Will Vanuatu citizenship be passed on to children and by inheritance in 2026?

Briefly: what children and grandchildren inherit

Vanuatu citizenship is an inherited status. Children born after a parent becomes a citizen receive a passport by right of blood. Children born earlier must be included in the application immediately. The status is indefinite, only the document itself is renewed.

Vanuatu is one of the few jurisdictions where a second passport actually works as an intergenerational planning tool rather than a one-time purchase. Citizenship here is based on jus sanguinis: the child of a Vanuatu citizen becomes a citizen no matter in which country he is born. This is enshrined in Article 11 of the 1980 Constitution and confirmed by practice in 2026.

But between the phrase children inherit citizenship and in reality there are nuances that change the outcome of the case. The key fork in the road is the moment the child is born relative to the moment the parent obtains citizenship. Children born AFTER a parent's naturalization inherit status almost automatically. Children born BEFORE must be included in the initial application as dependents - otherwise it will be extremely difficult to prove eligibility later. Grandchildren are also entitled to citizenship by descent if the parent or grandfather held the status at the time of their birth. All details are discussed below. If you need a big picture of the program, start with the hub Vanuatu citizenship by investment.

Children born after receiving citizenship: right of blood

This is the purest scenario. If the parent is already a citizen of Vanuatu at the time of the child's birth, the child acquires citizenship by descent - by right of blood. The basis is Article 11 of the Constitution of Vanuatu: a child born to at least one parent who is a citizen of Vanuatu is a citizen, regardless of place of birth. Whether the child was born in Moscow, Dubai, London or on the islands themselves does not matter.

An important detail that consultants often miss: in order to transfer by right of blood, the parent must ALREADY hold citizenship at the time of the child’s birth. Not at the time of application, not at the time of conception, but precisely by the date of birth. Therefore, families planning a replenishment often complete the registration of citizenship for the parents first, and only then pregnancy and childbirth, so that the newborn immediately falls under the right of blood without a separate investment application.

What does this give in practice:

• the child does not pay a re-fee under the DSP program - inheritance of status is free, only state fees for processing documents are paid;
• there is no need to undergo separate due diligence as for an investor - the relationship is checked, not the source of funds;
• the child's status is not related to whether the parent retains residency or residency elsewhere - Vanuatu citizenship is not revoked for non-use.

Procedurally, for a child born after, a birth certificate is issued, the citizenship of the parent is confirmed on the date of birth and the child is submitted for registration as a citizen by origin, with the subsequent issuance of a child passport. This is a documentary procedure, not a re-investment. Read more about the process of naturalization of parents in the material how to obtain Vanuatu citizenship.

Children born before: dependents on original application

This is where the risk zone begins, which is worth warning about. If the child was born BEFORE the parent became a citizen of Vanuatu, the right of blood does not automatically work - after all, at the time of the child’s birth the parent was not yet a citizen. For such children, there is one reliable way: to include them in the parent's initial investment application as dependents.

The DSP program allows you to add dependent children to one application. According to the 2026 rules:

• children under 18 are almost always included - they are considered dependents by default;
• children 18-25 years old can be included if they are studying (full-time students) and are completely financially dependent on the main applicant;
• Each additional dependent increases the total contribution - family rates are higher than for a single person.

A critical point confirmed by the Citizenship Office in 2026: if a child was born before a parent's naturalization and was NOT included in the parent's citizenship application, the child will NOT subsequently be able to qualify for citizenship through naturalization. In other words, the window of opportunity closes at the moment of submission. Therefore, families cannot add older child later by right of blood - he must be entered immediately or a separate independent application must be filled out for him as an adult investor, which is more expensive.

Conclusion for planning: when making an application, list all the children you want to grant status, even if some of them are still in doubt. It is better to enable and not use than to miss the right forever. If your budget is limited, calculate the family package in advance - see our analysis Vanuatu citizenship by investment programs and comparison with competitors in the material Vanuatu vs Dominica.

Grandchildren and more distant generations

Vanuatu is a rare case where the law directly mentions not only children, but also grandchildren. Under the constitutional rules and practice of citizenship by descent, a person born to at least one parent OR grandparent who is a citizen of Vanuatu is entitled to citizenship by descent, provided that that ancestor held citizenship at the time of the birth of the relevant generation.

How this works in practice for the investor’s family:

• you receive Vanuatu citizenship under the DSP program;
• your son born after this receives citizenship by right of blood;
• your grandson, born when your son is already a citizen, also receives citizenship by descent.

This is how the status is transmitted along the chain of generations, as long as the key condition is met in each link: the transmitting ancestor must be a citizen at the time of the birth of the heir. If at some point the chain is interrupted - for example, the child was not registered and did not have time to become a citizen before the birth of his child - the transfer along this line stops, and it has to be restored through separate procedures.

Practical advice: don’t delay applying for children’s passports for later. Documented citizenship in every generation is what makes inheritance reliable. A paper confirming the status of the grandfather and father is the basis for registering a grandson. That is why a second passport should be considered as a family asset that requires careful document management, and not as a personal document of one person. Vanuatu allows dual citizenship, so neither children nor grandchildren are required to give up their native passport.

How to add a later born child: conditions and cost

The most common question from families: We obtained citizenship, two years later a child was born - what should we do? The answer depends on whether the child was born before or after you received citizenship, and we break these cases down by cost.

For a later born child (after the parent has acquired citizenship), the procedure is as follows:

• obtain a local birth certificate and its legalization/apostille for submission to Vanuatu;
• confirm the citizenship of the parent on the date of birth of the child (copy of citizenship certificate, passport);
• apply for registration of the child as a citizen by origin;
• apply for a Vanuatu child passport (usually valid for 5 years).

Cost guidelines for the program itself to understand the family budget at the start (2026 data): DSP fee from ~130,000 USD for one applicant, for a family of four - about ~180,000 USD, plus a non-refundable due diligence fee of about 5,500 USD. This is a non-refundable donation to the Development Fund - let's be : the money is not returned and is not secured by real estate. The exact amounts and family composition are determined individually. Detailed calculations can be found in the cost analysis at the hub and in the cluster materials about contributions and expenses. In order to include children in the estimate correctly the first time, it is wiser to discuss the composition of the application before submitting - leave the application via BRIDGES GLOBAL consultation form.

Indefinite citizenship and passport renewal

Frequent confusion: people mix up concepts citizenshipandpassport. These are different things, and for inheritance the difference is fundamental.

Citizenship of Vanuatu is permanent. It does not need to be renewed, confirmed annually, there is no requirement to reside on the islands or pay regular fees to maintain status. Having received citizenship, a person remains a citizen for life and transfers the right to his children. The state does not revoke your status because you do not use it or do not visit the country. It is this open-endedness that makes Vanuatu suitable for families. plan B: status not will burnwhile you are busy with other things.

A passport is an urgent document. This is just a certificate confirming your citizenship, and it has an expiration date:

• An adult's passport is valid for 10 years;
• a child passport is usually valid for 5 years (children grow, the photo becomes outdated);
• upon expiration, the passport is renewed - often remotely, without a personal visit to the country, for a nominal state fee.

What does this mean for inheritance: even if the heir has an old or expired passport, his citizenship has not gone away - you just need to update the document. Therefore, we advise families not to panic because of an expired child’s passport: the child’s status is preserved, renewal is a formality. We discuss the document renewal procedure in detail in a separate article about renewing a Vanuatu passport; The logic is the same as for adults. The main thing is to keep the certificate of citizenship and documents of kinship: it is they, and not the passport itself, that prove the inherited right.

Nuances: adults and adopted children

Here we talk directly about weak points, because honesty is more important than a pretty picture. Not all children inherit status equally smoothly.

Children who have reached adulthood. While the child is a minor, it is easy to include him in the family application as a dependent. With age, the window narrows:

• up to 18 years old - always included;
• 18-25 years old - included provided that they are studying full-time and are financially dependent on the main applicant; proof will be required (certificate from university, lack of independent income);
• over 25 years of age - generally no longer considered a dependent and must apply independently as an adult investor with full contributions.

Hence the practical conclusion: if you have growing children, it is not profitable to delay registration. Every year brings them closer to the border, after which free inheritance through a family application becomes impossible, and only a separate expensive application remains. This, by the way, is a common mistake in families where the eldest child is 23-24 years old: they try to add him at 26 years old and are faced with refusal.

Foster (adopted) children. This is the thinnest area. Jus sanguinis is based on biological kinship, while adoption is a legal connection, not a blood connection. Therefore, the transfer of citizenship to adopted children by right of blood does not occur automatically and is considered individually. In practice, a lot depends on:

• whether the adoption is formalized and recognized under the laws of Vanuatu;
• whether the adopted child was included in the parent’s application as a dependent at the registration stage;
• the age of the child and the completeness of the adoption documents.

We deliberately do not give strict guarantees here: the situation with adopted children is resolved in the Citizenship Office on an individual basis, and the result depends on the package of documents. If there are adopted children in the family, this will need to be discussed with an advisor PRIOR to filing to determine a workable strategy - most often they will be included as dependents on the initial application rather than relying on automatic entitlement by blood.

A second passport as an inheritance: a practical analysis

Let's put it all together into practical logic plan B for the family. Why do wealthy families consider Vanuatu as an inheritable asset, and where are the fair restrictions?

What do you really convey to children:

• Lifetime status as a citizen of a jurisdiction with zero taxes - no tax on income, capital gains, worldwide income and, importantly for inheritance, no inheritance tax (0%);
• the right to citizenship for future grandchildren along the line of descent;
• an additional document for crossing borders and opening accounts - an alternate airfield if the main citizenship becomes problematic;
• freedom of choice: Vanuatu recognizes dual citizenship; there is no need to renounce your native passport.

What we warn you about (this is our trump card against those who embellish):

• A Vanuatu passport does NOT have Schengen visa-free status. The EU suspended the visa-free regime in 2022 and made the suspension permanent in December 2024. A citizen of Vanuatu needs a Schengen visa to enter the EU. Any consultant who promises visa-free travel to Europe with a Vanuatu passport in 2026, is misleading;
• the program contribution is non-refundable - it is a donation, not an investment with a return;
• There are now approximately fewer visa-free destinations than before the abolition of the EU - for a real current map, see the material about visa-free countries, do not raise your expectations.

Despite the limitations, for the task give the family a spare passport quickly and forever Vanuatu remains one of the most pragmatic solutions: registration in ~1-2 months, status is inherited, no inheritance taxes. Analysis will help you compare with alternatives Vanuatu vs Nauruandfastest second citizenship. If you want to build a family strategy taking into account children and grandchildren, this is a topic for personal consultation.

What we check before submitting a family application

Inheritance of status by children works reliably only if the package is correctly assembled at the start. Below is a checklist that the BRIDGES GLOBAL team goes through with each family before submitting, so that they don’t add a child retroactively and don't lose your right.

Family composition and timing of birth. The first thing we find out is which of the children was born before and which will be born after receiving citizenship. It depends on this who is included as a dependent now, and who will go by right of blood later. If a replenishment is planned, we discuss the sequence: sometimes it is more profitable to complete the citizenship of the parents before the birth of the child.

Age of children. We separately check children 17-25 years old - they are in tapering window area. If a child is turning 18 or approaching 25, we include them in the current application while they are still qualifying as a dependent and collect evidence of schooling and financial dependency.

Documents on kinship and adoption. We check birth certificates, if necessary - apostille and notarized translation. For adopted children, we study adoption documents separately, because the right of blood does not automatically apply to them - it is more correct to include them as dependents.

Source of funds and due diligence. The main applicant is verified (approx. USD 5,500 fee). We prepare confirmation of the legal origin of funds in advance so as not to be refused at the final stage.

Typical mistakes we prevent:

• they forgot to enter the eldest child - then he will not be able to receive status through the parent;
• hoped to add an adult child Later and missed the age limit;
• did not issue a children's passport on time - the status itself is not lost, but the chain of inheritance for grandchildren becomes more difficult to prove;
• believed the promise visa-free Europe and built a plan on a non-existent benefit.

A neat package at the start is a guarantee that the second passport will work as an inheritance, and not as a one-time document. You can analyze your specific family situation during a consultation through BRIDGES GLOBAL.