Is Vanuatu citizenship worth it: scenarios for families and businesses

Vanuatu citizenship: in brief

In brief: Vanuatu is chosen for its timeline, cost and simplicity: a passport in 2-3 months, with no residence, language or exams, and dual citizenship allowed. For living in Europe, a Vanuatu passport serves as a first step to residence in Greece or Hungary. For a US E-2 visa, other programmes fit.

The decision depends on the goal. If you need a fast second document, travel in Asia, a back-up passport for the family or a first step to European residence, Vanuatu meets the need. If you need a US E-2 investor visa, look at Grenada or Turkey. The programme’s basic conditions are collected in the overview of Vanuatu citizenship by investment.

What you get for the contribution

In brief: for the contribution the family receives permanent citizenship with a 10-year passport, the right to live, work and own property in Vanuatu, and the passing of citizenship to children. There is no need to give up your previous citizenship.

• Timeline. Roughly 2-3 months from filing the full package to the passport.
• Remote processing. With BRIDGES biometrics are given in Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, St Petersburg or Port Vila, and the oath is taken by video call.
• Travel. 42 countries without a visa and another 30 with a visa on arrival, including Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and most of the Caribbean; the full list of visa-free countries for the Vanuatu passport is kept separately.
• Taxes. Vanuatu has no personal income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax; these terms apply to the country’s tax residents.
• Family. One application can include a spouse, children under 25 and parents over 50.

The passport has no visa-free entry to the Schengen area or the UK; a visa is obtained for them. For living in Europe, the Vanuatu passport is used as a first step to residence. All cost items are covered in the turnkey total by family size.

The passport is biometric, with a green cover, and valid for 10 years, while citizenship stays with the person after the passport is renewed. Children born after citizenship is granted acquire it by descent without a contribution. How these rights work in life, from accounts to passing the status to children, is shown in what Vanuatu citizenship gives.

Europe: the route through Greek residence

In brief: the EU fully suspended visa-free travel for Vanuatu citizens on 4 February 2023, and the UK has required a visa since 19 July 2023. Families with a Vanuatu passport start living in Europe through the Greek Golden Visa or Hungary’s programmes.

The EU revised the visa-free regime in three steps: a partial suspension from 3 March 2022 for passports issued from 25 May 2015, a full one from 4 February 2023, and EU Regulation 2025/11 of 19 December 2024 moved Vanuatu to the visa list. For travel to the Schengen area, a Vanuatu citizen obtains a visa at a consulate.

For living, children’s education and business in Europe, families arrange residence. The Vanuatu passport is obtained in 2-3 months, then an application is filed for the Greek Golden Visa, under which residence is granted to the spouse, children under 21 and the parents of both spouses, or for Hungary’s programmes. How this went for a three-generation family is shown in the case of Greek residence through a Vanuatu passport, and the procedure on Greek residence for Vanuatu citizens.

The Greek Golden Visa property threshold is from €250,000 to €800,000 depending on the region and property. The card gives the right to live in Greece and travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180, and permanent living in the country is not required to keep it. Documents for both applications are prepared once, so a turnkey Vanuatu passport and Greek residence fit into 9 months. The idea that the road to Europe is closed with a Vanuatu passport is covered in myths about Vanuatu citizenship.

Who should get Vanuatu citizenship: scenario by scenario

In brief: Vanuatu suits an entrepreneur who needs a second passport quickly, a frequent traveller in Asia, a family planning residence in Europe and those who need a back-up document. For a US E-2 visa and maximum visa-free access to Europe, other programmes are chosen.

The scenarios below are built from the family’s goal, not the programme: first the task is named, then we check whether a Vanuatu passport meets it. All the tasks people take the passport for are collected in a separate article.

An entrepreneur with an international business

If the business is run in Asia, the Middle East or online, a Vanuatu passport gives a second document for travel and banking without relocating. Vanuatu’s tax terms apply only after actually moving and changing tax residence. If the plan includes a business in the USA through an E-2 visa, Vanuatu does not fit: the country is not on the treaty list, and such entrepreneurs consider Grenada or Turkey.

A frequent traveller

For travel in Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean and to Russia, a Vanuatu passport covers the main destinations without a visa. Travel to the Schengen area and the UK needs a visa, so those who fly to Europe every week and do not plan residence there should compare Vanuatu with Caribbean passports.

A family with children

The family receives passports at the same time, citizenship passes to the children, and for study and life in Europe the Vanuatu passport becomes a first step to residence in Greece or Hungary. For a family of four the CIIP fund is better value: $165,000 turnkey against $185,000 under the DSP, with $50,000 back after 5 years.

A back-up passport

A second document that does not depend on the situation in the country of main citizenship is obtained in 2-3 months and requires no residence. An example of such a decision is shown in case: a back-up passport for a founder.

The economics of the contribution: DSP or the CIIP fund

In brief: under the DSP citizenship costs a single applicant $135,000 turnkey and a family of four $185,000. Through the CIIP fund a family of four pays $165,000 and after 5 years gets $50,000 back.

Under the DSP the total grows with each member: $135,000 for one applicant, $155,000 for a couple, $170,000 with a child and $185,000 with two children. The CIIP fund costs $165,000 for any family of up to four, or $115,000 net of the return.

The DSP contribution goes into the Vanuatu budget and is not refunded. In the CIIP fund the state returns $50,000 of the sum after 5 years. In both programmes the contribution is paid after Commission approval; before the decision the family pays only the FIU fee. A single applicant does better with the DSP, a family of three or more with the fund. How to choose is covered in DSP or the CIIP fund.

For this sum the family buys time, simplicity and a status that passes to the children. Caribbean programmes start from $200,000 and usually take six months or more to review applications, and Turkey requires a property investment from $400,000. The exact total for your family is shown by the budget for your family.

What Vanuatu is compared with: the Caribbean, Turkey, Nauru

In brief: Caribbean passports give visa-free Schengen access but cost from $200,000 and take longer. Turkey suits the US E-2 visa. Nauru is cheaper on the contribution. Vanuatu wins on timeline and on the combination of price and simplicity.

Caribbean programmes: St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia. They keep visa-free entry to the Schengen area and open more destinations, but the contribution is higher and the review longer. Grenada gives access to the US E-2 visa. Since 2022 Caribbean programmes have not accepted applications from citizens of Russia and Belarus. A direct comparison is in Vanuatu or Dominica.

Turkey requires an investment in property, which remains an asset, and opens the US E-2 visa, but gives no visa-free Schengen access and takes longer. Nauru’s programme is cheaper on the contribution; its comparison with Vanuatu is in Vanuatu or Nauru. If time is the main criterion, the overview of the fastest second citizenship programmes is useful.

Dominica’s EDF threshold is $200,000 for one applicant and $250,000 for a family of up to four, and all members from 16 attend an interview. In Turkey citizenship is granted for buying property from $400,000 with a 3-year ban on selling. Nauru’s programme under an offer until 31 December 2026 costs $90,000 for the main applicant. So Vanuatu is compared not only on price but on what the family gets in 2-3 months.

What is considered in the decision: limits and risks

In brief: the decision takes into account that countries’ visa policies change, the programme is under state review in 2026, banks check the source of funds in detail and the check fee is not refunded on refusal. Each of these risks is reduced by preparation before filing.

• Visa policy. The EU story in 2022-2025 shows that entry regimes change. The passport is assessed against the destinations the family needs, and the regime is checked before trips.
• Programme review. In 2026 the Government of Vanuatu is reviewing its citizenship by investment programmes, so the final budget is confirmed by an official invoice for the application.
• Banks. Banks examine the source of funds of investment citizenship holders in more detail, so income documents are prepared in advance; details in banks in Vanuatu and an account abroad.
• Refusal. The FIU fee is not refunded, and the DSP contribution is not paid on refusal. Background and source of funds are checked before the fee is paid.
• CIIP fund. Leaving before five years is possible with loss of part of the amount under the agreement, so how long the money can stay in the fund is assessed before choosing a programme.

The full review is in passport risks and how to remove them, and programme changes in what changed in the programme in 2026.

Vanuatu citizenship for a Russian citizen

In brief: for a Russian citizen Vanuatu remains one of the programmes that accept applications on general terms, with biometrics in Moscow and a route to Greek residence. Before filing, payment from an account in a bank in another country is planned and the duty to notify the Interior Ministry is taken into account.

Since 2022 Caribbean programmes have not accepted applications from citizens of Russia and Belarus, so the choice for Russian families is narrower, and Vanuatu stands out in it for timeline and cost. Greece has suspended new Golden Visa applications from Russian citizens, while with a Vanuatu passport the application is filed as a Vanuatu citizen. With BRIDGES biometrics can be given in Moscow or St Petersburg, so there is no need to leave Russia for processing.

Two things are considered before deciding: transfers from Russian banks to Vanuatu often do not go through, so payment is planned from an account in a bank in another country; and after receiving the passport a Russian citizen notifies the Interior Ministry of the second citizenship within 60 days. All the specifics are collected in Vanuatu citizenship for Russian citizens.

Checklist: does Vanuatu suit you

In brief: if three points from the first list match and none from the second is critical, Vanuatu solves your task.

Worth comparing with other programmes if: you need a US E-2 investor visa; you need visa-free Schengen without arranging residence; it matters to invest money in an asset rather than pay a contribution. In these cases it helps to look at Grenada, Turkey or Caribbean passports before deciding.

How to obtain Vanuatu citizenship

In brief: the application is filed through a licensed agent; after the FIU check and Commission approval the contribution is paid, biometrics given and the oath taken by video call. The timeline is roughly 2-3 months from filing the full package.

• Requirements: age 18 or over, no convictions or sanctions, a lawful source of funds. Residence and language are not required.
• Family: spouse, children under 25, parents over 50.
• Stages: preliminary check, documents, filing, FIU check, decision and contribution, biometrics and oath, passport.
• Payment: DSP from $130,000 or the CIIP fund $157,000, the contribution after Commission approval.

The application is filed in two rounds: a short package for the FIU check, which without requests takes up to 7 working days, then the full package for the Citizenship Commission. After approval 3 months are allowed for the contribution and the oath, and the passport is issued in 1-3 weeks. The applicant travels in person only for biometrics: Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, St Petersburg or Port Vila.

BRIDGES first examines the client’s goal and only then suggests a programme: if another country better meets the task, we say so before the agreement. The steps are described in detail in how to get Vanuatu citizenship, and the terms of work on Vanuatu citizenship with BRIDGES.

What to check before deciding

In brief: before paying, check the goal and the programme, tax residence, the rules of your first country of citizenship, the source of funds and the agent’s licence.

1. Goal and programme. For living in Europe, plan two steps at once: a Vanuatu passport and residence.
2. Taxes. Vanuatu’s zero rates apply to the country’s tax residents; the passport itself does not change tax residence.
3. First country of citizenship. Some states require notification of a second citizenship, Russia for example within 60 days, while others restrict dual citizenship.
4. Source of funds. Documents on the origin of money are prepared before filing.
5. Agent. The application is filed only through a licensed agent, whose licence is checked on the filing date.

The programme’s strengths and weaknesses point by point are covered in pros and cons of Vanuatu citizenship.