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Pathway

Vanuatu Partner Residence Visa

Vanuatu Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Vanuatu partner residence is for a spouse or genuine de facto partner of a Vanuatu citizen or current resident. It requires proof of the partner's status, the relationship, cohabitation, and the standard residence checks.

Type
Family residence
Sponsor
People joining a qualifying family member in Vanuatu
Core requirements
Relationship records and the sponsor's status
What to know
The sponsor's status and documents matter a lot
What it gives
An approved Partner Residence Visa permits the holder to live in Vanuatu for the period granted.
Main limit
This is not automatic because a couple is engaged, dating, or has family in Vanuatu.

Summary

Vanuatu's Partner Residence Visa is for a person who is legally married to, or in a genuine de facto relationship with, a Vanuatu citizen or resident. Immigration also identifies a possible route where the applicant was married to a Vanuatu citizen at the citizen's death and meets the applicable conditions.

This is a residence route based on a continuing family relationship. It is not citizenship through marriage. A non-citizen spouse seeking citizenship has a separate process that generally requires a legal marriage, at least two years living with the citizen spouse in Vanuatu, and a Bislama citizenship test.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

For a married applicant, the checklist requires a marriage certificate and proof that the sponsoring partner is either a Vanuatu citizen or a valid Vanuatu resident.

For a de facto applicant, Immigration asks both partners for a statutory declaration describing when and where the relationship began, confirming that it continues and is exclusive, plus evidence of living together. Examples on the official form include a lease, rent receipts, utility or phone bills, and bank statements. A relationship assertion without a shared-life record is not enough.

The application normally also includes:

The principal partner relationship must remain the basis of the visa. Immigration says the holder must continue to be legally married to, or in the de facto relationship with, the same Vanuatu citizen on whom the visa was based, unless that citizen has died.

Children and other dependents

The general residence rules allow inclusion of a spouse or de facto partner and dependent children. A dependent child is unmarried and under 18, or age 18, 19, or 20 and dependent for financial, psychological, or physical support. The child's civil, custody, health, police, and passport documents must be provided as applicable.

What This Route Allows

An approved Partner Residence Visa permits the holder to live in Vanuatu for the period granted. Immigration currently describes residence-visa periods of one, three, five, or ten years for partner cases, depending on the application and eligibility. Adult fees range from VUV 57,600 for a one-year visa to VUV 511,200 for ten years; the current under-18 fee published for residence applications is VUV 2,880.

The visa can support a stable family residence while the relationship and other conditions continue. A renewal application uses a separate checklist and should be filed before the current visa expires.

Residence does not by itself settle work permission. A person who will work should confirm the required employment visa or Labour Department work permit before starting work; family residence should not be treated as an unrestricted work authorization.

What This Route Is Not

This is not automatic because a couple is engaged, dating, or has family in Vanuatu. The applicant must fit the legal marriage or genuine de facto category and prove the sponsoring partner's citizenship or valid residence.

It is not a permanent guarantee if the relationship ends or the resident sponsor loses status. Immigration must be told about significant personal changes, and the applicant may need another visa basis. A bereaved spouse may have a specific continuation route, but should obtain written guidance rather than assume the visa remains unchanged.

It is not citizenship or a Vanuatu passport. Marriage-based citizenship uses the Citizenship Office, Form B, in-country cohabitation, language-test, and Commission-decision process. The residence visa can help establish lawful residence but does not predetermine that decision.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm whether the case is a legal marriage, de facto partnership, or surviving-spouse case and whether the sponsor is a citizen or resident.
  2. Obtain the sponsor's Vanuatu citizenship documents or current residence visa and check that all names and dates match the relationship records.
  3. For a de facto case, prepare both statutory declarations and a dated set of cohabitation evidence covering the real relationship, not just the application month.
  4. Use Immigration's current Partner checklist to obtain the passport, photographs, police clearance, medical certificate, bond, fee receipt, and certified civil records.
  5. Confirm the requested one-, three-, five-, or ten-year period and the current charge before payment. If applying from inside Vanuatu, check whether the separate change-of-status fee applies.
  6. Ask the Labour Department and Immigration what separate permission is needed before any employment begins.
  7. Keep relationship, address, sponsor-status, and travel records for renewal, and report significant changes to Immigration.
Compare your options

Other routes in Vanuatu.

Sources