Vanuatu (CIIP)

The Vanuatu CIIP was designed for foreign investors looking to make a significant investment into the Vanuatu economy, which in turn would grant them citizenship.

Successful applicants must make an investment into a government-approved CIIP project. The first project to be approved for the CIIP is the CNO Future Fund, a Vanuatu-based investment fund focusing on Vanuatu’s sustainable development objectives. Specifically, the CNO Future Fund aims to target investment into the coconut oil industry to aid in Vanuatu’s commitment to 100% renewable electricity generation.

Investment amounts are as follows:

• USD 50,000 for the principal applicant and up to 3 qualifying dependents

USD 50,000 investment capital is guaranteed and shall be repaid after 5 years with dividends (if any).

Others fees are as follows:

• USD 8,000 Due Diligence Fee
• USD 107,000 Master agent fees, passport fees, oath taking ceremony and government
• USD 26,500 application fee for applications with more than 3 dependents (USD 26,500 per each additional dependent).

To qualify for citizenship under the CIIP, the primary applicant must be over 18 years of age, of good character and health, without a criminal record, and make an investment into an approved CIIP project.

Restricted applicants are those who are nationals of:

• North Korea
• Yemen
• Iraq
• Iran
• Syria

Citizens of the aforementioned countries are permitted to apply for the CIIP program if they can prove residency outside their home country for a minimum of 5 years and do not have financial ties to those countries.

• Spouse of the main applicant
• Dependent children of the main applicant under the age of 25
• Parents of the main applicant

Vanuatu citizens (Ni-Vanuatu) enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival to nearly 100 countries globally including throughout Asia, the Americas, Africa, Middle-East, Oceania, and the Caribbean.

Successful applicants may obtain a driver’s license and local address, register a company, etc.

Citizenship can be passed to future generations by descent (conditions apply).

Taxes in Vanuatu are seen as some of the most favorable in the region, with the following benefits:

• No personal income or corporate tax
• No withholding or capital gains tax
• No estate, wealth, or gift tax
• Locally-applied VAT at 12.5%

The procedure for Vanuatu starts with a due diligence check by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Department. The due diligence check run by the FIU is a background check made by the government to make sure there is no derogatory information on the applicant and that the applicant is not a politically exposed person.

The FIU generally issues a clearance certificate in 2 to 3 weeks.

Once the FIU issues a clearance certificate, the remaining portion of the applicant’s file must be submitted together with the fees paid and investment made to obtain the final approval. This usually takes about one (1) month, and most of this time is reserved for the Central Bank of Vanuatu to clear the funds. Once the funds are cleared, the file is moved to the Citizenship Committee meeting for final approval (the committee sits every 2 weeks).

The letter of approval, naturalization certificate and passports are issued after the Committee’s meeting.

Successful applicants will set-up a local Vanuatu limited liability company (bank account can be opened if the applicant travels to Vanuatu).

Successful applicants will then be called to an online oath taking ceremony.

Passports are usually issued 3 weeks after the final approval. Altogether, the whole process for the CIIP is estimated at 2-3 months from submission to passport handover. Processing times may vary depending on the complexity of the case.

Once the investment has been made and the application has been submitted, the Citizenship Committee will issue a final approval. The applicant can then either:

• attend a ceremony in Vanuatu to take their Oath as a Vanuatu citizen; or 
• Request an online oath taking ceremony with a Vanuatu passport officer (and passport will be mailed to the applicant’s designated address).