Vanuatu citizenship programme: the law, the Citizenship Commission and the FIU check

The Vanuatu Citizenship Act: in brief

In brief: grounds for citizenship are set by the Constitution and the Citizenship Act [Cap 112], and applicant categories and DSP fees by the 2019 regulation. The application is filed by a designated agent, the FIU carries out the check, the Citizenship Commission decides and the Immigration and Passport Services issue the passport.

This structure makes the programme a state one: the contribution goes to the Vanuatu budget on an invoice issued after approval, and citizenship is confirmed by the Commission’s certificate. How the programme looks for the applicant is covered in Vanuatu citizenship by investment.

The Citizenship Act and the Constitution

In brief: the Citizenship Act [Cap 112] was passed by the Parliament of Vanuatu and came into force in 1980. It was amended in 2013, twice in 2014 and in 2018, and amendments to Chapter 3 of the Constitution, in force since 2014, recognised dual citizenship.

Dual citizenship is recognised, but a citizen with two citizenships cannot hold public office or take part in politics. So a citizen of Russia or any other country who obtains a Vanuatu passport does not need to give up their first citizenship under Vanuatu law.

Programme regulations and tariffs

In brief: DSP fee categories are set by the Citizenship (Development Support Program) Regulations, Order No. 33 of 2019. The published tariff: $130,000 for one, $150,000 for a couple, $165,000 for a family of three, $180,000 for a family of four, and an FIU fee of $5,000.

The Act sets the framework, while amounts and applicant categories change by government order. Besides the 2019 order, the Citizenship Office publishes Orders No. 38 and No. 39 of 2020. The FIU fee is paid on filing, and the citizenship contribution under the published fee schedule is paid only after approval by the Commission.

Amounts are checked as of the filing date against the official fee schedule, not old publications. How the turnkey total is built and how the DSP differs from the CIIP fund is covered in how much Vanuatu citizenship costs for a family.

Official programmes and grounds for citizenship

In brief: the Citizenship Commission grants citizenship by naturalisation, marriage, entitlement and restoration, to an investor under the CIIP plan, honorary citizenship under the DSP, under the VCP programme and under the REO property option.

Investment programmes follow the general review procedure; what differs is the fees and the way of filing: under the DSP, the CIIP plan and REO the application is filed through an agent, while for naturalisation after 10 years’ residence and marriage after 2 years in the country the applicant goes to the Citizenship Office in person. Under the REO option the applicant buys property in one of four approved projects: Pacific Springs in Rentabao, Narpow Point Coral Bay and FPF Rainbow City at Narpow Point on Efate, and Milai on Espiritu Santo. All REO applications are handled by the master agent Naika Holdings Limited. How to choose between the DSP and the fund is covered in DSP or the CIIP fund, the property option in Vanuatu citizenship through property.

The Citizenship Commission and the Citizenship Office

In brief: the Citizenship Commission and the Citizenship Office form a constitutional body with powers to regulate and handle all citizenship matters under the laws of Vanuatu. The Commission approves, defers or rejects applications, and the secretary general sends the decision letter a week after the sitting.

The Citizenship Office receives applications, checks that documents are complete and corresponds with designated agents. For general grounds the application is also reviewed by the internal committee. Approval does not follow automatically from paying the fees: the Commission relies on the results of the check and may refuse if a document or information is not provided or a requirement is not met.

The certificate of citizenship is issued by the Commission, and the ordinary passport by the Immigration and Passport Services. The Commission sits regularly, and in practice the application calendar is built from the nearest sitting. Stage timelines are covered in Vanuatu citizenship timelines.

Due diligence: the Financial Intelligence Unit

In brief: applicants under the DSP, CIIP and VCP programmes are checked by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The DSP check fee is $5,000 per application and is not refunded on refusal; without a positive FIU clearance an application does not proceed to approval.

The check has two levels. First the designated agent runs an initial check: establishes identity, source of funds and convictions. Then the FIU screens the applicant and family members against sanctions and wanted lists and assesses money laundering and reputational risks. The FIU notice on the check procedure is published for all three programmes.

The honorary citizenship procedure the Citizenship Office describes for the VERP economic recovery programme shows how many levels an applicant’s name went through: the agent passed it to a technical working group, the group checked the person through the FIU, then the Commission ran its own check, and the Prime Minister presented the candidate to the President. How the check works now and which documents are needed is covered in due diligence.

Designated agents

In brief: an investment programme application is filed only by a designated agent. The Citizenship Office publishes the Designated Agents list, with 6 DSP agents for 2026, and a separate Cancelled Agents list of agents whose designation has been revoked.

Consultants and law firms prepare the applicant and file through a designated agent. This arrangement is lawful if the agent is named in the agreement and is on the official list on the filing date. An offer to file directly “through a contact on the Commission” is not provided for by law.

Official Government of Vanuatu websites use the gov.vu domain, and the government specifically warns about fake websites. How to check an agent against the list and what to ask before signing is covered in licensed Vanuatu citizenship agent.

Family in the application under the law

In brief: one investment programme application can include a spouse, children under 25 and parents over 50. The main applicant goes through the FIU check, children aged 18 to 25 prove full-time study, and children born after citizenship is granted acquire it by descent without a contribution.

The DSP tariff grows with the family: $130,000 for one, $150,000 for a couple, $165,000 for a family of three and $180,000 for a family of four. Under the CIIP fund there is one sum for a family of up to four: $157,000, of which $50,000 is returned after 5 years. The FIU fee is paid once per application: $5,000 under the DSP and $8,000 under the fund.

So a single applicant or a couple usually does better with the DSP, and a family of three or more with the fund. Each member receives their own passport. Conditions for the spouse, children and parents are covered in who can be included in the application.

After approval: 3 months for the oath and the fee

In brief: after approval by the Commission the applicant has 3 months to take the oath and pay the certificate fee. On a written request with good reason the secretary general may extend the period by 2 months; otherwise the approval lapses and a new application is needed.

The approval letter sets out the final steps: the oath, the correct spelling of the name for the certificate and payment of the fee. Under the DSP the contribution is also paid after approval on a treasury invoice, which in practice takes 7-14 days. If the applicant misses the 3 months without an extension, the previous approval lapses, and a new application is checked and paid for again.

So the bank account and transfer documents are prepared in advance, before the Commission’s decision. How the payment schedule works is covered in how Vanuatu citizenship is paid for.

The certificate of citizenship and the passport

In brief: citizenship is confirmed by the certificate issued by the Citizenship Commission after the oath and payment of the fee. The citizen’s passport is issued by the Immigration and Passport Services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: it is biometric, valid for 10 years, with a green cover.

The passport is issued 1-3 weeks after the oath. Since 1 July 2025 biometrics are given in person: in Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, St Petersburg or Port Vila. The certificate is kept separately from the passport: a new passport is issued on its basis in case of replacement or loss.

• Certificate. Issued by the Citizenship Commission; confirms citizen status.
• Ordinary passport. Issued by the Immigration and Passport Services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for 10 years.
• Diplomatic passport. Issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; it has nothing to do with the investment programme.

The path of an application from the preliminary check to the passport is covered step by step in 7 stages of the process.

Programme oversight: revocation and reviews

In brief: citizenship obtained through false information, deception or concealment is revoked 30 days after this is established, and the Commission has revoked citizenships granted in breach of the law. In February 2026 the Council of Ministers considered a commission of inquiry report on the Citizenship Commission and its programmes.

The Citizenship Office reports revoking about 30 citizenships granted in breach of procedure and stresses that all applicants must go through the procedure established by law. On 6 February 2026 the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the Council of Ministers had considered the commission of inquiry report and ordered the recommendations of its first part to be implemented.

For the applicant this means a simple rule: lawfully obtained citizenship rests on a complete and truthful document package. Hidden information about the background or source of funds creates a risk not only of refusal but of later loss of citizenship. All programme changes with dates are collected in programme changes up to 2026.

Renunciation and restoration of citizenship

In brief: an adult citizen with full legal capacity may renounce Vanuatu citizenship by completing the renunciation form and taking an oath. A person who renounced can regain citizenship under form C(b), and a citizen without a second citizenship loses Vanuatu citizenship only on grounds set by law.

The law distinguishes voluntary renunciation, loss and revocation. Renunciation is initiated by the citizen. Loss occurs under the criteria of the Citizenship Act for an adult citizen who has no second citizenship. Revocation applies if citizenship was obtained through false information, deception or concealment. The renunciation procedure is described in renouncing Vanuatu citizenship, a citizen’s rights in rights and duties of a Vanuatu citizen.

Confidentiality and information exchange

In brief: Vanuatu citizenship is lawful and does not change tax residence. The International Tax Cooperation Act No. 7 of 2016 provides for automatic exchange of account information, and banks report data by the client’s country of tax residence, not by citizenship.

Besides automatic exchange, Vanuatu has agreements on exchange of tax information on request, for example with Australia, France and Finland. For the applicant this means the second passport works as a document for travel, accounts and family, while taxes are still determined by the country of residence.

Vanuatu has no personal income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax, but the passport does not make you a Vanuatu tax resident: residence is determined by the country where a person lives for 183 days a year or more. Who learns about a second citizenship and to what extent is covered in confidentiality of the status and CRS.

Vanuatu law and Russian law

In brief: Vanuatu recognises dual citizenship, while Russia treats its citizen with a foreign citizenship only as a Russian citizen. The second passport is lawful, but a Russian citizen notifies the Interior Ministry of it within 60 days. We use Russia as an example; other countries have their own rules.

The notice is filed within 60 days of receiving the document on the second citizenship, or, if the citizen is abroad, within 60 days of entering Russia. Missing the deadline carries a fine of RUB 500 to 1,000 under Article 19.8.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences, and failing to notify a fine of up to RUB 200,000 or community service of up to 400 hours under Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code. On Russian territory the citizen uses the Russian passport and the Vanuatu passport abroad.

All duties to Russian authorities, including notifications of foreign accounts, are covered in dual citizenship of Russia and Vanuatu.

Signs of the official programme

In brief: in the official programme the Commission decides after the FIU check, filing goes through a designated agent from the list, the DSP contribution is paid after approval on a treasury invoice, and citizenship is confirmed by a certificate and a passport.

If the answer to even one check is negative, payments stop: neither “a contact on the Commission” nor “guaranteed approval without checks” is provided for by law, and filing through a private individual on a messenger does not create an application with the Citizenship Office.

In 2025 the Citizenship Office clarified, in connection with offers of diplomatic passports abroad, that the Commission issues certificates of citizenship and does not issue passports, that the ordinary passport is issued by the Immigration and Passport Services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the diplomatic one by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Signs of fraudulent offers are collected in Vanuatu passport scams, and the programme’s legality and the recognition of the passport in is Vanuatu citizenship legal.

How BRIDGES works within the law

In brief: we run a preliminary check before payments, name the designated agent before the agreement, calculate the budget at published tariffs and accept the DSP contribution for payment only after approval.

• A check before filing. Background, source of funds and risks before the FIU fee is paid.
• Designated agent. Checked against the Designated Agents list on the filing date.
• Tariffs. Contribution, FIU fee and duties from the official schedule, services on a separate line.
• Deadlines after approval. Oath, fee and contribution within 3 months, with a calendar from the date of the letter.

The cost for your family is shown by the cost calculator. Conditions and the way we work are collected on support under the Vanuatu programme, and a short summary in the guide to Vanuatu citizenship.