Vanuatu Passport
Passport rankings out of 198 countries
Freedom of travel101
Asset protection79
Quality of life101
"Plan B"44
About Vanuatu
The Great Himalayas border the territory of the country in the north and northwest. Most of the country's territory is located in mountainous areas, about 1/5 is covered with eternal snow and glaciers. Most of the country's income comes from agriculture, logging, tourism and the sale of postage stamps. Coal, marble, slate, gypsum and limestone are mined in mines in the south of the country.
Population
307 150
Capital
Port Vila
Official language
Bislama, English, French
GDP per capita
$2.763
Time zone
UTC+11
Currency
Vatu
Vanuatu passport rank and benefits
1
Visa-free travel to 110 countries
Vanuatu citizens can enter the Hong Kong, Singapore and other destinations visa-free.
Vanuatu citizens can enter the Hong Kong, Singapore and other destinations visa-free.
2
Visitor visa to the USA for 5 years
The Vanuatu passport power allows its holders to get a B‑1/B‑2 visa to the USA for 5 years. The visa enables spending 180 days per year in the USA to visit relatives, travel, receive medical treatment or attend courses that won’t give you a diploma.
The Vanuatu passport power allows its holders to get a B‑1/B‑2 visa to the USA for 5 years. The visa enables spending 180 days per year in the USA to visit relatives, travel, receive medical treatment or attend courses that won’t give you a diploma.
3
Tax optimisation for a company
Investors register international business companies in Vanuatu. The company’s and its shareholders' revenue are exempt from taxes on profits, income, and capital gain for 20 years. Instead of taxes, they pay an annual fee of $300.
Investors register international business companies in Vanuatu. The company’s and its shareholders' revenue are exempt from taxes on profits, income, and capital gain for 20 years. Instead of taxes, they pay an annual fee of $300.
Grounds for obtaining a Vanuatu passport
Birth to citizens of the country
Marriage to a citizen of the country
Work for the country's government
Naturalization
Estimated time: 10 years
Repatriation
Adoption
Parents citizenship
Special conditions
Special services to the state
Obtaining a Vanuatu passport by naturalization: requirements for applicants
Knowledge of state language
Assimilation or cultural knowledge
Stable financial status
Good health
No criminal records
Who can get a Vanuatu passport
Investment conditions
The Vanuatu citizenship by investment program offers only one investment option — a non-refundable contribution to a state fund. The amount depends on the number of applicants:
$130,000 for the investor only;
$150,000 for a married couple;
$15,000 for every additional applicant — a child or parent.
Besides contribution, applicants also pay Due Diligence, processing and services fees.
Expenses for a family of 4
Investor, their spouse and two children
Step-by-step procedure for obtaining a Vanuatu passport by investment
1 day
Preliminary Due Diligence
When an investor contacts Royal Immigration, our lawyers conduct a preliminary Due Diligence check against international databases. It helps to diminish the possibility of refusal of citizenship: if there are some risks, the lawyers would find out about them and advise what can be done with them.
The check is conducted by a certified Compliance Anti Money Laundering Officer. It is free and confidential: the results are available only to lawyers and investors.
Take a short anonymous test and learn more about the nuances of Due Diligence checks.
3+ days
Preparation of documents for consideration at FIU
Royal Immigration lawyers and the investor prepare a package of documents for consideration at the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The investor provides the passport, a police clearance certificate and a CV.
Up to 1 week
FIU check
Royal Immigration lawyers send copies of documents to an agent of the Vanuatu program. The agent passes them over for the FIU Clearance check and then informs them about the results. Officially, the check takes 1 week, but most of the time is done in 3—4 days.
3+ weeks
Preparation of documents and filing an application
After FIU approves the application, Royal Immigration lawyers start preparing the documents for the application. Applicants provide personal and financial records, and lawyers fill in forms and prepare copies.
When the set of documents is ready, it is sent to Vanuatu. The investor pays 25% of the contribution.
Up to 2 weeks
Consideration of the application
The application is considered by the Screening Committee and the Citizenship Commission. The check takes up to 2 weeks.
Up to 90 days
Fulfilment of investment condition
The investor pays the remaining 75% of the contribution when the approval is obtained. To fulfil the investment condition, the applicant has 90 days.
Up to 2 weeks
Taking an oath and collecting the passport
A naturalisation certificate and a passport are prepared in Vanuatu. The investor and their spouse need to take an oath to get the documents. They need to go to Vanuatu or invite a Commissioner of Oaths and an immigration official to the place convenient to the investor.
Frequently asked questions
The Vanuatu passport is powerful.
Its holders can travel visa-free to 110 countries, including Hong Kong and Singapore. Moreover, they get visitor visas to the USA for 5 years.
There’s also an opportunity to optimise business’s taxes if an investor founds an international company in Vanuatu. International companies are exempt from taxes on profit and income. It is enough to pay an annual fee of $300 instead.
Vanuatu citizenship can be obtained by birth, marriage, naturalisation or investment. To naturalise, foreigners live in Vanuatu for 10 years and learn the country’s language and culture. Vanuatu citizenship by investment can be obtained by applicants who align with the program’s requirements and are ready to contribute $130,000 to the country’s economy. Investors don’t pass language exams and don’t need to come to Vanuatu to collect passports.
A spouse, children under 25, and parents over 50.
The Vanuatu citizenship by investment program is the fastest in the world: investors usually obtain a strong Vanuatu passport in 1—2 months.
