Is Vanuatu citizenship passed on to children and heirs

Vanuatu citizenship for children: in brief

In brief: a child born after the parent became a citizen acquires citizenship by descent on application with the birth certificate. A child born earlier is included in the first application; otherwise a separate application with its own contribution is needed later.

One date decides it: whether the parent was a Vanuatu citizen at the time of the child’s birth. It determines whether the child is registered on documents without a contribution or included in the investment application at the family tariff. How to include the whole family in the application is covered in Vanuatu citizenship for the whole family.

Children born after citizenship is granted

In brief: the child of a Vanuatu citizen acquires citizenship by descent regardless of the country of birth. There is no new contribution and no FIU check for an infant: an application for citizenship and a passport is filed with the birth certificate and proof of kinship.

1. Birth certificate in the child’s country of birth.
2. Apostille and translation into English.
3. Name check of the child and parents against their Vanuatu passports.
4. Application for citizenship and a passport through a designated agent.
5. The child’s passport without a programme contribution or FIU check.

A birth certificate issued abroad is apostilled and translated into English, and the names of the child and parents in the translation must match their Vanuatu passports letter for letter. The passport needs children’s photographs to the Immigration and Passport Services requirements, which differ for infants. The application is filed through a designated agent, and all the work is done remotely.

That is how it went for a couple who received Vanuatu passports and had a daughter a year later: the child did not repeat the parents’ route, the certificate was legalised in Turkey and the passport was delivered by courier. Details in the case Vanuatu citizenship for a newborn.

Children born before citizenship is granted

In brief: a child born before the parent became a citizen is included in the parent’s application. Children under 18 are included on proof of kinship, children aged 18 to 25 if in full-time study and supported by the parent.

For children under 18 a passport, birth certificate, medical certificate, photographs and forms are prepared. From 12 to 18, under the official DSP checklist, a police clearance and the FIU check are added. Children aged 18-25 provide the full adult set of documents and prove full-time study and support.

The FIU fee is paid once per application, while the DSP contribution grows with the family: $130,000 for one, $150,000 for a couple, $165,000 for a family of three, $180,000 for a family of four. Under the CIIP fund the sum of $157,000 is the same for a family of up to four.

If a child born earlier was not included in the first application, they are added by a separate application with its own contribution and check. For naturalised citizens the law is stricter: a child born before the parent’s naturalisation and not included in their application cannot acquire citizenship as of right through the parent. The procedure for adding relatives is in adding family members to Vanuatu citizenship.

Grandchildren and later generations

In brief: citizenship passes down the chain: a child born to a citizen becomes a citizen, and their children also acquire citizenship by descent. There is one condition: the parent in each generation is already a Vanuatu citizen at the time of birth.

1. Parent. Acquires citizenship under the programme and the Commission’s certificate.
2. Child. Is born afterwards and acquires citizenship by descent.
3. Documents. The parent’s certificate, the child’s birth certificate and passport.
4. Grandchild. Is born to a citizen child and also acquires citizenship by descent.

The chain is confirmed by the documents of each link: the certificate of citizenship for the first generation, the birth certificate and passport for the second. So children’s passports are obtained on time, and certificates are kept together: when a grandchild is registered, they are requested to confirm the parent’s citizenship. The citizenship law also gives a right under form C(a) to those whose parent or grandparent is ni-Vanuatu or a naturalised citizen.

Three generations in one application

In brief: the application can include not only children but also parents over 50 whom the applicant supports. This way three generations receive citizenship at once, and later children and grandchildren inherit it by descent.

Parents are included on financial dependency on the main applicant: statements of regular transfers, pension certificates, proof of living together. They do not need to live in Vanuatu, and with BRIDGES biometrics are given in Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, St Petersburg or Port Vila, so elderly parents do not have to fly to the islands. Conditions for the older generation are covered in citizenship for applicants aged 55+.

That is what a family of seven did: the applicant, his wife, a 23-year-old daughter doing a master’s degree, two younger sons and parents aged 72 and 69 whom the son has supported for many years. One application settled the second citizenship question for three generations, and the family received seven passports in 59 days. Details in the case Vanuatu citizenship for a family of seven.

A family plan across generations: the numbers

In brief: a family of four pays $185,000 turnkey under the DSP or $165,000 under the CIIP fund, of which $50,000 is returned after 5 years. Children born after citizenship is granted, and grandchildren of citizen children, require no programme contribution.

Costs for children born afterwards come down to legalising documents and the passport. So Vanuatu citizenship is seen not as an expense for one person but as an investment in the family’s status. Beyond the contribution, the only payment to the state is the FIU fee: $5,000 under the DSP and $8,000 under the fund per application, and the contribution is paid after Commission approval.

A single applicant or a couple does better with the DSP, a family of three or more with the fund. A comparison of programmes is in the CIIP fund with a $50,000 return, all cost items in how much Vanuatu citizenship costs for a family, and the total for your family is shown by the budget for your family.

Documents for children and grandchildren

In brief: the Commission’s certificate of citizenship, birth and marriage certificates with an apostille and translation, passports of all family members and adoption or guardianship documents. These are the evidence on which the next generations are registered.

• Certificate of citizenship. The main status document, requested when registering children and renewing the passport.
• Birth certificates. With an apostille and translation, with names matching the Vanuatu passports.
• Marriage certificate. Links the parents’ documents when surnames differ.
• Passports. Current and previous, with expiry dates in a shared family calendar.

Copies are kept in a secure digital archive, and originals together. When documents are gathered in advance, registering a child or grandchild takes weeks, not months of searching for papers.

Adopted children and a spouse’s children

In brief: adopted children under 18 are included on adoption documents just like biological children. A spouse’s child from a previous marriage and children adopted after citizenship is granted are checked separately before filing.

If the parents are divorced, the other parent gives notarised consent to the child’s inclusion, and if contact has been lost or they have lost parental rights, a court decision is attached. Guardianship decisions and adoption documents are apostilled and translated. Non-standard situations, such as a spouse’s child or an adoption after the passport, can be resolved but need a document check before filing.

For a child under guardianship, the guardianship decision and proof that the applicant supports the child are attached. Court decisions and certificates are translated with the same name spellings as in the passports, so the whole family package matches without remarks.

Permanence of citizenship and passport renewal

In brief: Vanuatu citizenship does not need to be renewed or confirmed by residence or annual payments. Only the passport has an expiry date: it is biometric and valid for 10 years, and an expired passport does not cancel citizenship; it is exchanged for a new one.

Citizenship is confirmed by the Citizenship Commission’s certificate, while the passport is a travel document. Each child receives their own passport: children cannot be entered in a parent’s passport. The expiry dates of all family members’ documents go into a shared calendar so that everyone has a valid passport when travelling. The renewal procedure is in Vanuatu passport renewal.

Citizenship can be revoked for deception in obtaining it or concealing information, not for never travelling to Vanuatu or an expired document. So all information about the family, previous citizenships and children is disclosed when filing. The duties of a citizen are covered in what the status requires of a citizen, and voluntary renunciation in giving up Vanuatu citizenship.

Citizenship and inheritance of property

In brief: citizenship is not part of an estate: a child acquires it by descent, not by will. Vanuatu has no inheritance tax, but property is inherited under the law of the country where it is located and taxed by the country where the heirs live.

A Vanuatu passport does not change which law governs the inheritance of a flat in Moscow, a company stake in Dubai or an account in Europe: that is determined by the rules of the country where the property is and the deceased’s last place of residence. In Russia, for example, income in the form of an inheritance is generally exempt from personal income tax, but registering foreign property requires separate work.

For families planning to pass on capital, Vanuatu citizenship gives mobility and a second passport for the children, while the inheritance structure is built with all the countries where there are assets in mind. Taxes are covered in taxes in Vanuatu.

Case: inheritance and zero taxes

In brief: a 63-year-old entrepreneur planned to pass capital to his children during his lifetime and added Vanuatu citizenship to the family structure. He received the passport in 57 days, and lawyers supplemented the capital transfer plan with a jurisdiction that has no inheritance, gift or personal income tax.

The lawyers had already built an asset ownership structure for the family, but it lacked a personal element: citizenship of a country with zero taxes on inheritance and income. The Vanuatu passport covered this part, and the consultants set out the tool’s limits in advance: the heirs’ taxes are determined by the country where they live, and property is inherited under the law of the country where it is located.

• Task. Pass capital to the children during his lifetime and give the family a second citizenship.
• Solution. A Vanuatu passport in addition to the family’s asset ownership structure.
• Time. 57 days to the passport.
• The tool’s limit. The heirs’ tax residence and the law of the country where property is located remain unchanged.

Details in case: inheritance and zero taxes.

Children’s dual citizenship

In brief: Vanuatu recognises dual citizenship, so children keep their first citizenship. The rules of the first country of citizenship are checked separately: an adult Russian citizen, for example, notifies the Interior Ministry of Vanuatu citizenship within 60 days.

A child with Russian and Vanuatu citizenship is treated in Russia only as a Russian citizen and enters on the Russian document; the Vanuatu passport is used abroad. Other countries have their own approaches. The notification procedure for minors and the deadlines are checked before filing so that parents meet their obligations on time. Details for Russia in dual citizenship of Russia and Vanuatu.

What a Vanuatu passport gives children

In brief: a Vanuatu passport opens 46 countries to children without a visa and another 42 with a visa on arrival, and families start living in Europe through Greek residence. Children’s citizenship makes the family plan durable across generations.

Vanuatu citizens need a visa for the Schengen area. Families with children arrange Greek residence under the Golden Visa programme, which includes the spouse, children under 21 and the parents of both spouses, and the turnkey package of a Vanuatu passport and Greek residence takes up to 9 months. In Hungary an investor residence permit is issued for up to 10 years. Conditions on Greek residence for Vanuatu citizens, destinations in visa-free countries for the Vanuatu passport.

Checks before a family application

In brief: before filing, the children’s dates of birth, their age against the 12, 18 and 25 thresholds, proof of kinship and adoption, the other parent’s consent and certificate validity are checked.

1. Who was born before and who after. All children born earlier are included in the application now.
2. Age. For a child who will soon turn 25, inclusion cannot be postponed: after 25 they apply themselves.
3. Study and support. For ages 18-25, a certificate of full-time study and proof of support.
4. Kinship. Birth certificates with an apostille and translation, the other parent’s consent after a divorce.
5. Names. The spelling of the children’s and parents’ names matches across all documents.
6. Certificates. Police clearances of members from 18 are valid on the filing date.

Common applicant mistakes are covered in mistakes when applying for Vanuatu citizenship.

A family application with BRIDGES

In brief: we check the family composition and the children’s documents before filing, calculate the DSP and the CIIP fund, take the application through to the passports, and after children are born we arrange their citizenship and passports remotely.

• Application composition. Which children and parents to include now.
• Budget. DSP $185,000 turnkey or the CIIP fund $165,000 with $50,000 returned for a family of four.
• Newborns. Legalising the certificate, the application and the child’s passport.
• Document calendar. Passport expiry dates for all family members.

Support terms on Vanuatu citizenship with BRIDGES.