Vanuatu citizenship by investment
The fastest CBI — a passport in 1–2 months.
- Applicant aged 18+
- clean criminal record
- lawful source of funds
Any document not in English is submitted as the original plus a certified translation. Certificates, police clearance records, bank statements — translated by a sworn translator, with the translation legalised. This is the most common reason a file is sent back for correction.
What citizenship by investment is
Citizenship by investment is a separate procedure set out in a country’s law: a person makes an agreed contribution to the economy, passes screening and receives citizenship by decision of the relevant state body. There is no need to live in the country before applying, to pass a language exam or to wait years for naturalisation — the legal basis is a different one.
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Such programmes have operated in the Caribbean since 1984. The money goes into a state fund or into a project approved by the state — this is what distinguishes the programme from the ‘passport purchase’ it is colloquially called: the investment is accepted not by an official but by the treasury under regulations.
The status is for life and heritable: the children of a citizen receive citizenship by birth. It can be revoked only on the grounds set out in the law — falsification in the application form, concealment of facts, a serious crime.
Who it suits
- Applicant aged 18+
- Clean criminal record
- Lawful source of funds
- Assets often ≥USD 250
- 000
- A fast second passport
The DSP regulations set no nationality bar
Which citizenship programmes operate in Vanuatu
Citizenship is granted by the Citizenship Commission — a constitutional body acting under the Citizenship Act [Cap 112]. In all, the commission issues eight types of citizenship, and four of them are linked to investment:
- Capital Investment Immigration Plan — the investment immigration plan, form D
- Development Support Program (DSP) — the development support programme
- Vanuatu Contribution Program — the contribution programme
- Real Estate Option (REO) — purchase of a property in a project approved by the government of Vanuatu; in force since 23 July 2021
The routes differ not only in amount but in the legal construction of the status — which one suits you we determine at the consultation.
Why citizenship under the DSP is called honorary
In the official list of types of citizenship, the status under the DSP programme is recorded as honorary citizenship (Honorary Citizenship), not as ordinary citizenship. This is not a marketing formulation but a category from the law.
The difference in the construction of the status affects how it is inherited and which restrictions apply to it. Before choosing a route this is worth going through separately — by ear all four programmes sound the same.
How applicants are screened in Vanuatu
Fit-and-proper screening under all the programmes is carried out by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). It also revises the screening procedures — the state publishes changes to the process in separate notices.
The commission has the right to revoke citizenship on three grounds: it was obtained by fraud; it was granted contrary to the Citizenship Act or the Constitution; after receiving it, the person does not observe the restrictions laid down by law.
How to tell the official programme website from a fake
The Vanuatu state body has posted a direct warning on its website: the programme is being counterfeited, and there are sites presenting themselves as official.
There is one marker: official websites of the government of Vanuatu end in .gov.vu. Separately, the agency has issued a statement about Vanuatu diplomatic passports that were sold abroad — such offers have nothing to do with the programme.
What the service includes
| Filing | |
| Support |
Official terms
Who can obtain it
Main applicant
- An adult foreign national with legal capacity — under the general definition in the Citizenship Act, “full age” means 18 and over
- An investor who meets the conditions of the Capital Investment Immigration Plan and pays the prescribed contribution
- Files not the naturalisation form but a separate form for CIIP investors; the application is considered by the Citizenship Commission
- Is not required to sit the written Bislama test and is not required to prove residence in Vanuatu before filing — that is only required of applicants under other categories of citizenship
Who can be included in the application
- The applicant's spouse — included in the basic package together with one child under 18
- One further child under 18 — for a separate surcharge on the basic contribution
- A dependant aged 18 to 21 — for a separate, higher surcharge
- A child not included in the main application — by a separate application later, paying both fees again
What it costs
| Fee for filing an application under the CIIP programme | 250 USD |
|---|---|
| Citizenship contribution — applicant, spouse and one child under 18 | 260,000 USD |
| Additional child under 18 (each) | +19,250 USD |
| Dependant aged 18 to 21 (each) | +44,250 USD |
| Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Additional child under 18 (each)” adds 19,250 USD; “Dependant aged 18 to 21 (each)” adds 44,250 USD. | 260,250–323,750 USD |
Documents to gather
The full list is set out in the checklist attached to the form for CIIP investors and issued together with the application form. The authority warns explicitly: an application with an incomplete set of documents is returned without consideration. The form cannot be downloaded and completed independently — it is issued by the Citizenship Office or an authorised agent from the official list.
- Completed form for CIIP investors, obtained from the Citizenship Office or an authorised agent
- Documents proving the identity of the applicant and of the family members included in the application
- Documents confirming the lawful origin of the funds for the contribution
- The complete set under the checklist attached to the form — the exact list is issued together with the form
- Proof of payment of the application filing fee
How the process runs
The procedure broadly matches the other categories of Vanuatu citizenship — with the difference that the CIIP form requires no Bislama examination (it is mandatory only for applicants under forms A and B), and the law sets a separate three-month deadline for the Commission's decision on investor applications specifically.
- 1
Obtaining the investor form
before filing the applicationThe form is issued by the Citizenship Office or an authorised agent from the official list; a copy printed from the internet is good only for reference, not for filing.
- 2
Collecting the documents under the checklist
depends on the applicantThe applicant collects the set of documents under the checklist attached to the form. An incomplete set is returned without consideration.
- 3
Filing the application and paying the filing fee
the day of filingThe application is filed together with all the documents. The filing fee is paid on filing, before any further work on the case begins.
- 4
Check by the responsible officers
internal stageThe case is examined by Citizenship Office staff, then checked again by a compliance officer: eligibility, correct completion of the form, completeness of the documents.
- 5
Check by the Financial Intelligence Unit
internal stageThe Financial Intelligence Unit carries out due diligence on the applicant and the origin of the funds; an updated procedure for such checks has been in force since January 2025.
- 6
Consideration by the internal screening committee
internal stageThe internal screening committee examines the application and the whole set of documents before passing it to the Citizenship Commission.
- 7
Decision of the Citizenship Commission
up to 3 months from receipt of the applicationUnder the law the Commission must consider and approve an investor's application within three months of receiving it; where the information is incomplete it may defer the decision or refuse.
- 8
Letter with the Commission's decision
within a week of the meetingThe Secretary-General of the Citizenship Office sends the applicant a letter with the Commission's decision and, where approved, further instructions.
- 9
Oath and payment of the citizenship contribution
3 months after notification, extendable by up to 2 monthsOnce approved, you must take the oath before a court in Vanuatu (those living abroad must come in person) and pay the citizenship contribution. The law allows three months from notification of approval for both steps; for good reason the Secretary-General may extend the deadline in writing by a further two months.
- 10
Issue of the certificate of citizenship
after the contribution is paidOnce the contribution is paid, the certificate of Vanuatu citizenship is printed. If the three-month deadline (with any extension) is missed, the approval is cancelled and the application has to be filed afresh.
Who you can bring with you
The law expressly limits the family members covered by the basic contribution; separate surcharges apply for other close relatives.
Spouse
Child under 18
Dependant aged 18–21
Child not entered in the initial application
Renewal and the grace period
Citizenship obtained under CIIP is open-ended, is not reissued on expiry and needs no renewal. The status is not untouchable, however: the Citizenship Commission may revoke citizenship already granted if it was obtained by fraud, if it was granted contrary to the Citizenship Act or the Constitution, or if the person fails to observe the restrictions laid down by law after obtaining the status.
Financial requirement
DSP donation: single USD 130,000, couple USD 150,000, +1 child USD 165,000, +2 USD 180,000; FIU diligence fee USD 5,000
Timelines and rights
Review time
Approval 2–3 weeks; about 1–2 months in total
Right to work
Employment rights the same as a citizen's
Residence conditions
No requirement to live in or visit the country
Documents and programme requirements
- 1Contribution from $130k
- 2Clean background
- 3Due diligence
How the process runs
4–9 weeks- Step 1We choose one of the four programmes and go through how the structure of the status differs.
- Step 2A preliminary check of the background and the source of funds.
- Step 3Assembling the set of documents and filing through an authorised agent.
- Step 4Due diligence by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit.
- Step 5The decision of the Citizenship Commission and payment of the contribution.
- Step 6The oath and issue of the passport.
What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship
Route to permanent residence
Citizenship already (without the right to vote or hold public office)
Route to citizenship
Citizenship immediately (naturalisation through investment)
Frequently asked questions
How many investment citizenship programmes are there in Vanuatu?
What is different about citizenship under the DSP programme?
Can Vanuatu citizenship be revoked?
How can I check that a programme website is genuine?
Citizenship by investment: other options
Compare terms in other countries and delivery formats.
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