Citizeo
Pathway

Vanuatu Investor Residence Visas

Vanuatu Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Vanuatu currently publishes four investor categories with different purposes and durations: a 12-month provisional visa, a three-year operating-business visa, an eight-year direct-investor visa, and an indefinite permanent-investor visa after 10 years of qualifying residence and investment.

Provisional
VUV 10 million+ funds; up to 12 months; no employment
Business
Approved and operating Vanuatu business; up to 3 years
Direct
More than VUV 20 million in-country assets; up to 8 years
Permanent
10-year qualifying history plus more than VUV 50 million in-country assets; indefinite
What to know
Each category has its own approval, activity, evidence, and change-of-status rules
Minimum investment
VUV 10 million for provisional residence; more than VUV 20 million in local assets for direct residence; more than VUV 50 million plus a 10-year history for permanent residence

Summary

Vanuatu has residence options for a foreign person who will establish, operate, or maintain an approved investment or business. This is different from citizenship by investment: an investor visa gives immigration status for the approved activity and period, not Vanuatu nationality or a passport.

The official Immigration site presents both a general Residence Visa on the “foreign investor” ground and a newer investor-visa ladder. The correct filing depends on how developed the investment is and which approvals and in-country assets already exist. Do not assume that contacting an agency, registering a company, buying property, or holding funds alone satisfies every route.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

For the general Foreign Investor Residence Visa, Immigration requires a current Foreign Investment Approval Certificate from the Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority (VIPA) and a business license if the certificate says one is required. The current checklist also asks for Vanuatu Financial Services Commission registration, passport and photos, police clearance, medical evidence, the immigration bond, and the residence-visa fee.

Immigration also publishes four investor categories:

The current official fees shown for those four categories are VUV 51,500, VUV 206,000, VUV 309,000, and VUV 3,090,000 respectively. Fees and category names should be reconfirmed before payment because the general residence-visa checklist uses a different schedule.

Family members

The general residence process permits a spouse or de facto partner and dependent children to be included. Immigration defines a dependent child as unmarried and under 18, or age 18, 19, or 20 and dependent for financial, psychological, or physical support. The investor pages also refer to a “secondary applicant.” Each family member needs identity, relationship, health, police, and bond documents as applicable; inclusion should be confirmed for the specific investor category.

What This Route Allows

The appropriate investor visa allows residence in Vanuatu and multiple entry for the approved period. A Business or Direct Investor may conduct the business activity on which the visa was granted, subject to the Foreign Investment Approval Certificate, business license, company registration, tax, labor, and any sector-specific approvals.

The general Foreign Investor Residence Visa must remain supported by a valid VIPA certificate and business license where required. The published general residence durations and fees vary; adult residence fees run from VUV 57,600 for one year to VUV 511,200 for ten years, while the specific investor ladder uses the separate durations and charges above.

The Direct and Permanent Investor routes can support a longer-term presence, but progression is not automatic. The applicant must apply for the next status and prove the higher investment, residence, operational, and compliance conditions.

What This Route Is Not

This is not permission to take unrelated employment. A provisional investor may not work, and a business investor may not work outside the approved investment. Any separate employment must meet Vanuatu's immigration and Labour Department work-permit rules.

It is not citizenship, and years on an investor visa do not themselves issue a citizenship certificate. Ordinary naturalization has a separate ten-year continuous residence rule and additional character, language, civic, and Commission-decision requirements.

It is not passive ownership alone where the selected category requires an operating business. The Business Investor Visa expressly calls for a Vanuatu bank account, physical establishment, and fully operational business. The Permanent Investor route requires continuing investment or business impact and compliance, not merely historical spending.

Next Steps

  1. Write a short description of the proposed activity, ownership, location, capital, staffing, and whether the business already operates in Vanuatu.
  2. Ask VIPA and Immigration which current category applies. Use the government Trade Portal to check the Foreign Investment Approval Certificate process and whether the activity is restricted, reserved, or needs sector approval.
  3. Obtain VFSC registration, the Foreign Investment Approval Certificate, business license, tax registration, bank account, premises, or operating evidence required for that category—in the correct order.
  4. Prepare certified passport, photo, police, medical, financial, source-of-funds, business, relationship, and immigration-bond documents.
  5. Match the application to the exact category and fee. Do not use the general Foreign Investor Residence checklist as proof that a Provisional, Business, Direct, or Permanent Investor application is complete.
  6. After approval, keep the investment approval, licenses, bank and accounting records, tax and labor compliance, local employment and training records, and asset valuations current.
  7. Apply before expiry for any extension or change of category; do not assume investment alone preserves status.
Compare your options

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Sources