BRIDGES Insights
Who gets a Vanuatu passport: a breakdown by country
Updated: September 2026·12 min read·Expert reviewed
Terms and costs verified: September 2026
Contents
“Who actually takes this passport?” This question comes up at almost every first meeting. Behind it lies another that is rarely asked out loud: will I end up in dubious company, and how will a bank view my passport? I answer with statistics. Vanuatu itself does not publish a breakdown by country, but the European Commission compiled one when justifying the cancellation of visa-free travel, and Vanuatu’s Citizenship Commission released a summary for 2015-2021. The main point is clear from these figures: half the applicants are Chinese citizens, Russia is consistently second, and in 2023 alone almost as many applications came from Russia as in the previous seven years combined.
In brief: who applies
- More than half of the applications are from Chinese citizens.
- Russia is consistently second: 237 applications in 2023.
- They are followed by Nigeria, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Iran.
- The main motive is mobility and a back-up document, not tourism.
- The average applicant is an entrepreneur aged 35-55 who applies together with their family.
Breakdown by country
We combine two official snapshots: the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission’s breakdown for 2015-2021 and European Commission data for 2023. For 2023 a breakdown was published for only two countries, so the other rows say “no data”; we will not make it up.
| Country | Obtained citizenship, 2015-2021 | Share | Applications in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 6,628 | 49.1% | 519 |
| Nigeria | 430 | 3.2% | no data |
| Libya | 292 | 2.2% | no data |
| Iraq | 276 | 2.0% | no data |
| Syria | 276 | 2.0% | no data |
| Russia | 247 | 1.8% | 237 |
| Lebanon | 222 | 1.6% | no data |
| Iran | 154 | 1.1% | no data |
| Republic of Korea | 88 | 0.7% | no data |
| Yemen | 74 | 0.5% | no data |
| Sudan | 29 | 0.2% | no data |
| Other countries | 4,773 | 35.4% | 357 |
| Total | 13,489 | 100% | 1,113 |
For the 2015-2021 period the summary is more detailed: China with 6,628 successful applicants, Nigeria 430, Libya 292, Iraq 276, Syria 276, Russia 247, Lebanon 222, Iran 154, the Republic of Korea 88, Yemen 74, Sudan 29.
The number of applicants who obtained Vanuatu citizenship by investment in 2015-2021, according to the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission’s reporting. China accounts for more than all other countries combined. The data is official; there are no BRIDGES estimates in this chart.
What this means for an applicant from Russia
Three practical consequences.
- You are not an exception. Russia is the second country by number of applications. The review procedure for such applications is well established, and the commission sees nothing unusual in them.
- The source-of-funds check will be detailed. It is for this category that the whole chain is requested, not just a final statement.
- A bank looks not at the passport country but at your background. Opening an account with a Vanuatu passport is a separate task, and we covered it in the article on opening a bank account with a Vanuatu passport.
What specifically changes for Russian citizens in the filing procedure and documents is covered in the article Vanuatu citizenship for Russian citizens, and the obligation to report a second citizenship in the review of the Interior Ministry notice.
The source of funds can be checked in advance, before filing.
Why China accounts for half the applications
China’s dominance in this programme is neither chance nor fashion. It has three reasons, all of them structural.
The programme started out aimed at Chinese demand. The first scheme, the Capital Investment Immigration Plan, was launched in 2014 and was initially geared towards Chinese citizens. Later the programme expanded to other countries, but the channels for working with the Chinese market remained the most developed.
Restrictions on dual citizenship. China does not recognise a second citizenship, and for its citizens a document that is obtained remotely and does not require renouncing the original status at the time of obtaining it meets a practical mobility need.
Asian destinations. A Vanuatu passport gives convenient access to a number of Asian destinations, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, which are key points for Chinese business. We covered the regional details in the article on visa-free Asian countries for the Vanuatu passport.
How the applicant mix has changed
Comparing two periods shows that the market has restructured twice.
| Period | What happened to the applicant mix |
|---|---|
| 2015-2019 | Absolute dominance of China, other countries at single-digit percentages |
| 2020-2021 | The pandemic: demand falls, China’s share declines because of closed borders |
| 2022-2023 | A sharp rise in applications from Russia, its share growing to a fifth of all applications |
| 2024-2026 | The mix stabilises, while checks screen out weak applications |
The 2022 jump is simply explained: for some applicants the mobility task became urgent. At the same time the programme responded to this influx not by expanding but by tightening checks, and this is its fundamental difference from programmes that lowered the bar in a similar situation.
The result can be seen in the refusal figures: from four cases in 2021 to twenty-two in 2023. An analysis of the trend is in a separate article on due diligence for Vanuatu citizenship.
I will review your situation personally
Describe your situation in two lines. I will look at it myself and tell you whether the programme solves your task and what to close before filing.
What a typical applicant looks like
Our practice shows a consistent picture.
| Parameter | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Age of the main applicant | 35-55 |
| Application composition | applicant with spouse, often with children |
| Occupation | entrepreneur, less often a senior executive or investor |
| Main purpose | a back-up document and mobility |
| Second purpose | access to European residence programmes |
| Relocation plans | usually none |
The last row matters: Vanuatu is rarely taken for relocation. It is a document that sits in a drawer and works when needed. What life on the islands is really like, if that question does arise, is described in the article living in and relocating to Vanuatu.
What this means for you. If you are an entrepreneur aged 35-55 applying with your family, you are a typical applicant for this programme. You do not need to move to the islands: the passport is obtained and used remotely.
What is checked for different applicant categories
Formally the requirements are the same for everyone. In practice the focus of the check shifts depending on where the applicant comes from and how their capital is structured.
| Category | What is looked at most closely |
|---|---|
| Entrepreneur with an operating business | ownership structure, tax history, origin of profits |
| Sale of an asset or stake | contract, valuation, receipt of funds, taxes paid |
| Inheritance or gift | the testator’s documents, proof of kinship, tax status |
| Investment income | brokerage statements, transaction history, source of the initial capital |
| Salaried executive | employment contracts, income certificates, savings over the period |
The general rule is one: what is checked is not the account balance but the route by which the money got there. Preparing such a package is described in the article on documents for Vanuatu citizenship.
Your case can be assessed through the checkers’ eyes in advance.
I am often asked about one’s neighbours in the programme, meaning reputation. I answer with data: half the applicants are Chinese citizens, the second largest country is Russia, followed by states where the question of mobility is most acute. This is not a marginal sample; these are people who need a working second document. And one more thing: as checks become stricter, the applicant mix changes for the better. The programme has become inaccessible to those with source-of-funds problems, and that works for the passport’s reputation as a whole.
How the applicant mix affects banks
It is important here to separate two different questions that are usually mixed up.
The first: will a bank accept a Vanuatu passport as a document? It will: it is a valid biometric passport of a sovereign state, issued for 10 years since November 2025.
The second: will a bank open an account for a specific person? Here the passport is secondary. The bank looks at tax residence, the source of funds, the nature of the transactions and any links to sanctions regimes. A second passport by itself does not resolve compliance questions and does not cancel automatic exchange of tax information.
Promises like “with this passport you can open an account anywhere” have nothing to do with reality. What working with an account looks like in practice is covered in the article on a bank account with a Vanuatu passport, and the tax side in the article on CFCs, currency control and automatic exchange.
How this affects the passport’s reputation
The applicant mix affects the attitude of banks and visa services more than the programme’s formal indicators. The logic is simple: the stricter the entry, the more calmly the document is treated on exit.
In recent years Vanuatu has moved in exactly this direction: a full Financial Intelligence Unit check before filing, a rising refusal rate, the switch to a biometric passport. How the passport is perceived in practice is covered separately in the reputation of the Vanuatu passport.
Download the document checklist
We will send a list for each participant in the application: what the applicant prepares, what we translate and certify, and which certificates have an expiry date.
Why demand from Russia has multiplied
Comparing the two official snapshots gives a figure that cannot be ignored. Over seven years, from 2015 to 2021, 247 Russian citizens obtained Vanuatu citizenship. In 2023 alone, 237 applications were filed. In other words, the annual volume matched the seven-year one.
The reasons we see in our cases.
- Mobility narrowed. Some destinations that used to be accessible began to require visas or became inaccessible. A second document solves the travel task directly.
- Banking relationships became more complicated. The passport by itself does not open accounts, but it removes some questions about tax residence and gives an alternative jurisdiction for planning.
- A planning horizon for the family appeared. Applications more often come as a family with children rather than individually. This has changed noticeably over the past three years.
- Speed. When the need arises urgently, programmes taking six months or more are simply not considered.
What this means for the programme itself: the share of applicants from Russia has grown, and with it the checkers’ attention to this category. The source-of-funds check is most detailed here, and this has to be built into the preparation rather than discovered during the process.
How we calculated
The breakdown of successful applicants by country for 2015-2021 is taken from the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission’s summary, and the number of applications for 2023 from the European Commission materials it used to justify cancelling visa-free travel. For other countries there is no official breakdown for 2023, and we do not make it up. The portrait of a typical applicant and the focus of checks are based on our practice with applications.
Frequently asked
Questions people ask before deciding
01Citizens of which countries most often obtain a Vanuatu passport?
China by a wide margin: 519 applications in 2023 and 6,628 successful applicants in 2015-2021. Russia is consistently second, with 237 applications in 2023. They are followed by Nigeria, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Iran.
02Are there many Russians among the applicants?
Yes, Russia is second by number of applications. In 2023, 237 applications were filed, and in 2015-2021 247 people obtained citizenship. Such applications are familiar to the commission, and the review procedure is well established.
03Does the applicant’s nationality affect the commission’s decision?
Not in itself. The decision is based on the results of the Financial Intelligence Unit check: background, absence of criminal records, proven source of funds. At the same time, for some categories of applicants the chain of origin of funds is checked in more detail.
04Do people get a Vanuatu passport to relocate?
Hardly ever. The main purpose is a second document and mobility, as well as access to European residence programmes. Moving to the islands is rare and usually not part of the applicant’s plans.
05How does the applicant mix affect banks’ attitudes?
A bank looks at the client’s background, not only the passport country. At the same time, stricter checks in the programme support the document’s reputation: the stricter the entry, the more calmly the passport is treated on exit.
06What age is a typical applicant?
In our practice 35-55, most often an entrepreneur applying together with a spouse and children. The age limit for the main applicant is usually 18-65.
About the author
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ArticleBanks in Vanuatu and accounts abroad: what a bank checks for a Vanuatu citizen
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AnalysisWhat is due diligence and why the Caribbean is rejecting applicationsPersonal programme selection is conducted by Anna Kovalevskaya, Head of Legal, BRIDGES.
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