Citizenship by Investment

Vanuatu

Vanuatu Development Support Program (DSP) - Citizenship by Investment

Vanuatu's Development Support Program (DSP) is a donation-based citizenship-by-investment scheme administered by the Vanuatu Citizenship Office & Commission under the Citizenship Act [Cap 112] and the Citizenship (Development Support Program) Regulations Order No. 33 of 2019. It is one of the fastest mainstream CBI programmes in the world, delivered with no interview, residence or language requirement, via a non-refundable government contribution starting at US$130,000 for a single applicant (US$150,000 couple; up to US$180,000 for a couple with two children; +US$10,000 per additional dependant), plus a Vatu 5,000 application fee and a US$5,000 FIU due-diligence fee. All payments are made in US Dollars, and every applicant undergoes FIU-led due diligence requiring a clean record and a legitimate source of funds. On mobility, the UK revoked Vanuatu's visa-free access on 19 July 2023 and the EU Council fully ended the Schengen visa waiver on 12 December 2024, both as a result of the CBI scheme, so the passport (approximately 88 visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations) is positioned as a Plan-B and personal-mobility passport rather than a Europe or UK access route. Vanuatu's value to private clients is speed, low cost, zero direct tax, dual-citizenship rights and a no-physical-presence second passport.

Indicative figures — we confirm the exact, current terms with licensed local lawyers before you apply

Investment routes

How you qualify.

Donation

USD 130,000

Vanuatu Development Support Program (DSP) - a non-refundable government contribution to the national development fund, governed by the Citizenship (Development Support Program) Regulations Order No. 33 of 2019, the current DSP instrument confirmed on the official Citizenship Office Legislative Framework page (the most recent related instruments are Orders Nos. 38 and 39 of 2020). Contribution tiers per the official Fees and Charges page (Government-mandated fees, USD): US$130,000 single applicant; US$150,000 married couple; US$165,000 married couple + 1 child; US$180,000 married couple + 2 children; +US$10,000 per additional applicant or dependant. Separate official fees: a Vatu 5,000 application fee per application (paid on lodging; excludes Form D) and a US$5,000 FIU due-diligence fee. Payment is made in US Dollars. Source: vancitizenship.gov.vu/index.php/citizenship/fees-and-charges; Order No. 33 of 2019.

Capital Investment

USD 260,000

Capital Investment Immigration Plan, applied for on official Application Form D under Section 13C of the Citizenship Act [Cap 112] (a distinct officially-listed route from the DSP donation). Form D fees per the official Fees and Charges page (USD): citizenship fee US$260,000 (covers applicant, spouse and 1 child under 18); additional child under 18 US$19,250 per person; dependant aged 18-21 US$44,250 per person; Form D application fee US$250 per application (Form D is the exception to the Vatu 5,000 application fee). Source: vancitizenship.gov.vu/index.php/citizenship/fees-and-charges and /citizenship/application-forms.

Real Estate

On application

Real Estate Option Program (REO), commenced 23 July 2021 under Section 13F of the Citizenship Act [Cap 112] - a separate officially-listed citizenship route requiring investment in a property in a Vanuatu Government-Approved (VGA) Project in addition to prescribed government fees. The REO route is confirmed on the Citizenship Office homepage, news-and-updates and application-forms pages, with a dedicated REO application form. The minimum property investment, government fees and holding period are confirmed directly with the Citizenship Office or the approved REO project on a case-by-case basis. 8T20's primary Vanuatu offering is the DSP donation route - the fastest, with the lowest published entry.

What the passport grants

Global mobility.

~88 visa-free / visa-on-arrival destinations

Schengen

Visa required

The EU Council ended Vanuatu's visa exemption on 12 December 2024, amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 to move Vanuatu from Annex II (visa-free) to Annex I (visa-required), citing security and migration concerns over the investor-citizenship scheme. This made permanent an earlier suspension: visa-free access was partially suspended from May 2022 and fully suspended from 4 February 2023, with the 12 December 2024 act restoring the full visa requirement. Vanuatu passport holders require a Schengen visa.

United Kingdom

Visa required

The UK Home Office revoked Vanuatu's visa-free access effective 19 July 2023, citing clear abuse of the citizenship-by-investment scheme. A short transition window applied only to confirmed bookings made on or before 19 July 2023 with arrival no later than 16 August 2023.

United States

Visa required

(no visa-free or ESTA access).

Canada

Visa required

(no visa-free or eTA access).

Approximately 88 visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations. Russia is visa-free under a mutual waiver (90 days within a calendar year). Dual citizenship is permitted. The Schengen Area and the United Kingdom are no longer visa-free (UK from 19 July 2023; EU/Schengen fully ended 12 December 2024), both as a result of the CBI scheme, so Vanuatu is positioned as a Plan-B and personal-mobility passport rather than a Europe or UK access product.

Weighing this against Europe?

What you’re really after — and the cleaner route to it.

Most clients who consider Vanuatu want the same things: stronger mobility, a Plan B held in reserve, and optionality for the family. Vanuatu can grant a second passport — but it confers no right to live, work or settle in the European Union, and no path to an EU passport.

If a European foothold is any part of your objective, residence by investment achieves it directly — a euro-denominated home, legal residence in the EU, and, held over time, a lawful route to European citizenship. We map both, honestly, against what you are actually trying to achieve.

Eligibility & process

What's involved.

Family inclusion: The main applicant must be 18 or over. DSP contribution tiers are family-priced on the official fee page: single US$130,000; married couple US$150,000; couple + 1 child US$165,000; couple + 2 children US$180,000; +US$10,000 per additional dependant. Includable dependants under the DSP framework are the spouse, dependent children, and dependent parents and grandparents. The Form D (capital-investment) fee schedule on the same official page sets out the Citizenship Office's age structure: a child is treated as under 18 (additional under-18 child fee US$19,250) and a separate dependant bracket exists for ages 18-21 (US$44,250), so dependent children can be included up to age 21 on that route. Exact DSP dependent-child and parent/grandparent dependency-age thresholds are confirmed directly with the Citizenship Office.
Due diligence: Mandatory due diligence is coordinated by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which assists the Citizenship Screening Committee with final checks, as required under Citizenship (Development Support Program) Regulations Order No. 33 of 2019. Screening uses international databases (INTERPOL, sanctions, PEP, bankruptcy and solvency, terrorism and global watchlists). Applicants must have no criminal record, be of good character, and demonstrate a legitimate source of funds. A non-refundable FIU due-diligence fee of US$5,000 applies per application per the official fee page. The Citizenship Office has progressively strengthened its due-diligence regime.
Timeline: One of the fastest CBI programmes in the world. Following Citizenship Commission approval, the applicant is given 3 months to complete the final two steps - the oath of allegiance and the final citizenship-fee payment - extendable by a further 2 months on written request to the Secretary General; failure to comply expires the approval. No interview is required for the investment route, and the written Bislama language test applies only to ordinary naturalisation under Forms A and B, not the investment routes.
Physical presence: There is no residence requirement and no minimum stay to obtain or maintain citizenship. The official Citizenship Office Application-Process page provides that the oath of allegiance is completed in the presence of a Commissioner for Oaths at a Vanuatu court, and that applicants living abroad travel to Vanuatu (or, if in Santo, use the Luganville court) to complete it.
Tax: Vanuatu is a long-standing zero-direct-tax jurisdiction: no personal income tax, no capital gains tax, no inheritance or estate tax, no wealth tax and no gift tax; the main public revenue is VAT and import duties. Citizenship does not by itself make the holder Vanuatu tax-resident or change their home-country tax position - there is no residence requirement and most CBI citizens do not relocate. Vanuatu is a CRS-participating jurisdiction, so the passport is not an automatic information-exchange shield. Current tax treatment is confirmed with Vanuatu authorities and counsel as part of any engagement.

Key provisions

Citizenship by investment is granted under the Citizenship Act [Cap 112] (in force 1980), which empowers the Prime Minister/Minister to make regulations; the DSP was established by Order No. 215 of 2016 under s.20 of the Act and re-gazetted on 24 August 2017.
The current governing instrument is the Citizenship (Development Support Program) Regulations Order No. 33 of 2019, which prescribes the contribution categories and fees.
DSP donation contribution: US$130,000 single applicant; US$150,000 couple; US$165,000 couple + 1 child; US$180,000 couple + 2 children; +US$10,000 per additional dependant (official Citizenship Office fee schedule).
Separate fees: Vatu 5,000 application fee plus a US$5,000 FIU due-diligence fee (official fee page).
All contributions and fees are paid in US Dollars.
Mandatory FIU-led due diligence on all applicants; no criminal record, good character and legitimate source of funds required.
Fastest mainstream CBI programme, with no interview, no residence and no language test for the investment route.
Family inclusion: spouse, dependent children, and wholly financially-dependent parents and grandparents.
A separate Real Estate Option Program (REO, from 23 July 2021) grants citizenship via a Government-approved project, distinct from the DSP.
Mobility: UK visa-free access was revoked on 19 July 2023 and the EU/Schengen visa exemption fully ended on 12 December 2024, both as a result of the CBI scheme.

Documents you'll provide

Completed official DSP application form (obtained via a designated agent or the Citizenship Office)
Certified copy of valid passport (with adequate validity)
Certified birth certificate
Police clearance / no-criminal-record certificate from country of residence and citizenship
Proof of source of funds and supporting financial documents
Bank reference and/or bank statements
Marriage certificate (if including a spouse) and evidence of dependency for children, parents or grandparents
Passport-sized photographs
Medical / health certificate
Curriculum vitae / personal history (where requested)
Oath of allegiance (administered on approval, before a Commissioner for Oaths)

Legal basis & source documents

The governing law — in our library.

Citizenship Act [Cap 112] (1980, amended by Act No. 34 of 2018) and the Citizenship (Development Support Program) Regulations Order No. 33 of 2019 (current DSP instrument), as further affected by Orders Nos. 38 and 39 of 2020. Statutory routes: Contribution Program (s.13D), Capital Investment / Form D (s.13C), and Real Estate Option / REO (s.13F). Confirmed on the official Citizenship Office Legislative Framework and Application Forms pages. · Administered by Vanuatu Citizenship Office & Citizenship Commission (Office of the Prime Minister), Port Vila, Vanuatu. The programme is administered under the Citizenship Commission with mandatory due-diligence support from the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). Official site: https://vancitizenship.gov.vu. Applications are lodged through Government-designated agents listed on the official Citizenship Office site..

Citizenship Act [Cap 112] (1980) - governing primary statute empowering citizenship by investment

Law · held by 8T20

Citizenship Act No. 34 of 2018 (Amendment)

Law · held by 8T20

Citizenship (Development Support Program) Regulations - Order No. 33 of 2019 (current DSP regulations: contribution categories and fees)

Regulation · held by 8T20

Order No. 38 of 2020 (DSP-related amendment order)

Regulation · held by 8T20

Order No. 39 of 2020 (DSP-related amendment order)

Regulation · held by 8T20

DSP Application Form & checklist (official application form for the Development Support Program)

Form · held by 8T20

Application Form D (granting of citizenship to an investor under the Capital Investment route)

Form · held by 8T20

Real Estate Option Program (REO) application form & checklist

Form · held by 8T20

Citizenship Office fees-and-charges schedule (DSP contribution tiers, application fee, FIU due-diligence fee)

Fee Schedule · held by 8T20

Citizenship Office application-process guide (10-step process, oath, timelines)

Guideline · held by 8T20

Citizenship Office legislative-framework index (consolidated list of Act, amendments and DSP orders)

Guideline · held by 8T20

Citizenship Office designated agents list (authorised lodging agents)

Policy · held by 8T20

Citizenship Office notice - payments in USD only; oath modality

Policy · held by 8T20

Documents marked “held by 8T20” are mirrored on our own servers from the official source, so the reference is always available.

Official sources

Interested in Vanuatu? We’ll open the right door.

Our own focus is European residence — but if Vanuatu citizenship is genuinely of interest, leave your details and we’ll speak personally, understand your objectives, and introduce you to vetted, admitted counsel who handle this programme. No obligation, held in confidence.

This briefing is general guidance, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Figures are indicative and verified to 2026; final positions, eligibility and timelines are confirmed in writing by licensed counsel on engagement. 8T20 Capital coordinates the engagement and facilitates applications through admitted local counsel; it is not a law firm. Final eligibility, thresholds and timelines are confirmed in writing by licensed counsel before any commitment.