Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment in 2025

Citizenship by investment in 2025

Citizenship by investment is a process in which foreign nationals invest in a country and, in return, gain the right to its citizenship. There are several investment routes:

• A government fund. A non-refundable contribution to the national economy.
• Business. An investment in a business within the country, which can be recouped with a profit.
• Real estate. The purchase of commercial or residential property that can be rented out for income, or simply a home to live in, with citizenship as a bonus.
• Socially significant projects.

It is worth noting that investment really is the fastest way to obtain a second citizenship.

Today many countries have suspended the issuance of passports to citizens of Russia and Belarus. If you hold another citizenship besides Russian, we check before filing whether a programme counts all your passports, and the second passport quiz helps pick an open one. Let us take a closer look at Vanuatu citizenship by investment: whether Russian nationals can qualify, the benefits, the cost and the processing time.

• Investment amount: $130,000
• Processing time: from one month
• Nationality restrictions: none for Russian nationals

What Vanuatu offers

Vanuatu is a small island nation where nature remains pristine: volcanoes, mountains, waterfalls, and rare species of plants and animals. It is one of the fastest-growing offshore jurisdictions in the Pacific - a tax haven that offers a rare chance to obtain a second passport quickly and without spending a fortune.

Vanuatu citizenship is among the most popular and fastest in the world - even more so in the past, before visa-free entry to the Schengen Area was withdrawn for its citizens. Even so, this investment citizenship remains in high demand. A passport can be secured in just one to two months by contributing $130,000 to a government fund. The investor's family members can obtain citizenship alongside the main applicant. Beyond the investment itself, nothing else is required: there is no need to live in the country or even to visit during processing, and no knowledge of the national languages is expected. The investment is non-refundable.

The benefits of Vanuatu citizenship

Vanuatu citizenship opens up a wide range of opportunities:

• visa-free entry to more than 95 countries, including Hong Kong and Singapore;
• straightforward access to a five-year US visa;
• the ability to establish an international company and optimise taxes - for 20 years the company can be exempt from tax on profit, capital gains, inheritance and gifts;
• a reliable "safe haven" to fall back on.

One of the most attractive citizenships by investment - Paraguay

Strategically located and open to the world, Paraguay is a land of opportunity. Paraguayan citizenship by investment gives foreign nationals and their families a rare chance to obtain permanent residency for an investment from 70,000 US dollars, then a passport no earlier than three years of living in the country as a permanent resident, and enjoy all its advantages:

• visa-free travel to 145 countries, including the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom and Singapore;
• eligibility for the US E-2 visa;
• tax optimisation (a 10% rate);
• the chance to live in a country with a high standard of living and a favourable climate.

What has changed by 2026

• Schengen. In March 2022 the EU partly suspended visa-free travel for Vanuatu passports issued after 25 May 2015, fully from 4 February 2023, and from 3 February 2025 moved Vanuatu to the list of countries with a permanent visa requirement. The reason is citizenship for money without a genuine link to the country.
• United Kingdom. Since 19 July 2023 Vanuatu citizens need a visa.
• Checks. In December 2024 the authorities tightened applicant checks, and since 16 January 2025 only complete files are accepted.
• Nationality restrictions. In March 2026 an internal memo added Russia to the restricted list, but it was withdrawn as erroneous two days later. Formally the programme is open to Russian citizens, but the rules can change quickly.

Costs item by item

• a single applicant's contribution: from $130,000;
• a family of 4: from $180,000;
• the due diligence check: $5,000 per the official table;
• translations, apostilles and police certificates for each adult;
• our support: a manager will quote it in the chat.

The contribution is not refundable. Processing usually takes 1-3 months, but tighter checks can lengthen it.

Where you can travel with a Vanuatu passport in 2026

About 86 destinations without a visa. Schengen countries and the UK require a visa, and consulates look at where you live and pay tax, not just the passport. So a Vanuatu passport today is not a key to Europe but a backup document and a base for a company in a jurisdiction without profit or inheritance tax.

Comparison with other programmes

Who a Vanuatu passport suits now

• people who need a backup passport quickly without moving;
• people who travel mostly in Asia and Oceania rather than Europe;
• entrepreneurs who need a company in a jurisdiction without profit or inheritance tax.

If the main goal is visa-free travel to Europe, a Vanuatu passport no longer delivers it: a residence permit in an EU country is closer.

Documents

• a passport and birth certificate;
• police certificates from the countries of citizenship and residence for each adult;
• proof of the source of the contribution money;
• a marriage certificate and children's documents if they are included.

Since 2025 only complete files are accepted, so the set is collected and checked before filing.

FAQ