Vanuatu citizenship for a donation: the DSP program in 2026

Program at a glance

DSP (Development Support Program) is obtaining Vanuatu citizenship for a non-refundable contribution to the state development fund, from 130,000 USD per applicant, with a decision in 1-2 months.

The main difference between Vanuatu and most programs is that you do not buy real estate, bonds or a stake in a business. You make a donation, and the money goes to the country's budget forever. In return the state issues a passport - quickly and with minimal bureaucracy. It is a trade of speed and simplicity for the non-refundability of the investment.

We have collected a detailed breakdown of all payments in a separate article on the cost of Vanuatu citizenship, and a general overview of the routes is on the page Vanuatu citizenship by investment.

What the Development Support Program is

The Development Support Program is an official Vanuatu government program launched in 2017. It is sometimes called the Vanuatu Contribution Program, because at its core is precisely a contribution - a payment, not an investment. Today DSP is the main channel through which foreigners obtain a Vanuatu passport.

The logic of the program is extremely straightforward. Vanuatu is a small island state in the southern Pacific that acutely lacks budget funds for infrastructure and recovery after regular cyclones. Attracting wealthy foreigners through the sale of citizenship has become one of the country's key sources of income: by some estimates, in certain years revenue from the program provided up to a third of state budget revenue.

• Who manages it. Applications go through the Vanuatu Citizenship Office and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which conducts due diligence.
• Who can apply. An applicant over 18, with no criminal record and a legal source of funds. The application includes a spouse, children and, in some cases, parents.
• Presence in the country. You do not need to come to Vanuatu or take language exams - the oath is taken remotely or at a consulate.

Where the donation money goes

This is the key question of the model, and the answer is what distinguishes Vanuatu from investment programs. The DSP contribution goes into the Vanuatu National Development Fund - that is, directly into the state budget.

From there the government allocates the funds to its priorities. According to open data, the fund's money went to the construction and repair of roads, jetties and buildings damaged by hurricanes, to education and scholarships for schoolchildren, to healthcare and social housing, and to supporting agriculture and tourism. In certain years part of the revenue went to servicing the national debt.

For the applicant this means a simple thing: your contribution is a contribution to the country's development, not the purchase of property that will remain yours. That is precisely why it is more to call Vanuatu a donation program rather than an investment one.

The contribution amount and options in 2026

In DSP there is no choice between different assets - there is only one path, a donation, and its size depends on the family composition. Current benchmarks for 2026:

On top of the contribution, mandatory fees are paid that are not included in the donation amount:

• Due diligence - about 5,500 USD, non-refundable, paid at the time of application.
• Biometrics - approximately 1,000 USD for the main applicant and about 800 USD for each dependent.
• Processing fees and the agent's work - clarified individually.

An important detail: the donation is made only after preliminary approval. That is, you pass the check before parting with the main amount - this reduces the risk of losing money in case of refusal. We will calculate the exact figures for your family composition and a full payment schedule during a consultation.

Why this is not an investment asset

On the market, citizenship programs are often called investments - but for Vanuatu this word applies with a caveat. The DSP contribution is a non-refundable donation. In return you receive neither real estate, nor bonds, nor a stake in a fund that could later be sold or returned.

Compare this with models that have a refundable or liquid component:

• Real estate (for example, in Caribbean programs or in Turkey) - the asset remains yours, it can be rented out and sold after a few years.
• Refundable bonds - in a number of programs the investment is returned after a set period.
• The Vanuatu donation - the money goes to the budget forever; the contribution itself has no economic return.

This is not a flaw of the program as such - it is its nature. You pay for the result: a second passport, tax status and speed. If the goal is to preserve or grow capital through the very fact of participation, it is worth looking at models with an asset. Our analysis helps to weigh the options Caribbean passports and a comparison of Vanuatu and Dominica.

Pros and cons of the donation model

The contribution scheme has strengths and weaknesses, and it is wiser to know them in advance.

Pros:

• Speed. A decision in 1-2 months - one of the fastest on the market. More on the pace in the review the fastest second citizenship.
• Simplicity. There is no need to choose and vet a property, no need to come to the country, take a language exam or live there.
• Taxes. Vanuatu levies no tax on income, capital gains, inheritance or worldwide income - the rate is 0%.
• Dual citizenship. Vanuatu allows holding a second passport; there is no need to renounce the previous one.

Cons:

• Non-refundability. The contribution is not returned and does not turn into an asset. This is the main price of the model.
• No visa-free Schengen. The European Union has revoked visa-free entry for the Vanuatu passport (see the section below) - this is a real limitation.
• Reputational backdrop. Because of the EU's complaints, the program is under heightened scrutiny, and due diligence has become stricter.

Visa-free destinations and a fact-check on Schengen

Here it is important to be utterly, because competitors often mislead. A Vanuatu passport does NOT grant visa-free entry to the Schengen area.

The EU began restricting visa-free travel for Vanuatu in February 2022, and from December 2022 introduced a full suspension of the visa-free regime - which remains in force. The reason is complaints about the program itself: mass issuance of passports, weak vetting of applicants and overly short processing times. Details are in the European Commission's official statement and on the website of the Vanuatu immigration service.

What the Vanuatu passport actually offers: visa-free or simplified entry to roughly 88-90 countries and territories - among them Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and a number of states in Asia, the Caribbean and Oceania. This is a useful set for business and personal travel, but not European visa-free access. If your main goal is free entry to the EU, it is more to consider other programs from the outset. We keep an up-to-date list of destinations in the article on Vanuatu's visa-free countries.

How the DSP process works

The DSP process is short and linear - that is its strength. The stages look like this:

• 1. Document preparation. Passport, police clearance certificate, proof of the legal origin of funds, completed forms. Usually 1-2 weeks.
• 2. Submission and due diligence. The application goes to the Vanuatu Citizenship Office, and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) conducts due diligence. At this stage the vetting fee is paid, but not the donation itself.
• 3. Preliminary approval. After passing the check, a letter of preliminary approval arrives - and only then is the main contribution made.
• 4. Making the donation and taking the oath. After payment, a certificate of citizenship is issued, the oath is taken and the passport is arranged.

The logic of paying after approval is an important protection for the applicant: you do not risk the main amount before passing the check. The whole path fits into 1-2 months. We have laid out a step-by-step guide in the article on how to obtain Vanuatu citizenship.

How DSP differs from Caribbean funds

Caribbean programs (Dominica, St Kitts, Grenada and others) also offer the option of a donation to a state fund. At first glance the models are similar, but there is a difference.

• Speed. Vanuatu's process is faster - 1-2 months vs 3-6 for most Caribbean countries.
• Visa-free travel. Caribbean passports retain visa-free entry to Schengen, which Vanuatu does not have. This is the main argument in favor of the Caribbean for travel around Europe.
• Entry amount. The base contribution is comparable, but the specific figures and fees vary from country to country.
• Taxes. In both cases there is a territorial or zero taxation model; the specifics depend on the jurisdiction.

The conclusion is simple: Vanuatu wins on speed and simplicity, the Caribbean on freedom of movement around Europe. A detailed comparison of the programs is in the article Vanuatu vs Nauru and in the review of Caribbean passports.

BRIDGES analysis on this topic: what the state earns per passport, what the programme means for the budget.

BRIDGES service: Vanuatu citizenship by investment with BRIDGES support.