Vanuatu citizenship by investment in 2026

Status in 2026: the programme is open, but the passport has changed

In 2026 Vanuatu still grants citizenship by investment. The main route is the Development Support Program (DSP), a non-refundable contribution from $130,000 for a single applicant. It has not been closed or suspended, and the government has little reason to close it. According to the Ministry of Finance mid-year statement, citizenship programmes brought in about VT11.4 billion (roughly $105.5 million) in the first half of 2026 - around 39% of all government revenue excluding donor funds.

Yet today's passport differs sharply from the one sold in 2020-2021:

• Schengen is gone. In March 2022 the EU partially suspended visa-free travel for Vanuatu passports issued after 25 May 2015. From 4 February 2023 the waiver was suspended in full, and from 3 February 2025 Regulation (EU) 2025/11 moved Vanuatu to the list of countries whose nationals permanently need a visa. The stated reason: citizenship sold without a genuine link to the country.
• The UK is gone. Since 19 July 2023 Vanuatu nationals need a visa for the United Kingdom. London explicitly cited abuse of the citizenship by investment scheme.
• Mobility has dropped. A Vanuatu passport opened 135 destinations without a prior visa in 2022 and 86 in September 2026.

The procedure has also tightened: a new Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) vetting process since January 2025, mandatory in-person biometrics since 1 July 2025, and public cancellations or reviews of passports already issued in 2025-2026.

What the programme is and who it suits

The DSP rests on the Citizenship Act [Cap 112], section 13E, and on the Citizenship (Development Support Program) Regulations, Order No. 33 of 2019. Citizenship is granted by the Citizenship Commission, and applications can only be filed through a designated agent. Under the regulations such an agent must be a Vanuatu citizen with a main office in Port Vila.

Vanuatu has recognised dual citizenship since 2014, when a 2013 constitutional amendment came into force, so you do not have to give up your current passport. The DSP used to be framed as honorary citizenship. That wording has been removed from certificates, but the programme does not entail taking part in the country's political life, such as voting in elections.

Who it suits

• People whose current passport seriously restricts travel and who need a second document fast.
• Frequent travellers to Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Israel who do not need Schengen.
• Those who value speed: no relocation, language test or exam.
• Families who want to include a spouse, children and parents in one application.

Who it does not suit

• Anyone who needs visa-free access to Schengen, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia or Japan.
• Anyone expecting the passport alone to cut their taxes. Tax residence follows where you live, not your citizenship.
• Anyone with a criminal conviction: under the DSP regulations the Commission does not approve such applications.
• Anyone who needs a document that banks and compliance teams like: in 2026 Vanuatu remains on the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions.

What changed in 2025-2026

Built from official Vanuatu, EU and US documents. It starts in late 2024, when the changes that shape today's procedure began.

Applicant requirements

Programme options and contribution amounts

On paper Vanuatu has several investment routes, but for most applicants only one is practical - the DSP.

What the DSP costs according to official documents

The first column is the minimum selling price below which an agent may not market the programme (Order No. 33 of 2019 and the table on the Citizenship Office website). The second is the amount the same regulations directed to the government account. The difference is the agent chain's commission. In March 2026 the DSP regulations were amended (Order No. 39 of 2026). We have not seen a published breakdown after the amendment, so the practical benchmark is the minimum price plus the fees in the next section.

If someone offers you the DSP for less than $130,000 per single applicant, it is either a breach of the regulations or not the DSP at all: the Citizenship Office has issued a directive requiring DSP and VCP agents to respect the prescribed prices.

Government fees and real costs

Only amounts confirmed by official Vanuatu documents are shown; the rest depends on your situation.

Local-currency fees are converted to dollars at the official Reserve Bank of Vanuatu rate and rounded up. The payment schedule is set by the 2019 DSP regulations: 25% of the government fee is paid before the Commission considers the application and the remaining 75% before the certificate is issued; you can also pay everything at once. If the application is refused, the first 25% is not refunded. Payment for the support is governed by the contract. Pre-screening before filing is how you avoid losing money.

Compare with all programs: second passport cost in 2026

How much Vanuatu citizenship costs per family member

The contribution grows with each family member: a spouse adds $20,000, each of the first two children under 18 adds $15,000, anyone after that $10,000. Due diligence and the filing fee are paid once per application.

Step-by-step process and timeline

The market quotes 1 to 3 months from filing to certificate. In December 2024 the Commission itself warned that stronger checks may lengthen processing. The date depends on the FIU, the queue and how complete the file is.

Documents for the application

The exact checklist comes from the designated agent on the Citizenship Office form. The minimum the FIU has required in every file since 16 January 2025:

• a copy of a valid passport with more than 6 months of validity;
• a valid police clearance certificate;
• a notarised CV;
• a receipt for payment of the government fee.

On top of that, you usually need birth and marriage certificates, proof of relationship for dependents, source-of-funds evidence and a medical certificate. Documents in other languages are translated into English. We explain how to prepare the funds section in our article on source of funds.

The most common cause of extra FIU queries is inconsistency: different spellings of a name across documents, or gaps in your history that the CV does not explain.

Family: who can be included

The DSP regulations define family members fairly broadly:

• a spouse;
• natural or adopted children of the applicant or spouse under 18;
• children aged 18 to 25 who live with or depend on the applicant and are in full-time education;
• parents of the applicant or spouse over 50 who live with and depend on the applicant.

Under the regulations, a child born after a parent has obtained citizenship through the DSP is a citizen of Vanuatu. Every family member is checked by the FIU, and each needs their own passport: under Passport Office rules a child cannot be added to a parent's passport.

The Vanuatu passport in 2026: where it works and where it does not

In 2026 a Vanuatu passport gives entry without a prior visa (including visa on arrival and electronic authorisations) to 86 destinations. In 2022 the figure was 135.

• Works: Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Israel, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, most of the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles and most Pacific island states.
• Visa required: all EU and Schengen countries, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Brazil and Argentina.

Entry rules change, and travel bans can override visa rules, so check each country before travelling. For comparison with other passports see our 2026 passport ranking.

Taxes for a Vanuatu passport holder

Vanuatu has no personal income tax, no capital gains tax and no inheritance tax. The main tax is VAT at 15%, a rate in force since 1 January 2018 (it was 12.5% before).

But citizenship and tax residence are different things. A Vanuatu passport does not exempt you from tax where you actually live: if you spend more than 183 days a year in another country, you usually remain its tax resident. More in our article on tax residence and the 183-day rule.

• Automatic exchange. Vanuatu joined the multilateral agreement on automatic exchange of financial account information (CRS) and has exchanged data since 2018. An account opened with a Vanuatu passport is not hidden from the tax authority of your country of residence.
• EU blacklist. After the review of 17 February 2026 Vanuatu remained in Annex I of the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions. EU banks tend to ask more questions of clients holding this passport and of companies from there.

If the goal is to genuinely reduce tax, start by changing your residence, not your passport. Compare regimes on our taxes by country page.

Path to residence and citizenship: how the DSP differs from ordinary naturalisation

The DSP grants citizenship directly, with no temporary or permanent residence stage and no requirement to live in the country. The ordinary routes described by the Citizenship Office, for comparison:

The official certificate fee is about $5,100 for naturalisation and about $430 for spouses of citizens. For a foreigner with no roots or family in Vanuatu, investment is the only realistic route. If what you need is not a passport but a place to live with a clear status, see our overview of residence permits by country.

Risks, refusals and the uncomfortable truth

1. The passport may lose more visa-free access. The EU and the UK have already imposed visas. In 2025 the US discussed Vanuatu in draft restrictions, and in December 2025 it imposed partial restrictions on Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica precisely because of citizenship by investment. There is no guarantee that the list of 86 destinations will not shrink.
2. Citizenship can be revoked. The Commission may revoke citizenship obtained by fraud, granted in breach of the Act or the Constitution, or where the person breaches restrictions under the Act. The Citizenship Office has reported almost 30 revocations, in 2025 the Prime Minister ordered Lalit Modi's passport cancelled, and the Andrew Tate story is unfolding in September 2026. Anything concealed in an application remains a revocation risk for years.
3. Rules change without warning. The CIIP suspension, the memo banning Russian and Sudanese nationals that was withdrawn two days later, and the March 2026 amendments to the regulations all happened within 12 months.
4. A refusal costs money. On refusal, 25% of the government fee is not refunded, and the support and documents have already been paid for. Under the regulations any criminal conviction is grounds for refusal.
5. Banks and compliance. The EU tax blacklist and the loss of visa-free travel mean a Vanuatu passport works poorly as the main document for a European bank account. We covered how the EU is pressuring citizenship by investment programmes in our article on the EU ultimatum to Caribbean passports.
6. Scammers and grey intermediaries. Applications can only go through a designated agent. The Citizenship Office publishes a blacklist of unrecognised intermediaries and in 2025 clarified that it has nothing to do with the Vanuatu diplomatic passports marketed abroad. A discount below the regulated price or a promise of diplomatic status is a reason to walk away.
7. Budget dependence. Nearly 40% of government revenue coming from citizenship programmes is an argument that the programme will not be closed. But it also makes the programme political, and scandals have already led to abrupt decisions.

Alternatives: what to consider instead of Vanuatu

The programmes clients most often compare with Vanuatu. Amounts are minimum thresholds from our programme pages; destination counts are in 2026.

Which option fits whom

• You need the fastest backup passport and do not need Europe - Vanuatu or Nauru.
• You need Schengen - the Caribbean programmes, bearing in mind that they are closed to Russian nationals and exposed to the new EU visa suspension mechanism.
• You are ready to live in the country - naturalisation through residence, for example in Paraguay. Slower, but the passport opens 145 destinations.
• You need legal status to relocate rather than a passport - start with a residence permit and come back to citizenship later.

The full list of programmes is in our citizenship by investment and by descent section.

What a Vanuatu passport offers in 2026

How to get Vanuatu citizenship: step by step

FAQ

86 visa-free destinations with a Vanuatu passport