considers the file; 75% before the certificateThe first 25% is not refunded if the application is refusedAs of 2026-10-25 · [2]
- Certificate after approval
- Within 90 days, once paid in fullAs of 2026-10-25 · [2]
- CIIP investment component
- USD 50,000 in an approved domestic sectorAs of 2024-12-02 · [3]
- Restricted countries
- Considered only after 5 years living elsewhere, with permanent residence abroadAs of 2026-10-25 · [2]
- Legal basis
- Citizenship Act [CAP 112], sections 13C to 13FAs of 2026-10-25 · [4]
Timeline
- 1Choose a designated agentCheck the agent against the Citizenship Office's list of designated and cancelled agents.
- 2FIU due diligenceThe agent submits identity and police documents.
- 3Lodge the applicationThe Citizenship Office checks completeness and passes the file to the screening committee.
- 4Commission decisionThe first 25% is paid before the Commission considers the file; the agent is told the outcome.
- 5Balance and oathPay the remaining 75% and take the oath of allegiance.
- 6Certificate and passportReceive the citizenship certificate and apply for a biometric passport.
Tax notes
- Vanuatu does not tax personal income, but a Vanuatu passport alone does not make you tax resident there; tax residence follows where you live and work.
- Your current country keeps applying its own residence rules, and US citizens stay taxable in the United States whatever second nationality they acquire.
- Exit taxes, reporting duties and controlled-company rules at home are unaffected by a new nationality. Get tax advice before relying on any change.
General information, not tax advice. Your position depends on your circumstances.
Banking fit
- Banks treat a Vanuatu passport as an identity document. Under CRS self-certification you still declare every country where you are tax resident.
- Keep the source-of-wealth evidence prepared for the FIU, because banks routinely ask for the same documents when you open accounts.
Questions
What is the minimum for Vanuatu citizenship in 2026?
Under the Development Support Program the government-mandated minimum is USD 130,000 for a single applicant and USD 180,000 for a couple with two children under 18.
How long does a Vanuatu application take?
The Citizenship Office publishes no official processing time. The regulations require the certificate within 90 days of approval once the balance is paid, and the Commission warned in December 2024 that stronger checks may lengthen processing.
Does Vanuatu allow dual citizenship?
Yes. The Citizenship Act provides for dual citizenship, so Vanuatu does not ask you to give up your current nationality. Whether your existing country lets you keep its citizenship is a separate question to check first.
Is a Vanuatu passport visa-free for Schengen or the UK?
Neither. The EU reintroduced the Schengen visa requirement from 3 February 2025 and the UK has required visas since 19 July 2023, both citing concerns about the investor citizenship programmes.
What is the difference between the DSP and the CIIP?
The DSP is a contribution to the government at the published minimums. The CIIP links citizenship to a USD 50,000 investment in an approved domestic sector, which the Commission monitors and can enforce by revoking citizenship.
Banking in our network
We do not publish institution names: the right partner depends on your profile, and each institution keeps its own view on who it will serve.
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No partner institution in our network is based here; companies and residents here are introduced to partners in other jurisdictions.
- We have no partner institutions inside Vanuatu, and most clients use the passport for banking in other countries.
- Banks and payment providers record every nationality you hold. A Vanuatu passport is accepted as identity, but some compliance teams ask more questions about investor citizenship from a country that lost its EU visa waiver over the programme.
- If an account is what you really need, start with the banking assessment rather than the citizenship.
Questions
Can Vanuatu citizens still travel to Europe without a visa?
No. Since 3 February 2025 Vanuatu nationals need a Schengen visa for short stays, because the EU moved Vanuatu to its visa-required list over the investor citizenship programmes. The UK has required visas since July 2023.
Why consider Vanuatu at all?
It has one of the lowest government-set entry points among established programmes and accepts dual citizenship. It suits people who want a backup nationality and travel mainly outside Europe, not frequent visitors to the Schengen area or the UK.
Who decides a Vanuatu application?
The Citizenship Commission, after the Financial Intelligence Unit has checked the applicant and a screening committee has reviewed the file. Approval is discretionary, and a person with a criminal conviction cannot be approved under the DSP regulations.
Sources
- 1.Vanuatu Citizenship Office and Commission: Fees and charges, retrieved 2026-10-25
- 2.Citizenship (Development Support Program) Regulations Order No. 33 of 2019, retrieved 2026-10-25
- 3.Vanuatu Citizenship Commission: press release of 2 December 2024 on due diligence and the CIIP investment component, retrieved 2026-10-25
- 4.Citizenship Act [CAP 112], consolidated (Vanuatu Citizenship Office), retrieved 2026-10-25
- 5.Vanuatu Citizenship Office: forms and investment programmes (DSP, CIIP, VCP, REO), retrieved 2026-10-25
- 6.Vanuatu Citizenship Office: Real Estate Option Program (REO), retrieved 2026-10-25
- 7.EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2025/11 of 19 December 2024 amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 as regards Vanuatu, retrieved 2026-10-25
- 8.European Parliament Legislative Observatory: summary of Regulation (EU) 2025/11 (procedure 2024/0128(COD)), retrieved 2026-10-25
- 9.GOV.UK: Visa requirement for ni-Vanuatu nationals visiting UK (20 July 2023), retrieved 2026-10-25
- 10.GOV.UK: Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Visa national list (updated 8 October 2026), retrieved 2026-10-25
Reviewed by the Redomiciled team on .
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