Vanuatu Citizenship Cost: Official Fees and Who Can Apply

Short answer: Vanuatu citizenship costs very different amounts depending on the route. If you qualify by descent, by marriage to a citizen or by ten years of legal residence, the official guide lists a 5,000 vatu application fee per application and sets the rules around residence, not money. The investor routes are priced in US dollars: the Vanuatu Citizenship Office's own fee table lists US$130,000 for a single applicant, US$150,000 for a married couple and US$180,000 for a couple with two children, plus a US$5,000 due-diligence fee. This guide sets out who can apply, what each route requires and what the government itself publishes, so you can separate it from agent marketing.

The programme is in the news again, and the passport it produces is not a free pass: citizens of Vanuatu now need a visa for the Schengen area and the United Kingdom (see our guide to where a Vanuatu passport works). Fees and rules change, so treat this as a checklist of questions, not legal or immigration advice. Always confirm figures with the Citizenship Office before you pay anyone.

Who decides: the Citizenship Office, not Immigration

Citizenship applications are handled by the Vanuatu Citizenship Office and Commission, a constitutional body under the Prime Minister's office. The Department of Immigration and Passport Services says on its own website that it is not responsible for granting citizenship; it only certifies residence for people applying by naturalisation. If a website, agent or social media account tells you otherwise, be careful. The Citizenship Office warns that official Vanuatu government sites end in .gov.vu and that fake websites exist.

The rules sit in the Citizenship Act (Cap 112) and in Article 10 of the Constitution. Vanuatu became independent on 30 July 1980 (our independence explainer has the background).

The main routes at a glance

The Commission lists these types of citizenship, each with its own application form:

Naturalisation (Form A): you have lived in Vanuatu continuously for at least 10 years immediately before applying.
Marriage to a citizen (Form B): you are legally married to a Vanuatu citizen and have lived in Vanuatu for at least 2 years before applying.
Entitlement (Form C(a)): at least one of your parents or grandparents is a person of ni-Vanuatu ancestry or a citizen by naturalisation. If it is through naturalisation, you must have been born after your parent became a citizen.
Regaining citizenship (Form C(b)): for people who renounced and want it back.
Investor routes: the Capital Investment Immigration Plan (Form D), honorary citizenship under the Vanuatu Development Support Program, the Vanuatu Contribution Program and the Real Estate Option Program.

The Immigration Department adds a further route that is easy to miss: the child of a Vanuatu citizen can also be certified for citizenship, with a birth certificate and the parent's passport or birth certificate as proof.

What the official fee table says

The Citizenship Office says every application involves two fees: an application fee, and a citizenship (certificate) fee. The application fee, except for Form D, is 5,000 vatu per application, paid when you lodge it, and it applies to everyone regardless of age. The citizenship fee is paid only after the Commission approves the application, and it varies by form. The published table lists:

FIU due-diligence fee: US$5,000
Single applicant: US$130,000
Married couple: US$150,000
Married couple plus one child: US$165,000
Married couple plus two children: US$180,000
Each additional applicant: US$10,000

For Form D, the Capital Investment Immigration Plan, the same page gives different numbers: a US$250 application fee and a US$260,000 citizenship fee that covers the applicant, a spouse and one child under 18. An extra child under 18 adds US$19,250 per person, and a dependant aged 18 to 21 adds US$44,250 per person.

Two cautions. First, the page does not say which headline price belongs to which investor programme, and the text I could read gives no separate certificate fee for naturalisation, marriage or entitlement, so ask the Citizenship Office for the current figure for your form. Second, the amounts above are government fees. Agents, lawyers and banks add their own charges, and Wikipedia's summary of investor programmes puts the entry price for the Development Support Program at US$130,000 with no residency or language test. Ask any agent for a written breakdown that matches the official table line by line.

How the process works, step by step

The official guide for naturalisation, entitlement, marriage and regain has ten steps. In plain terms:

Confirm you are eligible and get the right form.
Gather every document on the form's checklist; incomplete files can be returned.
Lodge the application and pay the application fee.
Officers examine it, then a compliance officer checks it a second time.
Forms A and B only: a written test on Vanuatu's legal, political, historical and social background, which the Commission calls the Bislama Test. It takes one hour. If you fail, you sit a second test, which can only be done after six months or more.
An internal screening committee reviews the file.
The Citizenship Commission approves, defers or rejects it.
A letter with the decision arrives about one week after the Commission meets.
You take an oath before a Commissioner of Oaths in a Vanuatu court. Applicants living abroad must travel to Vanuatu to do this.
You pay the citizenship fee, and the certificate is printed.

For the Capital Investment Immigration Plan, the guide says the Government contracted Vanuatu Registry Services to promote the programme, forms come through it and its agents, and the remaining process is the same as for other types, except for the fees. Read that carefully: the oath step is part of that common process, so ask any agent who says you never need to visit to show you where the law says so. The Commission also publishes lists of designated agents and cancelled agents, so check both before you pay.

The test is a good reminder that the country asks real questions of its citizens. If you are preparing, start with how Bislama became the national language and our guide to kastom, which shapes land and community life.

Dual citizenship, revocation and loss

Dual citizenship has been allowed since the 2013 amendments, according to Wikipedia's summary of Vanuatu nationality law, but you are expected to register the second nationality with the Commission. Confirm the position for your own situation, because your home country may not allow it.

Citizenship can also be taken away. The Commission may revoke it if it was granted fraudulently, granted contrary to the Citizenship Act or the Constitution, or if the holder does not comply with the restrictions in the Act. The official page on loss of citizenship adds that a person who obtained citizenship by false representation, fraud or concealment ceases to be a citizen 30 days after that finding. A citizen of age and full capacity can renounce by completing a form and taking an oath.

What a Vanuatu passport will and will not do

A passport is the point of most investor applications, so look at what it delivers before you commit. The Passport Index dashboard, as we reported on 26 October 2026, shows 92 visa-free, visa-on-arrival or eTA destinations, but Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada all require a visa. Our passport guide shows the detail. For the political backdrop, see Vanuatu's political carousel. If you plan to live in the country, our money guide explains vatu, cards and ATMs.

A short checklist before you pay anyone

Check the website ends in .gov.vu, or that the agent is on the Citizenship Office's designated agents list.
Get the fee in writing and match it to the official table.
Ask which form and programme your application falls under.
Ask whether travelling to Vanuatu for the oath is required.
Check the visa rules for the countries you actually plan to visit.
Remember fraud or false information can lead to loss of citizenship.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Vanuatu citizenship cost?

For ordinary routes, the official guide lists a 5,000 vatu application fee. For investors, the Citizenship Office's table lists US$130,000 for a single applicant, US$150,000 for a couple and up to US$180,000 for a couple with two children, plus a US$5,000 due-diligence fee. Form D has its own US$260,000 citizenship fee. Agent and legal fees are extra.

How long do you have to live in Vanuatu to become a citizen?

Ten years of continuous, lawful residence for naturalisation, or two years if you are legally married to a Vanuatu citizen.

Can a foreigner get Vanuatu citizenship without living there?

Wikipedia reports that the investor programme asks for no residency or language test, but the official guide says the oath must be taken in a Vanuatu court. Ask the Citizenship Office what applies to your programme.

Can children and grandchildren of ni-Vanuatu apply?

Yes. People with a parent or grandparent of ni-Vanuatu ancestry can apply by entitlement (Form C(a)), and the child of a citizen can also be certified.

Is dual citizenship allowed?

Wikipedia reports that dual nationality has been allowed since 2013, for people who register it with the Commission. Check the rules in your other country too.

Sources

Fees and eligibility were read from the official pages on 31 October 2026 and can change. This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice.