# Vanuatu — Residency & Citizenship Conditions

> Source: https://residencyradar.org/conditions/vanuatu.html | Last checked: 2026-10-12 | Last updated: 2026-10-11

## Overview
Vanuatu (Republic of Vanuatu, South Pacific) runs the fastest citizenship-by-investment programme in the world — the Development Support Program (DSP), a non-refundable government contribution granting citizenship in roughly 30–60 days with **no residence requirement**. It is administered by the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission under the Citizenship Act (Cap 112). It is the only CBI programme in the Asia-Pacific region. ^[https://vanuatucitizenshipbyinvestment.com/citizenship-by-investment]

## Residency Programs

| Type | Official Program | Key Conditions | Duration | Detail |
|------|-----------------|----------------|----------|--------|
| investment_residency | Not available | — | — | — |
| passive_income_residency | Not available | — | — | — |
| digital_nomad_visa | Not available | — | — | — |
| highly_skilled_employment | Standard work permit | Job offer | 1 yr, renewable | — |
| startup_entrepreneur | Not available | — | — | — |
| employment_residency | Work permit | Job offer from local employer | 1 yr, renewable | — |
| student_residency | Student permit | Enrollment at local institution | Course duration | — |
| family_reunification | Dependent permit | Sponsor with valid permit | Aligned with sponsor | — |
| retired_residency | Not available | — | — | — |
| citizenship_by_investment | DSP / CIIP / REO | $130,000 DSP donation (single) | ~30–60 days | [[#citizenship-by-investment]] |

## Per-Program Detail

### citizenship_by_investment
- **Official name**: Development Support Program (DSP); alternatives: Capital Investment Immigration Plan (CIIP), Real Estate Option (REO)
- **Conditions (DSP donation)**: US$130,000 single; US$150,000 married couple; US$165,000 couple + 1 child <18; US$180,000 couple + 2 children <18; +US$10,000 per additional child. FIU due-diligence fee US$5,000–5,500/application. DSP excludes China/Hong Kong (served by the identical Contribution Program, VCP). CIIP: US$100,000 donation + US$50,000 redeemable investment (4-yr). REO: US$100,000 donation + property. ^[https://vanuatucitizenshipbyinvestment.com/citizenship-by-investment]
- **Duration / renewal**: Citizenship permanent and hereditary; 10-year biometric passport. No residence requirement.
- **Path to citizenship**: Direct grant; processing ~30–60 days (fastest CBI globally). ^[https://www.vanuatupassport.vu/vanuatu-citizenship-program/vanuatu-passport-cost]
- **Official source**: https://vanuatucitizenshipbyinvestment.com/citizenship-by-investment
- **Community verdict**: Works well (fast, cheap, but passport is weak — no Schengen/UK/US access; EU partially suspended Vanuatu's visa-free deal in 2022–2025 over due-diligence concerns).

## Citizenship
Direct citizenship by investment (DSP/VCP/CIIP/REO). Naturalisation by residence also available. Dual citizenship permitted since the 2013 constitutional amendment. ^[https://vanuatucitizenshipbyinvestment.org/vanuatu-citizenship-by-investment-program]

## Tax
**No income tax, no capital gains tax, no inheritance tax, no wealth tax** — one of the world's few zero-direct-tax jurisdictions. Citizenship holders who do not reside owe nothing locally.

## IT / Digital Nomad
No dedicated nomad visa, but citizenship (via CBI) allows living and working freely. Vanuatu is remote and timezone-shifted from Europe/US, so few digital nomads settle there.

## Yacht / Maritime
Vanuatu is one of the world's largest open ship registries (Vanuatu International Shipping Registry) — popular flag-of-convenience for commercial vessels and yachts.

## Notes for RU Citizens
Vanuatu DSP is open to Russians and historically popular with RU applicants for a fast, cheap second passport; some agents accept payment in crypto. Note: the passport gives no Schengen access (EU suspended Vanuatu's visa-waiver 2022; partial reinstatement discussions ongoing into 2026).

## Community Pulse
Long regarded as the cheapest and fastest "Plan B" passport. The EU's 2022 full suspension of the Vanuatu visa-waiver (over weak due diligence) sharply reduced its value for Europe-bound applicants and is the dominant community complaint. Russia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore access remain the main draws.

## Country Snapshot

| Field | Value | Source / Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Population | ~335,000 (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/country/vanuatu) hard/official |
| Main religion | Christianity (Protestant majority) | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanuatu#Religion) hard/official |
| Main language | Bislama, English, French (official) | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanuatu) hard/official |
| Main city (capital or largest) | Port Vila | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Vila) hard/official |
| On the coast? | Yes (archipelago of ~83 islands) | Geographical fact [soft/estimate] |
| Tourism impact in season | Medium — peak May–Oct (cyclone season Nov–Apr) | [soft/estimate] |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | ~$3,200 (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD?locations=VU) hard/official |
| Median net monthly salary | No recent data | [soft/estimate] low |
| Cost of living index | No recent data | [soft/estimate] low |
| Monthly rent, 1-bedroom apartment | No recent data | [soft/estimate] low |
| Effective personal tax rate for remote workers | 0% (no income tax) | See [[#tax]] [soft/estimate] |
| Remote-work / self-employment residence available? | No separate visa; CBI grants citizenship (no stay) | See [[#citizenship-by-investment]] |
| Years to citizenship | Immediate via CBI (~30–60 days) | See [[#citizenship-by-investment]] |
| Maximum permitted absence during residence | No residence requirement | See [[#citizenship-by-investment]] |
| Passport strength after citizenship | 86 visa-free destinations (Henley 2026) | [Henley & Partners](https://cdn.henleyglobal.com/storage/app/media/HPI/Henley%20Passport%20Index%202026%20October%20Global%20Ranking.pdf) hard/official |
| Rule of Law Index | No reliable data (not covered by WJP) | [WJP](https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/) low |
| Freedom House score | 82/100 (Free) | [Freedom House](https://freedomhouse.org/country/vanuatu/freedom-world/2025) hard/official |
| Average annual sunshine hours | ~2,200 h | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanuatu#Climate) hard/official |
| Average annual temperature | ~25 °C | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanuatu#Climate) hard/official |

## Country Card

### General description
Vanuatu is a South Pacific archipelago nation east of Australia, economically small and heavily reliant on tourism, agriculture, and its citizenship-by-investment and ship-registry revenue. It is best known in the CBI world for the fastest and one of the cheapest second passports available.

### Well-known strong points
- Fastest CBI globally (~30–60 days)
- Lowest single-applicant donation ($130,000) of any passport programme
- Zero income/capital-gains/inheritance tax
- No residence requirement; dual citizenship permitted
- Large open ship registry (yacht/commercial flag)

### Well-known problems
- Weak passport (86 destinations; no Schengen/UK/US)
- EU suspended Vanuatu's visa-waiver (2022) over due-diligence concerns
- Remote location, high disaster exposure (cyclones, earthquakes)
- Small, low-income economy (GDP PPP ~$3,200)

## Status
- **Last monitored**: 2026-10-12
- **Recent changes**: CIIP reopened May 2025 (investment + donation model); EU visa-waiver suspension discussions ongoing.
- **Watch items**: EU reinstatement of Vanuatu's visa-waiver; DSP pricing changes; FIU due-diligence tightening.

## Official and primary sources
- https://vanuatucitizenshipbyinvestment.com/citizenship-by-investment
- https://vanuatucitizenshipbyinvestment.com/investment-options
- https://www.vanuatupassport.vu/vanuatu-citizenship-program/vanuatu-passport-cost