Is Vanuatu citizenship legal: the law, the state body and recognition of the passport

Vanuatu citizenship by investment is legal

In brief: yes. The programme is provided for by law and regulation, the decision is made by a state body, and the passport meets ICAO standards. EU and UK decisions concern the visa regime for Vanuatu citizens, not the authenticity of the passport or citizenship.

Three elements confirm the programme’s legality: a published legal basis, a state body that makes the decision, and an official citizenship document. What is unlawful is not the programme but offers that bypass it: “a passport without a check”, paying the contribution to an intermediary’s card, a document without a certificate. How the programme works for the applicant is covered in Vanuatu citizenship by investment, and what changes in life after obtaining the status in a Vanuatu citizen’s rights in practice.

The programme’s legal basis

In brief: grounds for citizenship are set by Chapter 3 of the Constitution and the Citizenship Act [Cap 112], in force since 1980. Applicant categories and DSP fees are set by regulation, Order No. 33 of 2019, and the tariff is published by the Citizenship Office.

The Citizenship Office classes citizenship under the DSP as honorary citizenship for contributing to the country’s development. Besides the DSP, the Citizenship Office lists the CIIP plan, the VCP programme and the REO property option. All acts, including the 2013, 2014 and 2018 amendments, are published in the Legislative Framework section of the official website.

The review procedure, tariffs and grounds for refusal are described in legal acts and available before filing. A detailed review of the legal basis and the Commission’s powers is in the Vanuatu citizenship law.

Who decides and issues the documents

In brief: the application is filed by a designated agent, the Financial Intelligence Unit carries out the check, the Citizenship Commission decides and issues the certificate of citizenship, and the passport is issued by the Immigration and Passport Services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

An intermediary or consultant does not grant citizenship and cannot guarantee approval. In 2025 the Citizenship Office specifically clarified that the Commission issues certificates of citizenship and does not issue passports, that the ordinary passport is issued by the Immigration and Passport Services and the diplomatic one by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So lawful citizenship is always confirmed by a Commission certificate, not by a passport alone.

The DSP contribution is paid after approval on a treasury invoice, and the FIU check fee on filing. No large sums are paid to the state before the Commission’s decision: the FIU fee is $5,000 under the DSP and $8,000 under the CIIP fund for the whole application.

The turnkey total under the DSP is $135,000 for one applicant and $185,000 for a family of four, and under the CIIP fund $165,000 for a family of up to four, of which $50,000 is returned after 5 years. All payments go to official accounts, and amounts are checked against the published fee schedule. The calculation by family size is covered in how much Vanuatu citizenship costs for a family.

The Vanuatu passport: a genuine document

In brief: a passport obtained under the programme is issued under the Passports Act 2009 only to a Vanuatu citizen, just as to a citizen by birth. Since September 2010 Vanuatu has issued machine-readable passports to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.

The holder’s photograph, signature and data are printed on the second page under a protective laminate, the passport has a machine-readable zone read by border systems, there is a map of Vanuatu on the third page, and the laminate contains an image of a boar’s tusk visible under ultraviolet light. Each person, including a child, receives their own passport: children can no longer be entered in a parent’s passport.

The passport is valid for 10 years and issued with a green cover. A passport obtained under the investment programme is issued by the same body and under the same law as for a citizen by birth. A citizen has the right to live in Vanuatu without a visa and to pass citizenship to their children. Rights and duties are covered in rights and duties of a Vanuatu citizen.

Recognition of the Vanuatu passport abroad

In brief: the Vanuatu passport is a valid travel document, and each country sets the visa regime for its holder. It opens 46 countries without a visa, another 42 give a visa on arrival, and 3 admit holders with an electronic authorisation.

Recognition of the document and visa-free travel are different things. A country that requires a visa from Vanuatu citizens accepts the passport for visa applications and entry. That is how travel to the Schengen area works: a Vanuatu citizen applies for a short-stay type C visa, decided under the Visa Code usually within 15 days, with a fee of €90.

Vanuatu has been a member of Interpol since 20 November 2018, and border services handle the Vanuatu passport just like passports of other states: they check the machine-readable zone and the visa regime. Many holders obtain it as a second document for when the main passport is unavailable; this scenario is covered in the Vanuatu passport as a plan B.

To live in Europe, Vanuatu citizens arrange Greek residence under the Golden Visa programme with a property threshold from €250,000 to €800,000. The list of destinations is in visa-free countries for the Vanuatu passport, and Schengen visa rules in the Vanuatu passport and Schengen.

What the EU and UK decisions mean

In brief: the EU suspended visa-free travel for Vanuatu citizens: partially in March 2022, fully from 4 February 2023, and since 3 February 2025 Vanuatu has been on the list of visa-required countries. The UK has required a visa since 19 July 2023. These decisions do not affect the authenticity of passports or citizenship.

The EU linked its decisions to citizenship by investment programmes. The first decision concerned passports issued from 25 May 2015, then the suspension extended to all Vanuatu citizens, and Regulation 2025/11 fixed the visa regime. The passports were not declared invalid, and citizenship was not called into question: Vanuatu citizens enter the EU on a visa or on the basis of a residence permit.

How the state oversees the programme

In brief: the Citizenship Office publishes lists of designated and revoked agents and revokes citizenship obtained in breach of the law, and in February 2026 the Council of Ministers considered a commission of inquiry report on the Citizenship Commission and its programmes.

• Agents. The 2026 Designated Agents list for the DSP and a separate Cancelled Agents list.
• Checks. The Financial Intelligence Unit checks applicants under the DSP, CIIP and VCP programmes.
• Revocation of citizenship. The Citizenship Office reports revoking about 30 citizenships granted in breach of procedure.
• Deadline after approval. If the oath is not taken and the fee not paid within 3 months, the approval lapses.
• Commission of inquiry. On 6 February 2026 the Council of Ministers considered its report and ordered the recommendations of the first part to be implemented.

Oversight also protects lawful applicants: the stricter the check at entry, the more stable the status of those who passed it with a full document package. Agent lists and tariffs change, so they are checked not on the date of the first consultation but on the filing date. Programme changes are collected in what has changed in the Vanuatu citizenship programme.

How to check that citizenship was obtained lawfully

In brief: lawful processing goes through a designated agent from the list, the FIU check, the Commission’s decision, a contribution on a treasury invoice, the oath, the certificate of citizenship and an Immigration and Passport Services passport.

Warning signs: a promise of guaranteed approval, “a passport without a check”, a demand to pay the DSP contribution before the Commission’s decision, payment to a private individual’s card, no agreement and no certificate. Official Government of Vanuatu websites use the gov.vu domain, and the government warns about fake websites. Fraud scenarios are covered in Vanuatu passport scams, and checking an agent in licensed Vanuatu citizenship agent.

A preliminary check is done before the agreement and before any payment: a lawyer reviews the background, sanctions lists and source of funds, then names the designated agent and the stage-by-stage payment order.

Official websites and documents worth keeping

In brief: the legal basis, tariffs and agent lists are published by the Citizenship Office at vancitizenship.gov.vu, and government decisions at pmo.gov.vu. After citizenship is granted, the family keeps the certificate, passport, agreement, invoices and source-of-funds documents.

• vancitizenship.gov.vu. The Legislative Framework, Types of Citizenship and Fees and Charges sections, and the Designated Agents and Cancelled Agents lists.
• pmo.gov.vu. Announcements from the Prime Minister’s Office, including on consideration of the commission of inquiry report on 6 February 2026.
• rbv.gov.vu. The Reserve Bank of Vanuatu and the list of the country’s banks.

Of the documents, keep the certificate of citizenship separately from the passport, the agreement with the agent, the invoices for the FIU fee and contribution, payment confirmations and the source-of-funds package. These documents confirm the lawfulness of the status when renewing the passport, at the bank and when applying for residence in Europe, where the origin of money is checked again.

Five misconceptions about the programme’s legality

In brief: an investment passport is not second-rate, the EU has not cancelled Vanuatu passports, the check cannot be bypassed, a diplomatic passport is not part of the programme, and lawfully obtained citizenship does not depend on future programme changes.

1. “An investment passport is worse than one by birth.” The passport is issued by the same body under the same Passports Act, and a citizen’s rights are the same.
2. “The EU has declared Vanuatu passports invalid.” The EU suspended visa-free travel, and Vanuatu citizens enter the EU on a visa or residence permit.
3. “A passport can be obtained without a check.” Applicants are checked by the Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Commission decides. An offer to bypass the check is a sign of fraud.
4. “A diplomatic passport comes in the package.” The Commission issues the certificate of citizenship, the ordinary passport is issued by the Immigration and Passport Services, and the diplomatic one by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under its own rules.
5. “If the programme changes, citizenship will be taken away.” The law links loss of citizenship to deception, concealment of information and other legal grounds, not to changes in tariffs or filing rules.

Other common misconceptions about the programme are covered in myths about Vanuatu citizenship, and the programme’s strengths and limits in pros and cons of Vanuatu citizenship.

When lawfully obtained citizenship ends

In brief: citizenship is revoked 30 days after it is established that it was obtained through false information, deception or concealment. An applicant who disclosed their background and source of funds in full avoids this risk.

So previous citizenships, visa refusals, convictions and public offices are disclosed when filing, and the source of funds is proven with documents. Information hidden at entry is dangerous not only because of refusal but because of later revocation. Citizenship can be renounced voluntarily using the renunciation form with an oath; the procedure is in renouncing Vanuatu citizenship.

Dual citizenship and the law of the first country of citizenship

In brief: Vanuatu has recognised dual citizenship since 2014, and there is no need to give up the first citizenship. Whether a second citizenship is lawful from the point of view of the first country is checked under its rules: Russia, for example, requires notification.

A citizen with two citizenships cannot hold public office or take part in Vanuatu politics. The first country of citizenship may require notification of a second citizenship, restrict it for civil servants or not recognise it at all, so its rules are checked before filing. Vanuatu citizenship is granted to the spouse and children included in the application, and it passes to children by descent.

Vanuatu citizenship and Russian law

In brief: Russian law does not prohibit a second citizenship but treats a Russian citizen with a foreign citizenship only as a Russian citizen. Vanuatu citizenship is reported to the Interior Ministry within 60 days, otherwise liability applies.

The notice is filed within 60 days of receiving the document, or, if abroad, from the day of entering Russia. Missing the deadline carries a fine of RUB 500 to 1,000 under Article 19.8.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences, and failing to notify a fine of up to RUB 200,000 or community service of up to 400 hours under Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code. Tax duties and reporting on foreign accounts depend on residence, not on a second passport. Details in dual citizenship of Russia and Vanuatu.

How BRIDGES obtains citizenship lawfully

In brief: we run a preliminary check before payments, name the designated agent before the agreement, show a budget at published tariffs and take the application through to the certificate and passport.

• A check before filing. Background and source of funds before the non-refundable FIU fee is paid.
• Designated agent. Checked against the list on the filing date.
• Payments. The DSP contribution only after approval, government payments to official accounts.
• Citizen documents. The Commission certificate, the passport and duties in the first country of citizenship.

The cost for your family is shown by the cost calculator, and the way we work is described on Vanuatu citizenship with BRIDGES.