News from Law Partners – International Companies

As of 20 April 2021, the prescribed Government fees for a one year Work Permit have been changed from VT350,000 to Vt200,000. This is made up of a Vt20,000 application fee, and Vt180,000 Work Permit tax.

Any Work Permit application approved after 20 April 2021 will be required to pay only the application fee and Vt180,000 tax, regardless of whether the application was submitted prior to, or after this date.

Changes to the list of occupations reserved for Vanuatu Citizens were announced on 20 April 2021, taking immediate effect.

Additions to the list are:

• Assistant Accountant
• Assistant Director
• Assistance Distiller
• Assistance Financial Controller
• Assistance Manager
• Assistance Project Manager
• Assistance Property Manager
• Carving Designer
• Craft-person
• Sales Assistance

While the following occupations were removed from the list as they were identified as scarce in local capacity to fill:

• Earth Moving and related Machinery Operator
• Construction Site Foreman
• General Mechanic
• General Electrician

A new Visa has been announced, to appeal to expats with the ability to work remotely – a Remote Worker Visa.

At this stage, the Remote Worker Visa is valid for a period of up to 11 months, and is renewable upon application. A holder of a Remote Worker Visa must be able to demonstrate that they work either for an international company, or for their own business outside of Vanuatu. They must not engage in any employment or commercial activities in Vanuatu, or seek employment with a Vanuatu company.

The Government fees are VT60,000 for an individual, VT100,000 for a family of four and VT40,000 for another dependent additional to the family of four.

If you would like any clarification on the Work Permit fees that might be applicable to you, assistance with your Work Permit applications, further information on the reserved occupations, or if you are interested in learning more, or applying for the Remote Worker Visa, or of course any other services we provide, please do not hesitate to reach out to us and we will be happy to help.

Law Partners is proud to be a Xero Accounting Software Partner.

Xero is a cloud-based accounting software which can be accessed online so you can keep on top of your business finances from anywhere, at any time.  Xero provides business owners with real-time visibility of their financial position and performance in a way that’s simple, smart and secure, with nothing to install, updates are free and with automatic backup.

If you would like to start using Xero for your business, our team of experienced accountants are here to support you by assisting with Xero conversion, set-up, training, implementation and support.

Also, if you are an existing Xero user and require some assistance, we will be pleased to lend a hand.

Click on the image below to watch a quick introduction to Xero video or contact us for more details and advice on how we can help your business.

If you are the proprietor of a lot in a strata plan or a member of a body corporate council, we can assist with the provision of services to help owners meet their responsibilities and obligations under the Strata and Community Titles Act, including abidance with regulations, by-laws and statutory requirements, maintaining appropriate records, assist with annual general meetings, maintenance and insurance of common property via the budgeting and collection of proprietor levies (administrative and sinking funds), production of annual accounts etc.

We are experienced Body Corporate Administrators and Accountants, and can assist both local and offshore proprietors’ investment interests in strata titled property in Vanuatu.

In some cases, we have assisted thankful owners and councils bring matters up to date, where nothing had been done since the property was strata titled, at which point the body corporate came into existence along with the associated responsibilities and obligations.

Contact us for a quotation and / or advice.