Vanuatu citizenship for the whole family in 2026: spouse, children, parents

Short

In the application for Vanuatu citizenship by investment you can include a spouse, children under 25 years of age and parents over 50. For each, a separate surcharge is added to the contribution, and the total amount depends on the composition of the family. Everyone receives passports at the same time, one or two months in advance.

Next - who exactly is allowed to take, what documents are needed for children and dependents, how the price is calculated for different trains and whether it is possible to add a child or a new spouse later. And let’s be about two disadvantages: the fee is non-refundable for everyone, and the Schengen visa-free visa regime for a Vanuatu passport no longer exists.

Who can be included in the application: spouse, children, parents

Vanuatu's program is one of the most family-flexible of all citizenship by investment schemes. In addition to the main applicant, it is allowed to add several categories of relatives to one file at once, and this is a key advantage for those who apply for a passport not for themselves alone, but for the entire family. The main criterion for adult relatives is financial dependence on the main applicant: the program assumes that you support them, and this is what will need to be documented.

• Spouse or spouse. Included if there is an officially registered marriage. Civil partners and cohabitants without a marriage certificate are not eligible - this must be taken into account in advance. If the marriage took place abroad, the certificate will have to be translated and legalized, and in some cases the citizenship office asks to confirm that the marriage is valid and not formal.
• Children under 18 years of age. Natural and officially adopted children up to the age of majority are added without additional conditions, except for confirmation of relationship. If the child is adopted, you will need adoption documents, and if the parents are divorcing, you will need the notarized consent of the second parent to include the child in the application and his/her departure.
• Children 18-25 years old. Adult children under 25 years of age can be included, but on condition: they are financially dependent on the applicant, are not married and, as a rule, study full-time at the university. You will need a certificate from the university and confirmation that the child does not have his own source of income. This is the category for which questions most often arise, so we check the student’s status in advance.
• Parents and grandparents over 50 years old. Elderly parents (and in some cases, grandparents) over 50 years of age are allowed to be added if they are dependent on the main applicant. They do not need to live in Vanuatu - the program does not require anyone to be physically present, which is especially convenient for older people who find it difficult to travel.

The Vanuatu government periodically adjusts the age thresholds and wording, so we always clarify the specific composition of the family and the maximum age of the children individually at the start of the case. If you have a non-standard situation (a 24-year-old child on academic leave, a 49-year-old parent, a second marriage, a child from a spouse’s previous marriage), this can be resolved, but requires a separate verification of documents and sometimes additional explanations for the citizenship office. It is better to discuss such nuances before submission than to receive a request for revision in the middle of the process and waste weeks.

Children and dependents: what to look out for

Children are the most common reason families come for a second passport in the first place. Vanuatu has two subtleties here that you should know about in advance.

The border is 18 and 25 years old. For a child under 18 years of age, it is enough to confirm the relationship. But from 18 to 25 it is more difficult to include a child: you need to prove that he is really dependent on you and is studying. This is not a formality - the citizenship office checks the student's status and lack of own income. If your son or daughter is soon 18, and even more so is approaching 25, you should not delay - the window for preferential inclusion is narrowing every year.

Dependency for adult relatives. Parents and grandparents from 50 years of age pass as dependent family members. In practice, this means that you need to show a financial connection: that you support them. Each such adult dependent undergoes full due diligence on the same basis as the main applicant.

We have collected a detailed list of papers for each category in a separate material about what documents are needed for Vanuatu citizenship. Briefly about family members:

• Spouse: international passport, marriage certificate, photo, police clearance certificate, proof of address.
• Children under 18: international passport or birth certificate, consent of the second parent for inclusion and departure, photo.
• Children 18-25: the same plus a certificate from the university about full-time study and confirmation of financial dependence.
• Parents 50+: international passport, police clearance certificate, documents of relationship and evidence that they are your dependent.

All documents for foreigners must be translated into English and legalized (apostille). This is the most common source of delays, so we start preparing papers in parallel with the check, and not sequentially. In practice, a large family collects several dozen documents from different countries, and collecting them without wasting time is a separate task that we take upon ourselves.

Separately, it is worth mentioning about divorce and custody. If a child is included in the application and the parents are divorced, the other parent must give written notarized consent. Without this consent, the child will not be accepted - this is a matter of international practice in protecting children's rights, and it cannot be circumvented. If contact with the second parent is lost or he is deprived of his rights, supporting court documents will be needed. We analyze these situations individually and in advance, because they are the ones who most often miss deadlines in family matters.

Cost of Vanuatu citizenship for different family compositions

The price consists of a non-refundable contribution to the Development Support Program and mandatory fees - due diligence, state fees and the work of a licensed agent. The basic fee for one applicant starts from approximately 130,000 USD. For a family of four (applicant, spouse and two children), the estimated contribution is approximately USD 180,000. Each additional dependent over 18 years of age adds approximately USD 25,000 to the contribution.

Below is an indicative table of contributions to the Development Fund for typical family compositions. Exact amounts and fees (due diligence approximately from ~5,500 USD per adult, state fees, agent services) are calculated individually and depend on the current tariffs for 2026 - check the detailed breakdown in the material about cost of Vanuatu citizenship.

It is important to understand the structure of the final check, because the contribution is not the entire amount. Three blocks are added:

• Contribution to the Development Fund - the main and largest part, a non-refundable donation to the state. Depends on family composition (see table above).
• Due Diligence Fees - approximately from 5,500 USD for each adult family member over 18 years old. They are paid for each separately and are not returned even if refused.
• State fees and services of a licensed agent - a mandatory part, without which the application will not be accepted. The specific amount depends on 2026 tariffs and family composition.

The peculiarity of Vanuatu is that a contribution to the Development Fund is a donation to the state; it is not returned under any scenario. Due diligence fees are paid for each adult family member and are also non-refundable - even if that person is rejected. This means that for a multi-generational family of six to seven people, the final budget can significantly exceed the basic figures from the table, and it must be calculated by name. But for each child under 18 years of age, the price in terms of conversion turns out to be noticeably lower than the cost of a separate passport - this is why Vanuatu is so popular among families with children.

Let's explain with an example. A family consisting of an applicant, a spouse, two minor children and one elderly parent is considered as follows: the basic contribution for a family of four (about 180,000 USD) plus an additional payment for a parent as an additional adult dependent (approximately from 25,000 USD), plus verification fees for three adults (applicant, spouse, parent) and state fees with agent services. We calculate the exact numbers for your composition free of charge. You can compare the final receipt with alternatives in the review Caribbean passports by investment or in the material about fastest second citizenship.

Can I add a child or new spouse later?

Life does not stand still: after passports are issued, a child is born, a new marriage is concluded. The good news is that Vanuatu's program allows you to complete your family after receiving citizenship.

• Child born later. A newborn born after approval can be added as a separate application. This is issued as an addition to the already acquired citizenship and is cheaper than including a child in the initial application - a separate fee is paid, rather than the full fee for a new applicant.
• New spouse. A spouse with whom the marriage was concluded after receiving a passport can also apply for citizenship separately. Here the conditions are closer to the new application: the new spouse undergoes a full due diligence check and pays the appropriate fee and fees. This is no longer a preferential “addition to the family”, but an independent matter.

We clarify the exact procedure and amount of additional payments for adding relatives after receiving a passport individually - the rules and tariffs for 2026 should be checked at the time of submission, so do not plan your budget “blindly”.

Is Vanuatu citizenship inherited by children born after

This is one of the most important issues for families who take a passport “for the future”, for the sake of their children and grandchildren. The principle here is this: Vanuatu citizenship acquired by a parent is passed on to the children by jus sanguinis. A child born to a Vanuatu citizen is entitled to citizenship by descent, regardless of whether the child was born before or after the parent obtained a passport.

In practice, this means that an investment in citizenship works for generations to come: by applying for a passport now, you create a foundation for future children that will no longer require a repeated contribution to the Development Fund - only the birth registration procedure. For a family, this is a serious argument: a one-time investment protects not only you and your current children, but also those who have not yet been born. This is why many clients see Vanuatu not as buying travel, but as creating a legal asset for the entire family name.

We recommend that you clarify the specific procedure for registering children born abroad and the set of documents in advance, since the details of registration by origin are regulated by the Vanuatu Citizenship Law and may change. As a rule, to register a newborn, you will need the child's birth certificate, the passport of the Vanuatu citizen parent and proof of relationship - but it is better to check the exact list and timing at the time of the child's birth. Vanuatu officially allows dual citizenship, so neither a child nor an adult will have to give up their first passport. This is convenient: the child can simultaneously retain citizenship of the country of birth and have a Vanuatu passport as a backup option for the future.

about Schengen: what does a Vanuatu passport give to a family in 2026

Here we disagree with most of our competitors, who still promise a “visa-free Europe”. This is no longer true, and it is important for families to understand the reality of travel.

European Council completely canceled visa-free regime for citizens of Vanuatu by decision of December 12, 2024 - after visa-free travel was partially and then completely suspended since 2022. The reason is explicitly stated in the decision: the citizenship by investment scheme created risks for the security of the EU. Result: You can no longer enter Schengen visa-free with a Vanuatu passport - the whole family will have to apply for Schengen visas as usual. This is the official position, you can read it on the website EU Council.

What a Vanuatu passport really gives a family in 2026:

• Visa-free or simplified entry to approximately 88+ countries and territories - including Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and a number of Asian destinations (the number varies, it is worth checking before your trip).
• A second passport is like a “Plan B” for the whole family - quickly, without moving and learning the language.
• Tax haven: Vanuatu has no tax on income, capital gains, inheritance and worldwide income - 0%.
• Officially permitted dual citizenship - no need to renounce your first passport.

If Europe is the family’s priority, it is more to look towards other programs - we directly compare the options in the materials Vanuatu vs DominicaandVanuatu vs Nauru.

Checking the integrity of the whole family and deadlines

Each adult family member (over 18 years of age) undergoes an individual due diligence check. This means requesting criminal records from all countries of residence, verifying the source of funds, and conducting reputation screening. Children under 18 years of age do not undergo deep screening, but the consent of the other parent for their inclusion is required.

Despite checking the whole family, Vanuatu remains one of the fastest programs: from submission of a complete set to a decision, it takes approximately one to two months, and all applied relatives receive passports at the same time. We described the sequence of steps in detail in the material about how to obtain Vanuatu citizenship.

Top tip for family matters: don’t split your application. If you initially know that you want to take parents and adult student children, it is more profitable and faster to carry out everyone in one task than to take each one separately later. In a single case, the security checks on everyone are carried out in parallel, the documents are collected in one set, and passports are issued at the same time. When relatives are added one by one after receiving a passport, each time it is a new procedure with its own deadlines and fees.

What we do at the stage of preparing a family case: we fix the exact composition, check the ages of the children on the filing date (so that no one “falls out” of the preferential category), test the reliability of each adult in advance using open databases, compile a list of documents for each family member and launch collection and legalization in parallel. This approach eliminates most reasons for refusal and requests for revision. We make calculations for the specific composition of your family for free - leave a request, and we will calculate the final budget taking into account all fees for 2026 and tell you who is more profitable to include now, and who can be added later.