Citizenship

Are you looking for peace of mind and the added security of dual nationality for you and your family? Want the choice of where you live or the flexibility of global mobility with visa free (or visa upon arrival) access to over 110 countries? Or are you interested in favourable tax conditions? Law Partners can assist you to achieve your goals through the Vanuatu Development Support Program (DSP).

In January 2017, the Vanuatu Government introduced the Vanuatu Citizenship Development Support Program to raise strategic revenue to support Vanuatu’s ongoing economic growth and infrastructure development. This initiative is the only citizenship program in the South Pacific.

Law Partners is proud to be contributing to the professional implementation of the DSP as an “Approved Government Agent”.

We assist applicants to apply for Vanuatu Honorary Citizenship with a (non-refundable) contribution to the local development fund with a minimum of USD$130,000 per single person. Note the contribution will vary if applications include a spouse and / or children.

The Citizenship acquired under the DSP is fully recognised, and allows successful applicants to be regarded as Ni-Vanuatu Citizens with the right to reside in Vanuatu including the flexibility of no minimum time spent in-country requirements.

Vanuatu passports are valid for 10 years and are renewable upon expiry. Citizenship is also hereditary

Why choose to become a Vanuatu Citizen with Law Partners?

• we can assure you of a completely confidential and professional service;
• simple and fast document collection and fund transferring process;
• we can also help with your other Vanuatu requirements including establishing a bank account, forming a company or trust;
• we are recognised as an officially Approved Government Agent.

Be aware that you may find other promoters offering various prices to obtain Vanuatu Citizenship. To ensure security, only official applications submitted through an Approved Government Agent, such as Law Partners, will be accepted and at no less than the Vanuatu Government assigned prices.

Vanuatu Citizenship Requirements

• Applicants must provide proof of the source of funds for the Due Diligence verification of no less than $250,000.
• An applicant, or anyone included in an application, must not have any criminal record, and must be a high standing member of their country and community.
• The main applicant must be at least 18 years old and below 65 at the time of application submission.
• The Vanuatu program is not open for nationals from Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea or Yemen unless they have permanent residence outside those countries and have lived outside for more than five years.

 Please note that payments are non-refundable.

Vanuatu Citizenship Process

When you have made the decision to invest in the Vanuatu Honorary Citizenship Program, we will confirm all documents required, arrange for an initial due diligence and preliminary verification, and proceed to lodge the applications and payments on your behalf.

The Citizenship process takes around six to eight weeks to complete. Law Partners will guide and assist you through each of these steps:

Step one:          Initial documents, and due diligence fee are required. We will submit the application for approval by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

Step two:          Once approved in principle, the remaining documents will be submitted to the Citizenship Office with 25% of the Government contribution.

Step three:       Once approval is received, the remaining 75% of the Government contribution is payable within five days.

Step four:         A Citizenship Certificate is then issued and applicants are then required to take an Oath of Allegiance.

Step five:         Once the Oath of Allegiance is completed, a passport will then be applied for and can be issued.

Oath of Allegiance Ceremony

Upon issuance of your citizenship certificate, applicants are required to take an Oath of Allegiance and participate in an official passport ceremony. The ceremony for this can be arranged either in Vanuatu or at your preferred location.

Should you choose to not travel to Vanuatu for your ceremony, you would be responsible for the travelling costs for a Commissioner of Oaths and a Vanuatu Passport Officer to travel to your nominated destination to attend your ceremony. The extra fee includes air tickets, accommodation and agent fees.

Note: due to the current global pandemic restricting international travel and Vanuatu border closures, the Department of Immigration are reviewing how the Oath of Allegiance and passport ceremony are performed when they cannot be done in person. Options may include performing the ceremony via video link, and sending your new Vanuatu passport via courier to a foreign mission where you are located.  For these reasons, applying for your Vanuatu citizenship now is financially astute.

Fees

*Fees are set by Vanuatu law. 25% of this fee is non-refundable.
**Exact cost will vary depending on your location. Not currently applicable.