Argentine or Vanuatu citizenship: price, timing and passport strength

Argentina or Vanuatu at a glance

In short: Vanuatu is fast, cheaper and has a proven legal basis. Argentina is more expensive and slower, but its passport is stronger for Europe and Latin America. A family that needs a passport in the coming months is better served by Vanuatu; a family that needs visa-free Schengen, by Argentina.

The comparison shows that the programmes answer different questions. Vanuatu delivers a second citizenship quickly and predictably: the law has been in force for years, the timelines are known, and more relatives can be included in the application. Argentina delivers a strong passport for Europe and the region, but the programme has only just been announced, and its legal basis is before the Supreme Court.

Many families do not pick one programme but plan a sequence: a Vanuatu passport now, Argentina once its programme is running on a stable footing. This scenario is examined at the end of the article.

Cost for a single applicant and a family

In short: for a single applicant Argentina is 2.7 times more expensive: $350,000 against $130,000. For a family of four the gap is almost threefold: $500,000 against $180,000 under DSP or $157,000 into Vanuatu's fund.

Vanuatu has two programmes. Under DSP the family pays a non-refundable contribution that rises with each family member: $130,000 for one person, $150,000 for a couple, $165,000 for a family of three and $180,000 for a family of four. Through the CIIP fund a family of up to four pays $157,000, of which the state returns $50,000 after five years. The FIU due diligence fee is $5,000 under DSP and $8,000 under the fund.

In Argentina the main applicant contributes $350,000 to the Treasury or buys an $800,000 bond, with $100,000 added for a spouse and for each child aged 18 to 25, and $25,000 for each child under 18. The government has not yet announced the fees for checks and processing.

The chart shows the gap widening with each family member: in Vanuatu a spouse and children add $15,000-20,000, in Argentina a spouse adds $100,000. For a couple the difference is $300,000, for a family of four $320,000. A detailed calculation for Argentina is in the article the cost of Argentine citizenship, and for Vanuatu in the article the cost of Vanuatu citizenship. The total contribution or bond for your family is shown in the Argentina programme estimate.

Timing

In short: Vanuatu issues a passport in 2-3 months from filing a complete application. Argentina will start accepting applications in Q4 2026, and the overall timeline will become clear once the regulations are out.

In Vanuatu the process is well oiled: preliminary checks, FIU due diligence, a commission meeting, the oath and issue of the passport. The commission meets regularly, and with a complete set of documents the family receives its passports in 2-3 months. Russian citizens give biometrics for a Vanuatu passport in Moscow, with no need to travel to Vanuatu.

In Argentina, under Decree 524/2025 the application is examined by the Citizenship by Investment Programmes Agency, then the security services, the financial intelligence unit and the registries give their opinions, and after the recommendation the immigration service decides within 30 working days. How long the checks before the recommendation will take has not yet been set by the regulations. You have to come to Buenos Aires to collect the passport and identity card.

Example: a family of five with a grandmother

In short: a couple, two children under 18 and the applicant's mother over 50 pay a contribution of about $190,000 in Vanuatu and $850,000 in Argentina, because the grandmother files a separate application.

A family from Moscow wants a second citizenship for five people: a couple aged 41 and 38, children aged 7 and 12, and the applicant's 64-year-old mother. In Vanuatu all five are included in a single DSP application: $180,000 for the family of four plus $10,000 for an additional family member, a total contribution of $190,000 and a $5,000 due diligence fee. The whole family receives its passports at the same time.

In Argentina the couple and the children are included in one application for $500,000. The programme makes no provision for the applicant's mother, so she files her own application as a main applicant with a $350,000 contribution. The total is $850,000, 4.5 times more than in Vanuatu, with two separate sets of documents and separate checks.

For such a family the financial choice is obvious, but there is an intermediate option: obtain Vanuatu for the whole family, and Argentina only for those who need visa-free Schengen for work, for example the main applicant. Then $350,000 for one person is added to the $190,000.

Passport strength

In short: according to the BRIDGES index, the Argentine passport opens 168 destinations and the Vanuatu passport 85. The difference lies in Schengen, the UK and Japan. In Asia both passports work well.

For a Russian citizen the Argentine passport gives visa-free Europe, while the Vanuatu passport makes travel to Asia and the Pacific islands convenient. Vanuatu citizens apply for a Schengen visa at a consulate, and for many families this is easier than on a Russian passport, because the assessment is based on the Vanuatu passport and the country of residence.

Argentina has one more advantage that Vanuatu lacks: MERCOSUR. An Argentine citizen gains the right to live and work in Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and the other countries party to the residence agreement. More in the articles the Argentine passport and the Vanuatu passport for Russians.

Europe: two different routes

In short: the Argentine passport gives visa-free entry to Schengen. The Vanuatu passport is the start of a European route: with it families obtain the Greek golden visa or a Hungarian residence permit and live in the EU.

About 80% of BRIDGES clients take a Vanuatu passport with Europe in mind. With a Vanuatu passport, banks and property sellers in Greece apply standard checks, and the family obtains the Greek golden visa through property from €250,000 or a Hungarian residence permit through a fund. The residence permit gives the right to live in an EU country and travel around Schengen. More in the article the Greek golden visa.

The Argentine passport opens Europe for travel straight away, with no residence permit: 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area. To live in Europe an Argentine citizen still needs a residence permit, but it is easier to obtain: in Spain, for example, a remote worker residence permit can be applied for from within the country while staying there visa-free. More on this in the article the Argentine passport and Europe.

Family in the application

In short: Vanuatu includes parents over 50 in the application, Argentina does not. Children born after citizenship is granted acquire it by descent in Vanuatu, while in Argentina the law gives children of naturalised citizens no such route.

In Vanuatu a single application can include a spouse, children under 25 and parents over 50. Adult children aged 18 to 25 must show full-time study and dependency. This suits three-generation families: everyone receives passports in one application and at the same time. A child born after the parents acquire citizenship obtains Vanuatu citizenship by descent.

In Argentina the application covers a spouse, children under 18 and children aged 18 to 25 who are unmarried and have no children of their own. The programme makes no provision for parents, who apply separately as main applicants with a $350,000 contribution. Citizenship Law No. 346 gives children born abroad the option of citizenship only if the parent is a citizen by birth. That is why all children are included in the application from the outset.

For a family with elderly parents the difference in cost becomes decisive: in Vanuatu a parent over 50 is covered by the family rate, while in Argentina their application costs $350,000. On the Vanuatu family application, see the article family members in a Vanuatu citizenship application.

Legal basis and predictability

In short: Vanuatu's programme is based on law and has been running for years. Argentina's programme is based on Decree 366/2025, which the courts have declared invalid as far as citizenship is concerned, and the dispute is before the Supreme Court.

For an investor predictability is as important a parameter as price. In Vanuatu the rates, fees, checking procedure and timelines are known, and the citizenship commission takes decisions in line with established practice. In Argentina the government announced the terms on 2 October 2026, but the amounts have not yet been fixed by a resolution, and on 30 June 2026 the National Electoral Chamber declared the decree on which the programme rests null. The government is appealing the ruling before the Supreme Court.

This does not mean that Argentina's programme will not get off the ground. It means that until the court rules or Congress passes a law, it is wise not to transfer money into it. More detail in the article the legal basis of Argentina's programme and the court case.

Applicant checks and the risk of refusal

In short: in Vanuatu the applicant is checked by the FIU financial intelligence unit and the citizenship commission. In Argentina the checks have several stages: the Agency, the security service, the UIF financial intelligence unit, the criminal records registry, the persons registry and the SIDE intelligence service.

Both countries check identity, source of funds and reputation. Vanuatu does this in two stages: preliminary checks and FIU due diligence on the document package, followed by the commission's decision. The checking practice is well established, and BRIDGES can see in advance which episodes in a person's background will need explaining. More in the article due diligence for Vanuatu citizenship applicants.

Argentina has announced checks to OECD and FATF standards involving several agencies. The applicant's country risks are assessed separately: nationality and country of residence affect the evaluation. How these checks will work in practice will only become clear after the first decisions. That is why preliminary due diligence before filing is especially important: the questionnaire for Argentina shows weak points in advance.

Living in the country: is it needed

In short: neither Vanuatu nor Argentina requires you to live in the country. But Argentina is a large country where you can live, study and work, whereas families use Vanuatu as a citizenship for travel and a route to Europe.

Vanuatu is an island state in the Pacific with a population of about 300,000. Only a handful of people move there, and the programme is designed for citizens who live in other countries. Argentina is a country of about 46 million people, with Buenos Aires, state universities, healthcare and a large labour market. Argentine citizenship gives a real option to relocate if it is ever needed: to Argentina itself or to the MERCOSUR countries.

For a family this is a question of plan B. If the fallback is life in Europe, a Vanuatu passport plus a Greek residence permit does the job. If the fallback is Latin America, Argentina offers more. On living in Argentina, see the article living in Argentina.

Taxes and banks

In short: neither Vanuatu nor Argentina taxes a citizen who lives abroad. Vanuatu levies no personal income tax, and Argentina taxes income only of tax residents.

Vanuatu has no personal income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax. For a citizen living in another country this means no tax obligations to Vanuatu. In Argentina a tax resident is a citizen who has not obtained permanent residence abroad and has not spent 12 consecutive months outside the country, so a citizen living in another country does not pay tax on worldwide income in Argentina.

Banks view the two passports differently. The Argentine passport belongs to a large G20 country with a familiar banking system. Banks accept the Vanuatu passport as a document of citizenship and decide on the basis of tax residence and source of funds. For both passports the country of residence plays the main role. More in the articles taxes in Argentina and banks in Vanuatu.

Which suits whom

In short: Vanuatu suits those for whom speed, budget and a three-generation family matter. Argentina suits those for whom visa-free Europe, Latin America and a large country matter.

Vanuatu

• You need the passport within the next 2-3 months.
• The family budget is up to $200,000.
• Parents over 50 need to be included in the application.
• The plan is a residence permit in Greece or Hungary and life in the EU.
• Travel to Asia and the Pacific region matters.

Argentina

• You need visa-free Schengen and the UK without visa centres.
• The family's plans are tied to Latin America and MERCOSUR.
• A budget of $350,000 or more per person and a willingness to wait for the regulations.
• A country with a large economy and population matters to you.
• There is no urgency: the family can wait until the court case is clear.

Both programmes: a sequence

In short: some families obtain a Vanuatu passport now and consider Argentina's programme as a second step. This way the family does not wait for the court's decision and keeps the option of a strong passport later.

The first step is Vanuatu: within 2-3 months the family receives citizenship and passports and, if needed, starts on a European residence permit. The second step is Argentina: once the regulations are published and the legal basis has settled, the main applicant files using the same documents that have already passed the checks for Vanuatu. Proof of funds and certificates are updated, but the work on the history of the money has already been done.

Under this plan the costs add up, but the family gets both speed and a strong passport. For some families the second step will not be needed: a Vanuatu passport and a European residence permit may be enough. The decision is driven by the family's goals, not by passport rankings.

How BRIDGES handles both programmes

In short: BRIDGES handles Vanuatu on a turnkey basis and prepares families for Argentina's programme: the documents, proof of funds and banking route for the payment are assembled once and work for both countries.

For Vanuatu, BRIDGES runs the whole process: preliminary checks, the FIU package, filing, the oath, issue of passports and biometrics in Moscow. For Argentina, until the regulations are published, BRIDGES prepares families for filing: it checks eligibility by nationality, collects documents and translates them into Spanish, and prepares the history of funds. Much of this work is common to both programmes, so the family does not pay twice for the same documents.

Before signing a contract, BRIDGES carries out preliminary due diligence free of charge and names the risks straight away. If speed matters to the family, the recommendation will be Vanuatu; if visa-free Schengen matters and there is no urgency, Argentina once the regulations are out. What we do and what is left to you is shown on the page Argentine passport by investment.

Where families go wrong when choosing

In short: they compare only the number of countries, forget to cost the whole family and the timing, and confuse the announcement of a programme with its launch.

1. They choose by the number of countries. What matters are the family's destinations, not the total in a ranking.
2. They do not count the parents. In Vanuatu parents over 50 are included in the application; in Argentina they cost $350,000.
3. They expect an Argentine passport this year. Applications are only just opening, and the regulations have not been published.
4. They think Vanuatu is a dead end for Europe. With a Vanuatu passport families obtain residence permits in Greece and Hungary.
5. They do not plan for future children. In Vanuatu children born later acquire citizenship by descent.

What to check before deciding

In short: the make-up of the family, the urgency, the main travel destinations, the budget and willingness to wait for Argentina's regulations.

• Who is in the application, and whether there are parents over 50.
• When the passport is needed: in the coming months or within a year or two.
• Which destinations matter more: visa-free Europe or Asia.
• What the family budget is, including fees and documents.
• Whether the family is prepared to wait for the court's decision and the regulations in Argentina.

The programme terms are on the pages Argentine citizenship by investment and Vanuatu citizenship by investment.