Vanuatu citizenship by investment is available through the country’s Development Support Program (DSP), which grants full citizenship in exchange for a non-refundable contribution starting at $130,000 for a single applicant. Most approved applicants receive their passport within 30 to 60 days, and no visit to Vanuatu is required at any point. Before going further, one change matters more than any other: the European Union permanently revoked visa-free travel for Vanuatu passport holders in December 2024, so if Schengen access was your reason for looking at this program, it no longer delivers that.1Council of the European Union. Vanuatu: Council Ends Visa Exemption
What the Passport Is Actually Worth Now
A Vanuatu passport currently provides access to roughly 89 destinations through visa-free entry or visa on arrival, including the United Kingdom, Russia, Hong Kong, and most of Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. For holders of weaker passports, that mobility is still a real upgrade. It is not, however, a European travel document. The EU suspended the visa waiver in 2022 over concerns about the country’s citizenship-by-investment practices and made the suspension permanent two years later.
The stronger case for the program sits on the tax side. Vanuatu imposes no personal income tax, no capital gains tax, and no wealth tax. Citizens living abroad are not taxed on worldwide income. The only fiscal obligations are import duties, a tax on rental income from Vanuatu property, and stamp duty on certain real estate transactions. For someone structuring their affairs around tax residency, that profile remains a significant draw.
Who Can Apply
The primary applicant must be at least 18 at the time of submission. Some authorized agents list an upper age limit of 65, though the published DSP regulations do not state one. Every applicant undergoes a background check and must produce a medical certificate from a licensed practitioner confirming good health and no contagious or infectious disease.2Vanuatu Citizenship Commission. Order No 33 of 2019 – Development Support Program Regulations
Financial eligibility requires a minimum net worth of $250,000 in personal or combined assets. You must document where that money came from through bank statements, property valuations, or similar records. The government is not just verifying that funds exist; it is verifying their origin.
Restricted Nationalities
As of 2026, citizens of Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Russia, and Sudan are barred from applying. Russia and Sudan were the most recent additions. Anyone holding dual nationality with a restricted country should confirm eligibility with the Citizenship Commission before starting.
What It Costs
The DSP fee is a non-refundable donation to Vanuatu’s national development fund, tiered by family size:
- Single applicant: $130,000
- Married couple: $150,000
- Couple plus one child: $165,000
- Family of four: $180,000
On top of the contribution, every applicant pays a Financial Intelligence Unit due diligence fee of $5,000.3Citizenship’s Office and Commission. Citizenship Fees and Charges Processing fees push the upfront total to roughly $135,500 for a single applicant and around $185,500 for a family of four. Agent fees are separate and vary by intermediary. Ask for a complete written breakdown before committing.
Adding Family Members
A single application can cover several categories of dependents:
- A legally married spouse. Vanuatu does not recognize same-sex marriages for this program.
- Children under 18 as minor dependents.
- Children aged 18 to 25 who meet dependency requirements.
- Parents or grandparents over 50 as dependents of the primary applicant.
Every dependent added increases the contribution, and every family member goes through the same background check and medical screening.
Documents That Trip People Up
Applications stall on paperwork more than anywhere else. The core requirements are a valid passport with substantial remaining validity, police clearance certificates from every jurisdiction where you have lived more than six months in the past five years, a medical certificate, financial proof of the $250,000 net worth with a clear source-of-funds explanation, and the Citizenship Nomination Form and Form 12.
Because Vanuatu is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, foreign documents need an apostille rather than embassy legalization. In the United States, apostilles come from the Secretary of State’s office in the state where the document originated. Some documents need notarization first.
Give the source-of-funds section particular attention. Vague or inconsistent financial disclosures are the leading cause of rejection and drawn-out clarification requests. A registered agent can help with notarization and formatting, but the accuracy of what you disclose is your responsibility.
How the Process Works and How Long It Takes
Once your file is submitted through an authorized agent, the Financial Intelligence Unit runs the initial due diligence review. This usually takes seven to ten days and produces a letter of acceptance, an approval in principle confirming you are cleared subject to the remaining steps.4Vanuatu Investment Migration Bureau. Vanuatu Citizenship Application Process
After that approval, you transfer the balance of your contribution. Once funds clear, you take the oath of allegiance in front of a Commissioner for Oaths. The ceremony can be done remotely by Zoom or Skype, and you receive your citizenship certificate and passport at that point. Total elapsed time typically runs 30 to 60 days. No physical residency in Vanuatu is required before, during, or after.
Dual Citizenship and Your Home Country
Vanuatu itself places no restrictions on dual citizenship through the DSP and does not require you to give up your existing nationality. The harder question is what your home country allows. The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia generally permit dual citizenship. China, India, Singapore, Japan, and the UAE generally prohibit or restrict it. In those jurisdictions, acquiring a Vanuatu passport can trigger loss of your original nationality. Check with an immigration lawyer at home before applying.
How Citizenship Can Be Revoked
Citizenship granted through the DSP is not unconditional. The Citizenship Commission can revoke it for fraud or misrepresentation in the original application, for grants made contrary to the Citizenship Act [CAP 112] or the Constitution, or for illegal activity and financial fraud committed after citizenship is granted.5Vanuatu Citizenship Office and Commission. Legislative Framework Where fraud is found, the holder ceases to be a citizen 30 days after the finding. Vanuatu has revoked passports from roughly 40 economic citizens to date, so the monitoring is active and the window to respond after an adverse finding is short.