How Vanuatu citizenship is paid for: the contribution comes last, after approval

Payment order for Vanuatu citizenship: in brief

In brief: the FIU fee is paid first, on filing, then translation and certification on the providers’ invoices, and the contribution is paid after Commission approval. Beyond the contribution, the only payment to the state is the FIU fee, once per application. Government payments go to official accounts on an invoice issued for the application.

The order is set by the Citizenship Office: the citizenship contribution under the published fee schedule is paid only after the Commission approves the application. Before the decision the family risks only the FIU fee and document costs. How much the whole programme costs for your family is covered in the turnkey total by family size, and the whole path from the check to the passport in how to get Vanuatu citizenship step by step.

DSP payment schedule

In brief: a single DSP applicant needs the $5,000 FIU fee and translation costs before the Commission’s decision. The $130,000 contribution is paid after approval. The turnkey total is $135,000.

The contribution grows with the family: $130,000 for one person, $150,000 for a couple, $165,000 for a family of three and $180,000 for a family of four. The turnkey total with the FIU fee: $135,000, $155,000, $170,000 and $185,000. The FIU fee does not depend on family size, and the whole family pays one contribution under one application, as in case: a family of four with one contribution. Who can be included is covered in who can be included in the application.

The key feature of this schedule: by the time of the Commission’s decision, the applicant risks only the FIU fee and document costs. If the application is not approved, no contribution invoice is issued. So a demand to pay the DSP contribution when signing the agreement contradicts the programme, and such an agreement is not signed. How the contribution itself works and where it goes is covered in how the development fund contribution works.

CIIP fund payment schedule

In brief: under the CIIP fund, only the $8,000 FIU fee is paid before the Commission’s decision, and the $157,000 contribution for a family of up to four is paid in a single payment after approval. The total is $165,000, and after 5 years the state buys back the stake and returns $50,000.

The fund contribution is the same for one applicant and a family of up to four, so the difference from the DSP grows with the number of members. A single applicant or a couple does better with the DSP; a family of three or more with the fund: a total of $165,000 for any family of up to four, or $115,000 net of the return.

The fund payment goes through a Vanuatu bank, and the main applicant prepares separate documents for it: an asset report, a 6-month bank statement and a copy of a utility bill showing the address. These are collected at the full package stage so that the contribution can be paid without delay after approval. Leaving the fund before 5 years is possible with loss of part of the amount under the agreement. How to choose a programme by family size is covered in choosing between the DSP and the CIIP fund.

How much is paid by the time of the Commission’s decision

In brief: by the time of the Commission’s decision, only the FIU fee has been paid under either programme: $5,000 under the DSP and $8,000 under the CIIP fund. The large sum is paid after approval, when the decision has already been made.

This order removes the main financial risk: the family does not hold the contribution in government accounts while the check is under way. So before paying, the support agreement is checked mainly for the order of paying for services and the terms on the FIU fee. The fee is non-refundable, and a preliminary check of background and source of funds before paying it shows whether the application should be filed in its current form.

After approval the contribution invoice is issued, and from then on the payment channel matters: the sender’s bank, source-of-funds documents, the payment reference. These are prepared in advance so the bank’s review does not eat into the time allowed for the contribution and oath.

Example: a family of three chooses a programme by the payment schedule

In brief: a family of three pays $170,000 under the DSP or $165,000 under the fund and receives $50,000 back from the fund after 5 years. In both programmes only the FIU fee is paid before the Commission’s decision, and the contribution after approval.

On filing the family pays the FIU fee: $5,000 under the DSP or $8,000 under the fund. There are no other government payments before the Commission’s decision. After approval, $165,000 is paid under the DSP or $157,000 under the fund. The DSP total is $170,000 and the fund $165,000, and with the $50,000 returned after 5 years the fund costs $115,000.

If the family can leave $50,000 in the fund for five years, the fund is cheaper at the point of payment and noticeably cheaper once the return is counted. If it matters more that the whole sum goes to citizenship at once with no long-term investment, the family chooses the DSP and pays $5,000 more. For four people the gap grows: $185,000 under the DSP against $165,000 under the fund.

Payment timing: from the FIU invoice to the contribution

In brief: the FIU fee invoice is issued on the day of the agreement, the contribution is paid after the approval letter, and there are 3 months after approval for the contribution and the oath. Handling the payment from the Commission’s decision to credit usually takes 7-14 days.

1. Agreement and FIU fee. The fee invoice is issued within 1 working day, and after payment the short package for the check is prepared.
2. FIU check. Up to 7 working days without requests, with no payments during this time.
3. Full package and Commission. Translation and certification are paid on the providers’ invoices; the Commission sits twice a month.
4. Approval and contribution. The contribution invoice is issued for the application, and there are 3 months for the contribution and the oath.
5. Passport. After the oath the passport is issued in 1-3 weeks, with no separate payment in the turnkey total.

The payment calendar is built from the nearest Commission sitting: the decision date and the start of the contribution period are tied to it. If the money is on deposit or in assets, it is withdrawn with a margin for the bank’s review, so the contribution does not depend on the deposit’s maturity date.

Whom to pay: the state, the fund and providers

In brief: the DSP contribution goes to the Vanuatu treasury, the fund contribution to the fund’s account, the FIU fee to the Financial Intelligence Unit, and services to the provider’s legal entity under the agreement. Bank details are taken from the official invoice for the application.

• Vanuatu treasury. The DSP contribution, on an invoice issued after the application is approved.
• CIIP fund. The $157,000 contribution to the fund’s account in a Vanuatu bank under the terms of the fund agreement.
• Financial Intelligence Unit. The FIU check fee, once per application.
• Providers. Translation, certification and support under the agreement, paid to a legal entity, not a private individual’s card.

Government payments do not pass through intermediaries’ personal accounts. If you are asked to transfer the contribution to a card, to a company account in a third country without explanation or “to the agent’s account to speed things up”, stop the payment and check the details against the official invoice. How to check a designated agent against the official list is described in licensed Vanuatu citizenship agent, and signs of fraud in Vanuatu passport scams.

How to make a large payment

In brief: the account from which the contribution will be paid is chosen before filing. The sender’s bank and correspondent banks review a large transfer, and time and fees for this review are budgeted separately from the contribution.

The contribution and fees are paid in US dollars. A transfer of $130,000 or more is reviewed by the bank for source of funds and payment purpose, so the same documents on the origin of capital as for the FIU check, plus the invoice, are prepared for the payment. The payment reference is stated exactly as it appears on the invoice.

1. Choose the account in advance. A bank that accepts transfers to Vanuatu is checked before filing, not after approval.
2. Prepare documents. The invoice, source-of-funds documents and the agreement, if the bank asks for them.
3. Budget for fees. The sender’s bank and correspondent banks charge fees at their own rates.
4. Keep the confirmation. The transfer confirmation goes to the support team so that crediting can be checked.

If there is no account in a suitable bank, it is opened in advance. Which banks operate in Vanuatu and how a citizen opens an account is covered in banks in Vanuatu.

What is refunded on refusal

In brief: the FIU fee is not refunded. The contribution is not paid on refusal under either the DSP or the CIIP fund, because its invoice is issued after approval. Payment for services on refusal is governed by the support agreement.

If a citizen renounces the status after receiving the passport, the DSP contribution is not refunded, and the state buys back the fund stake after 5 years. Before reapplying after a refusal, its cause is removed. Grounds for refusal and next steps are covered in refusal of Vanuatu citizenship.

Payment order in the support agreement

In brief: in the agreement each amount is a separate line with its payment stage: services, FIU fee, translation, contribution. In both programmes the contribution is tied to Commission approval.

1. Service payment stages. An advance for preparation and stage payments, not the full sum on signing.
2. Government payments. Amount, recipient and timing for each payment.
3. Contribution. Under the DSP after approval on a treasury invoice, under the fund after approval under the fund agreement.
4. Refusal. What is refunded from services paid and within what time.
5. Family composition. How the amount changes if a member is added or removed before filing with the Commission.

All budget items besides the contribution, from apostilles to bank fees, are collected in seven budget items besides the contribution.

Mistakes when paying for Vanuatu citizenship

In brief: the most common mistakes concern the order and channel of payment: paying the contribution before approval, paying an intermediary’s account, choosing a bank that does not let the transfer through, and not allowing time for the bank’s review.

• Contribution before approval. The programme procedure provides for payment after the Commission’s decision.
• Payment to an intermediary’s account. Government payments go to official accounts on the invoice for the application.
• One sum with no breakdown. The government share cannot be checked against the tariff.
• A bank without a channel check. The transfer is returned or delayed, and issuing documents waits for the credit.
• The fund without an agreement. The fund contribution is paid only after studying the terms of return and early exit.
• No margin for fees. Correspondent banks deduct fees, and the amount credited ends up below the invoice.

Payments at issue and after the passport

In brief: the turnkey total includes the contribution and the FIU fee; there is no separate government payment at passport issue in it. There are no annual payments or citizenship tax; the passport is valid for 10 years and then renewed at the passport service tariff.

Citizen documents are issued after the Commission’s decision, the contribution, biometrics and the oath: the passport comes out in 1-3 weeks. Biometrics are taken in person in Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, St Petersburg or Port Vila. If the family gives biometrics outside its home city, flights and accommodation are added to the budget, but no trip to the islands is needed for this.

A relative not included in the first application is added by a separate application with its own contribution, FIU fee and documents. A child born to a Vanuatu citizen acquires citizenship by descent without a programme contribution. The procedure is described in adding family members to Vanuatu citizenship, passport renewal in Vanuatu passport renewal.

Paying from a country with banking restrictions: Russia as an example

In brief: the tariffs are the same for everyone; what differs is the payment channel. Correspondent banks often do not let through transfers from banks in countries under sanctions, Russia for example, so the contribution is paid from an account in a bank in another country with source-of-funds documents.

The account for payment is opened in advance and tested with a small transfer before the main payment. Your home country may have reporting rules for foreign accounts: a Russian tax resident, for example, notifies the tax service of opening an account in a foreign bank and reports cash flows through it. Currency control requirements depend on residence: a Russian citizen who is outside Russia for more than 183 days a year is released from some of these duties.

After receiving the passport, some countries require notification of a second citizenship: in Russia, the Interior Ministry must be notified within 60 days. All duties to Russian authorities are covered in Vanuatu citizenship for Russian citizens.

How BRIDGES builds the payment schedule

In brief: before the agreement we show an itemised budget and a stage-by-stage payment schedule, check the payment channel and bank details, and accept the contribution for payment only after the application is approved.

• An itemised budget. Contribution, FIU fee, translation and services on separate lines for the DSP and the fund.
• A schedule by stage. The date and amount of each payment in the application calendar.
• A channel check. Bank, details and transfer documents before filing.
• Credit confirmation. Each government payment is confirmed before moving to the next stage.

The amounts for your family will be shown by the budget for your family, the stages from the check to the passport are described in stages of Vanuatu citizenship, and the terms of work on Vanuatu citizenship with BRIDGES.