Who the Vanuatu passport suits: seven tasks it solves

The Vanuatu passport for a task: in brief

In brief: the Vanuatu passport suits those who need a second document quickly and for the whole family: entrepreneurs with one citizenship, people working with Asia, families with children and parents, and those planning residence in Europe. If you need visa-free Schengen straight away or a US E-2 visa, another programme will fit.

A decision on second citizenship starts with the question of what problem it should solve. The Vanuatu passport is strongest where speed, family and travel outside Europe matter. It is weaker where visa-free Europe or North America without a visa is needed. Below are the tasks clients bring to us most often. Each task has its limit: the passport covers it fully, partly or only together with another status, such as residence in Europe or a local residence permit. This limit is better seen before paying than after receiving the passport.

• A backup document. Second citizenship for the family in 2-3 months; the country of your first passport may require notification.
• Travel and supply in Asia. Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines without a visa for up to 30 days, Hong Kong for up to 90 days; eVisa for the UAE, Vietnam and India.
• Accounts abroad. A neutral citizenship document; the bank still checks the source of funds and tax residence.
• Family. Spouse, children under 25 and parents over 50 in one application.
• Residence in Europe. Vanuatu citizen status for a Greek residence application, an all-in package of up to 9 months.
• Life in Asia and Oceania. Long stays, for example Fiji for up to 120 days; permanent life requires a local residence permit.
• A passport by a date. Roughly 2-3 months with a complete document set before filing.

The rights a citizen receives and how they help in daily life are covered in the article the rights of a Vanuatu citizen in practice.

Task 1. A backup document for an entrepreneur

In brief: a second passport is needed when the main one restricts travel, banking or timelines. A Vanuatu passport takes 2-3 months and requires no relocation.

An entrepreneur with one citizenship depends on the decisions of one country: visa rules, bank requirements, document issuance times. A second passport removes this dependence. The Vanuatu passport is chosen for this task because it is issued quickly, with no language exams and no requirement to live in the country, and the citizenship is permanent and passes to children.

A backup passport does not replace the main one. It is used where it is more convenient, and you enter the country of your first citizenship on its passport. How this works when travelling is covered in the guide to travelling on a Vanuatu passport, and a typical founder’s path is shown in the case of a backup passport for a company founder. More on this task in the article on the Vanuatu passport as a plan B.

A backup document is only useful if it is in order when you need it. A Vanuatu passport is valid for 10 years and is renewed from abroad on the basis of the citizenship certificate, so holders watch the expiry date and start renewal early: many countries require remaining passport validity on the date of entry. The procedure is covered in the article on renewing a Vanuatu passport.

Task 2. Travel and supply in Asia

In brief: Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines admit Vanuatu citizens without a visa for up to 30 days, Hong Kong for up to 90 days, and Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka with a visa on arrival. For frequent business trips this cuts visa pauses.

Companies that source goods in Asia or negotiate there lose time on visa forms and waiting for decisions. With a Vanuatu passport a large share of trips to the region need no prior visa, and visas for the UAE, Vietnam and India are obtained online. This is how the case of trading with Asia without visa forms works, as does the case of a Cairo manufacturer who needed the passport for trips to suppliers.

The full list of countries in the region is in the article on visa-free countries in Asia for the Vanuatu passport, and three financial centres are covered in the piece on the UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong.

In practice the border checks more than the passport. For visa-free and visa-on-arrival entry you are usually asked for a return ticket, an accommodation booking and proof of funds, and the length of stay is set on the spot. If you travel often, trips between countries in the region are planned so as not to exceed the permitted days.

Task 3. Accounts and business outside your country of citizenship

In brief: the Vanuatu passport serves as a neutral citizenship document when the first passport raises extra questions at the bank. On its own it does not open an account: the bank looks at the source of funds and tax residence.

Banks assess a client on a document package, and citizenship is only one line in it. A second passport helps when the restrictions are tied specifically to the country of first citizenship. But proof of address, origin of capital and tax residence remain decisive, so the bank documents are prepared together with the citizenship application.

What this looks like in practice is shown by the case of a Beirut entrepreneur who regained banking access and the case of an Almaty financier with access to banks in Hong Kong and Singapore. The procedure is covered in the article on a bank account with a Vanuatu passport.

What the bank will ask a Vanuatu citizen

• the Vanuatu passport and, if any, the first passport;
• proof of residential address;
• source of funds documents: sale of a business or property, dividends, salary;
• the tax number of the country of residence and the CRS self-certification form;
• a description of the planned account activity.

The more complete this package, the fewer questions the citizenship itself raises. Source of funds documents are usually already gathered for the FIU check and are reused.

Task 4. Family: children, parents and the next generation

In brief: one application includes the spouse, children and parents over 50. Citizenship is permanent, and children born after it is granted acquire it by descent.

Families choose Vanuatu because all participants receive passports in one application and on one timeline. A family of four chooses between two programmes: a non-refundable DSP contribution of $180,000 or the CIIP fund, where the family pays $157,000 and receives $50,000 back after 5 years. DSP is better value for a single applicant or a couple, the fund for a family of three or more.

Parents are included together with children: this is what a family of seven across three generations did, and in another case a mother over 50 was added to the application. A child born later is registered separately, as in the case of citizenship for a newborn. Who can be included and what it costs is covered in the article on Vanuatu citizenship for families.

The family changes after the passport too. A spouse married later and children from a new marriage join the citizenship through a separate application with its own documents and cost. The scenarios are covered in the article on citizenship for a spouse and children after the passport.

Task 5. First step to residence in Europe

In brief: the Vanuatu passport has had no visa-free Schengen access since 4 February 2023, but a Vanuatu citizen can obtain the Greek Golden Visa. This is a common scenario for BRIDGES clients: the passport first, then European residence, with the all-in package taking up to 9 months.

For many families Europe remains the main goal, and the Vanuatu passport becomes the first step. It is obtained in 2-3 months, and then the family applies for Greek residence as Vanuatu citizens. The residence permit gives the right to live in Greece and travel across the Schengen area. This is what a couple and a single investor did.

The residence procedure for Vanuatu citizens is described on the service page Greek residence for Vanuatu citizens, and the history of visa-free travel and the Schengen visa is covered in the article the Vanuatu passport and Schengen.

The order matters in this combination. First Vanuatu citizenship and the passport, then the basis for European residence is chosen: property in Greece or Hungary’s national programme. The budget and timelines of both parts are calculated in advance so that the money and documents for the second step are ready when the passport arrives.

Task 6. Life in Asia and Oceania without visa runs

In brief: families and couples who spend part of the year in Asia or Oceania choose the Vanuatu passport for long visa-free stays and easy travel between countries in the region.

Fiji admits Vanuatu citizens for up to 120 days, Kiribati for up to 90 days, Armenia with a visa on arrival for up to 120 days. Permanent life in one country still requires a local residence permit, but between trips the passport removes the need to keep extending tourist visas. This is how the case of a family living in Thailand without visa runs and the case of a couple over 60 who spend the winter in Asia work.

For older applicants the programme has no age limit and no work requirement, and the source of funds is confirmed with savings. More in the article on Vanuatu citizenship for retirees.

A similar logic applies in Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru admits Vanuatu citizens for up to 180 days, Panama and Ecuador for up to 90 days, Barbados and Dominica for up to 180 days. This is especially convenient for those who live on a yacht or change country often, as in the case of a couple who live at sea.

Task 7. A passport by a specific date

In brief: the indicative processing time is 2-3 months from filing a complete package. If the passport is needed for a deal or a move, the timeline is planned back from that date and documents are prepared in advance.

Vanuatu’s speed comes from how the programme works: a designated agent files the application, the Financial Intelligence Unit carries out the check, the Citizenship Commission decides and the oath is taken remotely. The FIU check without additional queries takes up to 7 business days, and most of the time goes into preparing documents, so a complete and consistent set shortens the timeline most. In one case the passport was needed for a deal and was obtained in 52 days: the story is described in the case of a deal in Singapore.

How the timeline breaks down by stage is covered in the article on Vanuatu citizenship processing times.

What to prepare in advance if a date depends on the passport:

• police clearance certificates for all adult participants, valid on the filing date;
• source of funds documents with no gaps in the chronology;
• the same Latin spelling of names in all documents;
• translations and apostilles;
• the city and date for biometrics.

Tasks for another programme

In brief: the Vanuatu passport does not solve three tasks: visa-free Schengen straight away, a US E-2 visa and EU citizenship. In these cases another programme or a combination of programmes is chosen.

• Visa-free Schengen without a visa or residence. The passports of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis have kept visa-free Schengen entry. The comparison is in the article Vanuatu or the Caribbean.
• An E-2 visa for business in the US. Vanuatu has no treaty with the US granting this visa, while Grenada does. The analysis is in the article Vanuatu or Grenada.
• Citizenship of an EU country. It is obtained by descent or through naturalisation after years of residence, and the Vanuatu passport leads to Europe only through a residence permit.
• Expecting the passport to exempt you from tax. Tax depends on tax residence, not citizenship. When Vanuatu’s zero tax applies is covered in the article on taxes in Vanuatu.

Sometimes a combination covers the task: the Vanuatu passport for speed and Asia, Greek residence for life in Europe. This option is discussed before filing so that the budget and timelines of both parts are clear in advance. What is true and what is not in common beliefs about the programme is collected in the article what is true and what is not.

Five checks before deciding

In brief: five checks before deciding: travel countries, a plan for Europe, source of funds documents, family composition and the law of your first citizenship.

1. Countries. The destinations you fly to are on the visa-free or visa-on-arrival list.
2. Europe. For Schengen and the UK it is clear how you will obtain a visa or Greek residence.
3. Source of funds. The origin of capital is backed by documents.
4. Family. It is decided who to include and which programme to choose: DSP or the CIIP fund.
5. First citizenship. The law of your first passport’s country allows a second citizenship or requires notification.

If all five questions have an answer, a Vanuatu passport will most likely solve your task. If even one remains open, it is resolved before paying: this shows whether an additional programme, a different application composition or more time for documents is needed. The risks of a second passport and how to remove them in advance are covered in the article passport risks and how to remove them, and the programme’s legality in the legality of the programme.

Terms and cost in brief

In brief: the DSP contribution starts at $130,000 for a single applicant; in the CIIP fund a family of up to four pays $157,000 and receives $50,000 back after 5 years. The timeline is roughly 2-3 months, and the FIU check fee is $5,000 under DSP and $8,000 under the fund.

The DSP contribution grows with the family: $150,000 for a couple, $165,000 for a couple with a child, $180,000 for a couple with two children. The all-in total includes the contribution and the FIU check fee. Under DSP it is $135,000 for one person and $185,000 for a family of four, and in the CIIP fund $165,000, of which $50,000 is returned. On top of the contribution the only government charge is the FIU fee, and the contribution is paid after Commission approval.

All terms are collected in the overview of Vanuatu citizenship by investment, the two programmes are compared in the article DSP or the CIIP fund, and the total for your family is calculated by the all-in cost calculator.

Mistakes when choosing a passport

In brief: people choose a passport by ranking instead of by task, expect visa-free Europe and tax benefits without relocating, do not check the law of their first citizenship and put off source of funds documents.

1. Choosing by ranking, not by task. A passport’s place in an index does not show whether it will solve your question with travel, accounts or family.
2. Counting on visa-free Europe. Since 4 February 2023 Schengen requires a visa, and life in Europe goes through Greek residence.
3. Confusing citizenship with tax residence. The passport does not change the country where you pay tax.
4. Not checking the law of the first citizenship. Some countries require notification of a second passport, others restrict dual citizenship.
5. Not preparing the source of funds in advance. Documents take longer to prepare than the check itself, and gaps in them extend the timeline.

BRIDGES services on this topic: Vanuatu citizenship by investment with BRIDGES support.