Rights and obligations of a Vanuatu citizen: what the status gives and what it requires

Rights and obligations of a Vanuatu citizen in brief

In brief: Vanuatu citizenship is permanent, it does not need to be renewed, and the first citizenship is kept. A citizen is entitled to live and work in Vanuatu, use the passport for travel and pass citizenship to children born after the status was obtained. The obligations come down to obeying the law, providing truthful information and replacing the passport after 10 years.

The rights and obligations are the same under the DSP programme and the CIIP fund: both programmes end with a citizenship certificate and a passport. How the process works is covered in the article Vanuatu citizenship by investment; here we deal with what follows the oath.

Citizenship and passport: a permanent status, a 10-year document

In brief: citizenship is confirmed by a certificate issued by the Citizenship Commission, and it has no expiry date. The passport is issued by the Immigration and Passport Service for 10 years; when it expires the document is replaced, and the status is not reviewed.

Citizenship is governed by the Citizenship Act Cap 112, in force since 1980. The status requires no confirmations, visits to the country or annual payments. The certificate is kept together with the passport: it confirms citizenship when documents are replaced, when children are registered and at banks.

Under the Passports Act 2009, a Vanuatu passport is issued only to citizens, and each child needs their own passport. The passport is machine-readable to the ICAO standard. On renewal, the spelling of the name is checked against the holder’s other passports so that the data matches across all documents. The renewal procedure is in the article renewing a Vanuatu passport.

What citizenship the programme gives

In brief: the Citizenship Office classes citizenship under the DSP programme as honorary citizenship for a contribution to the country’s development, and citizenship under the CIIP fund as form D for investors. In both cases the Commission issues a citizenship certificate.

Under the Citizenship Act the Commission grants eight types of citizenship: by naturalisation, by marriage, by entitlement, restoration, to an investor under the CIIP plan, honorary citizenship under the DSP, under the VCP programme, and under the REO real estate option. For applications under the CIIP fund, the Citizenship Office states that the review procedure does not differ from other types of citizenship, except for the fees.

The application fee for all forms except form D is 5,000 vatu per application. The DSP citizenship contribution is paid only after the Commission’s approval: $130,000 for one person, $150,000 for a couple, $165,000 and $180,000 with one and two children, and $10,000 for each additional participant. The programmes are compared in the article the DSP and VCP programmes.

The right to travel

In brief: a citizen uses the Vanuatu passport for international travel: the Passport Index 2026 counts 93 destinations without a visa, with a visa on arrival or an eTA. Schengen, the UK, the US, Canada and Australia require a visa.

Since 3 February 2025 Vanuatu has been on the EU visa list: Decision 2022/2198 fully suspended visa-free travel from 4 February 2023, and EU Regulation 2025/11 moved the country to the visa list. A citizen obtains a Schengen visa from the consulate of the destination country. To live in Europe, families use Vanuatu citizenship as a step towards Greek or Hungarian residence.

A second passport does not replace the first: each passport is used according to the rules of the country of entry and exit. A dual national usually enters and leaves their home country on that country’s passport; a Russian citizen, for example, uses the Russian passport for Russia. The list of destinations is in the article visa-free countries for the Vanuatu passport, and travel practice in how to travel with a Vanuatu passport.

The right to live and work in Vanuatu

In brief: a citizen enters Vanuatu and lives and works there without a visa, work permit or residence permit. For most programme participants this right remains a reserve, since the status is obtained for travel and a second citizenship.

Vanuatu consists of 83 islands, the capital is Port Vila on Efate, the time zone is UTC+11, and the flight from Brisbane takes about 2.5 hours. A citizen who moves to the country is subject to local taxes: VAT of 15%, rental tax of 12.5% of gross rent, and a taxpayer needs a TIN tax number, mandatory since 1 January 2020.

A taxpayer informs the tax service of leaving Vanuatu 14 days in advance, and of changes in details within 21 days. What to expect when relocating is covered in the article living in and relocating to Vanuatu, and about the country in where Vanuatu is.

The right to pass citizenship to children

In brief: a child born after the parent became a citizen receives Vanuatu citizenship by descent on application and a birth certificate, without a programme contribution. Children born before the status was obtained are included in the application at once.

Chapter 3 of the Constitution of Vanuatu separately regulates the citizenship of persons born after independence day. In practice the family files an application with the birth certificate and the parent’s citizenship certificate, then obtains a passport for the child. The child’s place of birth does not matter.

Children under 25 are included in the initial DSP application. Children aged 12 to 18 provide a police certificate and pass the FIU check, and those aged 18 to 25 file the full set of adult documents plus proof of study and dependency. A relative who was not included at the outset is processed by a separate application with its own contribution. Conditions are in the articles Vanuatu citizenship for the family and inheriting Vanuatu citizenship.

The right to keep the first citizenship

In brief: Vanuatu recognises dual citizenship through a constitutional amendment that came into force in 2014. There is no need to renounce the first citizenship or prove its loss.

The legal basis includes Act No. 39 of 2013 and Orders No. 18 and 40 of 2014. The Citizenship Office applies the rule on loss of citizenship under the conditions of the law to adult citizens who do not hold dual citizenship. A programme participant adds the second citizenship to the first.

The question of a second citizenship also arises in the country of first citizenship. Russia, for example, does not prohibit a second citizenship but requires notification of the Interior Ministry and on its territory treats the person only as a Russian citizen. A review is in the article dual citizenship of Russia and Vanuatu.

Taxes: what citizenship changes

In brief: Vanuatu citizenship in itself creates no tax obligations. Vanuatu has no personal income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax, and taxes are paid in the country of tax residence.

Tax residence is determined by the place of residence, not the passport. A citizen who continues to live in their home country, Russia for example, pays taxes there despite holding a Vanuatu passport. Vanuatu takes part in the automatic exchange of account information under the International Tax Cooperation Act No. 7 of 2016, and the exchange is based on the account holder’s residence.

Moving to Vanuatu changes the tax picture only after residence changes under the rules of the country the person is leaving. Details are in the articles taxes of a Vanuatu citizen and tax residence.

Obligations to Vanuatu

In brief: a citizen obeys the laws of Vanuatu, provides truthful information in applications and keeps documents in order. There is no regular reporting to the Citizenship Office.

1. The country’s laws. A citizen is subject to the laws of Vanuatu, above all on its territory.
2. Truthful information. Knowingly false information in a passport application is an offence under the Passports Act: imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to 5,000,000 vatu, or both.
3. Documents. The passport is replaced before it expires, a child gets their own passport, and loss is reported immediately.
4. The passport stays with its holder. The law prohibits handing the passport to another person for travel or identification.
5. Deadlines after approval. The oath and the certificate fee are completed within 3 months, with a 2-month extension on written request.

The law sets no mandatory residence, regular visits or annual fees for programme participants. If a citizen lives in Vanuatu and earns income, tax obligations are added to this list.

Obligations in the home country

In brief: some countries require citizens to report a second citizenship. Russia is an example: under Article 11 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ, a Russian citizen notifies the Interior Ministry of Vanuatu citizenship within 60 days of acquiring it, or, if it was obtained abroad, within 60 days of entering Russia.

Such a notice remains an administrative obligation, and the legality of the second citizenship does not depend on it. In their home country a dual national is usually treated only as its citizen; in Russia a person with two passports is considered only a Russian citizen, so the Russian passport is used for entry, exit and dealings with Russian authorities.

Tax and currency residence are checked separately, as tax returns and foreign account reports depend on them. The step-by-step procedure for Russian citizens is in the article a Vanuatu passport for Russian citizens, and account rules in CFCs and currency control.

What citizenship does not require

In brief: the programme does not require residence in Vanuatu, visits, annual payments, a language exam or renouncing the first citizenship. The Bislama test is taken only by applicants for naturalisation and citizenship by marriage.

The programme always requires one thing: truthful documents and a proven source of funds at entry. How the check works is covered in the article checking applicants for Vanuatu citizenship.

When citizenship can be revoked

In brief: the Citizenship Commission may revoke citizenship on three grounds: it was granted by fraud, in breach of the Citizenship Act or the Constitution, or the citizen does not comply with the restrictions of the law. Where fraud is established, citizenship ends after 30 days.

Revocation is individual and tied to specific facts: forged documents, false information, concealment of circumstances. The Citizenship Office reports the revocation of about 30 citizenships granted in breach of procedure. Divorce is not among the grounds.

The main way to rule out this risk is to disclose all information when filing and prove the source of funds with documents. Reasons for refusal are covered in the article 7 reasons for refusal of Vanuatu citizenship.

The right to renounce citizenship

In brief: an adult citizen with full legal capacity is entitled to renounce Vanuatu citizenship: they complete the renunciation form and take an oath. For those who have renounced and want the status back, there is a separate form C(b) for restoring citizenship.

Vanuatu has no objection to two citizenships, so renunciation is usually needed when naturalising in a country that requires giving up other citizenships, or when working in a position with such a condition. Before renouncing, check how the decision will affect the children’s citizenship and the family’s documents. Details are in the article renouncing Vanuatu citizenship.

Which citizen’s documents to keep

In brief: besides the passport, a citizen keeps the citizenship certificate, the Commission’s approval letter, proof of payment of the FIU fee and the contribution, and copies of the source-of-funds documents. These documents are needed for passport renewal, registering children and bank checks.

Originals are kept separately from the passport, and scans in secure storage. If the passport is lost, the certificate speeds up restoration because it confirms citizenship without a repeat review of the status.

Rights and obligations of family members

In brief: each participant in the application receives their own certificate and passport and the same rights as the main applicant. Parents are responsible for the documents of minor children and for registering children born after citizenship was obtained.

• Spouse. Their own citizenship, passport and right to pass citizenship to children. Divorce is not among the grounds for revocation.
• Children in the application. Full citizenship and their own passport. The application for a child under 18 is filed by a parent or legal guardian.
• Children born later. Citizenship by descent on the parents’ application.
• The applicant’s parents. The same rights as the main applicant and the same obligation to keep documents in order.

Each participant’s name in the certificate and passport is taken from their international passport, so the spelling is checked before filing. A discrepancy of one letter raises questions with banks and airlines, and corrections are covered in the article the name in a Vanuatu passport.

The family can also be expanded after the passports are received: how to register a newborn or a new spouse is described in the article how to add a child or spouse later. If the contribution is paid from the savings of parents over 50, their origin is proven with documents for the FIU; which papers prove a pension, savings and the sale of property is covered in a retiree’s source of funds. The total for a family with parents is shown in the article the full cost of Vanuatu citizenship, and an exact turnkey cost calculation is given by the estimate.

How the rights work in practice

In brief: a citizen’s rights require no ongoing action, and the obligations come down to documents and deadlines. Three typical scenarios show what the family does.

• A trip. The citizen flies to a visa-free country on the Vanuatu passport and shows it at the border, while entering their home country on its own passport.
• A child is born. The family files an application for citizenship by descent with the birth certificate and the parent’s certificate, then obtains a passport.
• The passport is expiring. The citizen applies for a new passport before the old one expires; citizenship is not reviewed.

How BRIDGES supports the status after the passport

In brief: BRIDGES supports the client not only up to the passport: we help with renewing documents, registering children born after citizenship was obtained, notices in the country of first citizenship and apostilles for Vanuatu documents.

Before filing, we name the notices and deadlines for the client’s country of first citizenship and tax residence, so that no obligations are missed after the passport. The calculation for your family is on the page of the Vanuatu citizenship programme.