How much Vanuatu citizenship costs for one applicant and a family of four

Vanuatu citizenship cost: in short

In short: Vanuatu citizenship by investment is obtained under two programmes. The DSP is a non-refundable contribution from $130,000 for a single applicant to $180,000 for a couple with two children. The CIIP fund is $157,000 in one amount for a family of up to four, of which $50,000 is returned after 5 years. For a single applicant the DSP costs less; for a family of three or more, the fund does.

The advertised figure and the estimate total differ by the check fee, citizen documents and translations. Under the DSP these add from $10,000 for a single applicant to $19,000 for a family of four, and under the fund from $13,000 to $22,000. These amounts do not depend on the agent: they are made up of government tariffs and costs per family member.

The passport, citizen’s rights and processing time are the same under both programmes: approximately 2-3 months from filing a complete application. There are no annual payments once the passport is issued. The programme terms, requirements and stages are set out in the overview how the Vanuatu citizenship programme works.

How much Vanuatu citizenship costs all-in

In short: the all-in total is made up of the contribution, the FIU check fee, citizen documents for each family member and translations. Under the DSP it is $140,000 for a single applicant, $163,000 for a couple, $181,000 for a family of three and $199,000 for a family of four.

The DSP contribution rises in steps. A second adult adds $20,000, and each of two children adds $15,000. Multiplying $130,000 by the number of people is wrong: a family of four pays a $180,000 contribution, not $520,000. The CIIP fund contribution does not depend on the number of people for a family of up to four.

On top of the contribution, the estimate adds around $3,000 per family member for the passport, ID card and citizen documents. Translation and certification are costed for the application as a whole, around $2,000. The FIU check fee is paid once per application: $5,000 for the DSP and $8,000 for the fund.

For a family of five or more, the total depends on the age and status of each member. Dependent children under 25 and parents over 50 can be included, and the estimate costs both programmes for the actual family. How a three-generation family files one application is shown in the case of an estimate for a family of seven. Conditions for including relatives and the documents required are described in who can be included in the application.

DSP or CIIP fund: which costs less

In short: for a single applicant the DSP costs $30,000 less than the fund, and for a couple $10,000 less at payment. From three people the fund is cheaper at payment, and a family of four saves $20,000 upfront and receives $50,000 back after 5 years.

The passport, citizen’s rights and processing time are the same under both programmes; what differs is how the payment works. Under the DSP the money goes to the Vanuatu budget and is not returned, and the amount depends on family size. Under the Capital Investment Immigration Plan (CIIP) the money is invested in a government-approved fund: one amount covers a family of up to four, and after 5 years the government buys back the share and returns $50,000. In the cost calculator this option is called the “Coconut Oil Fund”.

For a single applicant

The DSP costs a single applicant $140,000 all-in, the fund $170,000. After the return the fund comes to $120,000, but the $30,000 difference has to be paid upfront and $50,000 stays in the fund for five years. That is why the estimate recommends the DSP for a single applicant. How the non-refundable contribution works and who it suits is explained in the DSP programme.

For a couple and a family of three

For a couple the DSP is cheaper at payment: $163,000 against $173,000. After the return the fund costs the couple $123,000, so the choice depends on whether they are ready to leave $50,000 in the fund for 5 years. For a family of three the fund is cheaper at payment: $176,000 against $181,000, and another $50,000 comes back after 5 years.

For a family of four or more

A family of four pays $179,000 through the fund and $199,000 under the DSP: a $20,000 difference in favour of the fund on the day of payment. After 5 years the government returns $50,000, and the family’s cost of citizenship comes to $129,000. For a fifth and each further member both programmes add a contribution, which the estimate calculates by the person’s age and status.

Early exit from the fund is possible before five years, but with the loss of part of the amount under the contract. If the money may be needed sooner, this is taken into account when choosing the programme. Fund terms and the buy-back of the share are covered in the CIIP fund with a $50,000 return. The real estate option (REO) is not published in the official Citizenship Office tariff, so the estimate does not include it; how the REO works is described separately.

Three worked examples

In short: below are three typical families with an itemised calculation. The amounts come from the estimate calculator as of September 2026 and are recalculated when the family changes.

Single applicant

A 45-year-old entrepreneur applies alone. Under the DSP: contribution $130,000, FIU check $5,000, passport, ID card and citizen documents $3,000, translation and certification $2,000. Total $140,000. The fund would cost $170,000 at payment, so the estimate recommends the DSP: the $30,000 difference stays with the applicant straight away, with no wait for a return.

A couple and a 10-year-old child

Under the DSP: contribution $165,000, check $5,000, documents for three $9,000, translations $2,000, total $181,000. Through the fund: contribution $157,000, check $8,000, documents $9,000, translations $2,000, total $176,000. The fund is $5,000 cheaper at payment and returns $50,000 after 5 years, so for a family of three the estimate recommends the fund if that money can stay in it for five years.

A couple and two children

Under the DSP: contribution $180,000, check $5,000, documents for four $12,000, translations $2,000, total $199,000. Through the fund: contribution $157,000, check $8,000, documents $12,000, translations $2,000, total $179,000. The family saves $20,000 at payment and receives $50,000 after 5 years: over five years the difference with the DSP is $70,000.

If the family includes a dependent child aged 18 to 25 or parents over 50, they are added to the calculation as a separate line. The calculator shows the total for your family: the estimate for your family costs both programmes and marks the cheaper one.

What the amount is made of: contribution, fees and documents

In short: the government sets the contribution, the FIU check fee and the fees for citizen registration and the passport. Translation, certification and advisory are paid separately, and each item appears on its own line in the estimate.

Contribution: a payment to the budget or an investment in a fund

The DSP contribution is paid to the Vanuatu budget. Its amount is published by the Citizenship Office and is the same for all applicants, so there is nothing to negotiate with an agent. The contribution is paid against a Treasury invoice after approval in principle: the largest part of the budget leaves only when the commission has already decided on the application.

The CIIP fund contribution works differently. It is an investment in a government-approved project, and $50,000 of the amount is returned to the applicant after 5 years. It is paid in a single payment before filing, and the investment terms are set out in the contract with the fund.

Government fees

The due diligence fee is paid for the application as a whole, not for each member. Citizenship Office fees are set in vatu: registration of a new DSP citizen costs VT 100,000 and a passport VT 5,000 per person. The vatu amount does not depend on the exchange rate; only its dollar equivalent changes, which has almost no effect on the all-in total.

Translation, certification and advisory

The government does not set tariffs for this part. Documents issued in languages other than English are translated and certified, and police certificates and marriage and birth certificates are apostilled. The cost depends on the number of documents and the countries that issued them.

Applications are filed through a licensed agent: the Citizenship Office does not accept applications directly from individuals. The agent’s work and legal support are paid under the contract, as a separate line of the estimate. Seven budget items beyond the contribution, from the apostille to bank charges, are covered in seven budget items beyond the contribution, and the requirements for the applicant and the source of funds in requirements for Vanuatu citizenship applicants.

Due diligence: what the $5,000 or $8,000 pays for

In short: the fee pays for the check of the applicant and adult family members by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). It is paid at filing and is not refunded whatever the decision.

The FIU checks criminal records and open investigations, sanctions and wanted lists, public positions, business reputation and the origin of funds. Each adult in the application is checked separately, but the fee is paid once. For the CIIP fund it is higher: $8,000 against $5,000 for the DSP.

Questions most often arise not about the applicant’s background but about the source of funds: the sale of a business with a complex ownership structure, large receipts without documents, income from digital asset trading. That is why BRIDGES checks the background and source of funds before filing, while the fee has not yet been paid. How a source of funds from cryptocurrency is evidenced is explained separately, and the check itself in due diligence for Vanuatu citizenship.

The check takes up most of the processing time, which is 2-3 months overall. If the FIU requests an additional document, the timeline moves by the time needed to prepare it, and no new fee is paid. The stages week by week are set out in Vanuatu citizenship processing time.

When and in what order citizenship is paid for

In short: under the DSP only the check fee is paid at filing, and the contribution is paid after approval in principle against a Treasury invoice. Under the CIIP fund the contribution is paid in a single payment before the application is filed.

The payment order is checked against the contract before signing. Under the DSP, a demand to pay the whole contribution on signing the contract contradicts how the programme works: the contribution is paid after approval. Under the fund, early payment is part of the CIIP terms, and the contract is checked for whose account the money goes to and what happens to it if the application is refused.

Government payments go to accounts of the Government of Vanuatu or the approved fund, not to an intermediary’s account. Bank details are taken from the official invoice issued for the application. How payments are split across stages, from the preliminary check to the passport, is explained in the payment schedule by stage.

A transfer of a large amount goes through bank compliance, so the account the payment will come from is chosen in advance. The sending bank and correspondent banks charge fees at their own tariffs, and these are budgeted separately from the contribution.

What is refunded if citizenship is refused

In short: the FIU check fee is not refunded. The DSP contribution is not paid at all on refusal, because it is paid after approval. The terms for refunding the CIIP fund contribution are set out in the contract with the fund.

Under the DSP, a refusal at the check stage means the largest part of the budget stays with the applicant: no Treasury invoice for the contribution is issued. What remains paid is the FIU fee, translation and certification of documents, and services under the contract to the extent already performed.

Under the CIIP fund the contribution has been paid before filing. What is refunded on refusal, within what period and with what deductions, is written in the contract with the fund and the advisory contract. BRIDGES checks this clause together with the client before payment.

If a citizen changes their mind after receiving the passport, the DSP contribution is not refunded: it is a payment to the country’s budget. The government buys back the fund share after 5 years, and early exit is possible with the loss of part of the amount. A repeat application after a refusal is accepted by the Citizenship Office with a fee of VT 7,000 instead of VT 5,000 for the first one. Before filing again, the reason for the refusal is addressed, otherwise the cost of a new application will not pay off. Grounds for refusal and next steps are covered in refusal of Vanuatu citizenship.

Cost for applicants from Russia and other countries

In short: the tariffs are the same for every nationality: DSP from $130,000, CIIP fund $157,000 for a family of up to four. What differs is preparation: apostille and translation of home-country documents, payment from an account that can send transfers to Vanuatu, and reporting obligations in the country of citizenship.

Vanuatu programmes do not divide applicants by nationality, and the all-in total is calculated with the same estimate for everyone. Police certificates and marriage and birth certificates issued outside English-speaking countries are apostilled and translated into English. The police certificate is ordered so that it is still valid on the filing date.

The contribution and fees are paid in US dollars. Correspondent banks often reject transfers from countries under international sanctions, including Russia, so payment is planned in advance: from an account with a bank in another country and with documents on the origin of funds. Which banks open accounts for Vanuatu citizens is covered in banks in Vanuatu. Tax residents of Russia notify the Federal Tax Service when they open an account with a foreign bank and report the movement of funds on it every year, so the account for payment is chosen with these requirements in mind.

Biometrics for the passport are taken in Moscow, St Petersburg, Dubai, Hong Kong or Port Vila, so a flight to the islands does not need to be budgeted. Some countries require citizens to report a second citizenship: a Russian citizen, for example, notifies the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 60 days, and failure to do so carries a fine of up to RUB 200,000 under Article 330.2 of the Russian Criminal Code. How the notice is filed is described in dual citizenship of Russia and Vanuatu, and the programme terms for Russian citizens in Vanuatu citizenship for Russians.

How Vanuatu compares with other programmes on cost

In short: the Vanuatu contribution is lower than in Caribbean programmes: $130,000 under the DSP for a single applicant against $200,000-250,000 in the Caribbean. Caribbean passports give visa-free entry to the Schengen Area, the Vanuatu passport does not, and families who need Europe obtain Greek residence as Vanuatu citizens.

For a family of four the gap is wider. The DSP contribution for such a family is $180,000, the fund $157,000, and in Dominica $250,000. The Vanuatu contribution for a family of four is lower than the contribution for a single applicant in Antigua, Grenada, St Lucia and St Kitts. The Nauru programme has a lower contribution, and how it compares with Vanuatu on timing and visa-free destinations is covered in Vanuatu or Nauru.

For this amount the family receives permanent citizenship and a 10-year passport with visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to about 97 countries and territories. Citizenship passes to children by descent, so the next generation does not pay again. The list of destinations is in visa-free countries for the Vanuatu passport.

Timing differs too. Vanuatu grants citizenship in approximately 2-3 months, while Caribbean programmes usually take six months or longer to process applications. For a family that needs the document quickly, time is part of the cost just as the contribution is.

The path to Europe through Vanuatu takes two steps: the passport in 2-3 months, then Greek residence under the Golden Visa programme or Hungary’s programmes, applied for as a Vanuatu citizen. How this is done is described on the Greek residence for Vanuatu citizens page. A full comparison of programmes on money is in the full cost comparison, and on timing in the programme speed index.

How to check a Vanuatu citizenship estimate

In short: an estimate is checked in four steps: the government part separately from services, the contribution for the family, the payment order and the total. If government payments are merged into one line, they cannot be checked against the official tariff.

Government part and services

The contribution, FIU fee and government fees are published by the Citizenship Office and are the same with every agent. The government does not set the price of services. In a correct estimate these parts are separated: the government part is checked against the tariff, services against the contract.

Family and choice of programme

The contribution matches the number and status of family members: adults, children under 18, dependent children under 25, parents. If the estimate was made for one person and the family plans to apply as four, it is recalculated. It is also worth checking whether both programmes were costed: for a family of four the fund is $20,000 cheaper than the DSP, and an estimate for the DSP alone will not show this difference.

Why agents’ amounts differ

Some agents show only the contribution, others the total with documents and advisory. Some fees are set in vatu and produce a difference when converted into dollars. Some websites still carry tariffs from previous years. Estimates can be compared only item by item, not by the bottom-line figure.

The agent’s licence is checked as of the filing date, not the date of negotiations. How to check an agent is described in Vanuatu citizenship agents, and signs of fraudulent offers in Vanuatu passport scams.

What BRIDGES advisory includes

In short: advisory covers the work from the preliminary check to delivery of the passports. Its fee is fixed in the contract as a separate line, while government payments go against official invoices.

• preliminary check of background and source of funds before the FIU fee is paid;
• choice of programme and an estimate for the family;
• the list of documents, translation and certification;
• filing through a licensed agent and responses to check requests;
• biometrics in Moscow, St Petersburg, Dubai, Hong Kong or Port Vila;
• remote oath, issue of passports and delivery.

The advisory fee depends on family size and the source of funds. An application from a single applicant with employment income and one from a three-generation family with a business sale require different amounts of work. That is why the proposal is prepared after the preliminary check: with the list of services, the fee and the payment stages. The stages of work and scope of services are shown on the Vanuatu programme advisory page.

Costs after the passport is issued

In short: there are no annual payments, no citizenship tax and no requirement to live in the country. The passport is valid for 10 years and is renewed at the published tariff, while relatives not included in the application are processed with a separate application.

A Vanuatu passport is issued for 10 years. Renewal follows the passport service tariff, and citizen status does not change. How to renew a passport from abroad is described in Vanuatu passport renewal.

A spouse, child or parents not included in the first application are processed with a separate application, its own contribution and an FIU check. That is why it costs a family less to apply with everyone at once. How to add a family member after citizenship is granted is covered in adding relatives to Vanuatu citizenship.

The passport itself creates no tax obligations in Vanuatu: tax residence is determined by where a person lives, not by the document. The country has no personal income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax. Details are in taxes in Vanuatu.

Under the CIIP fund the government buys back the share after 5 years and returns $50,000. The buy-back date and the account for the refund are fixed in the contract with the fund, so a copy is kept with the citizen documents.

How not to overpay for Vanuatu citizenship

In short: the total is reduced by decisions made before filing: a programme that matches the family, one application for everyone, a source-of-funds check before paying the FIU fee and a payment prepared in advance.

1. Cost both programmes. For families of three and four the CIIP fund costs less than the DSP at payment.
2. File the family in one application. A separate application for a relative after the passport is issued requires a new contribution and a new check.
3. Check the source of funds before filing. The FIU fee is not refunded, and questions about the money are resolved before it is paid.
4. Prepare documents with time to spare. An expired certificate sends the application back for rework, and repeat translation and apostille are paid again.
5. Plan the money transfer in advance. A rejected payment delays the passport and adds bank charges.

Common applicant mistakes that increase the budget and timeline are collected in mistakes when applying for Vanuatu citizenship.

What could change the cost in 2026

In short: in 2026 the Government of Vanuatu is reviewing its citizenship by investment programmes, so the final estimate is confirmed by an official invoice for the application. The amounts in this article are current as of September 2026.

DSP tariffs are published on the official Citizenship Office page, and the fund terms are fixed in the CIIP contract. Before handing the final estimate to the client, the agent obtains a current invoice, and payment is made against it rather than a figure from an article.

The second factor is the vatu exchange rate. Government fees are set in the local currency, and their dollar equivalent moves with the rate. The effect on the all-in total is small: fees are a minor share of the amount.

What has already changed in the terms is covered in Vanuatu programme changes in 2026. Whether the programme justifies the cost in your situation is discussed in is Vanuatu citizenship worth it, and what the passport gives in practice in benefits of Vanuatu citizenship.

BRIDGES analysis on this topic: what the state earns per passport, the outlook to 2028.