Oceania

Vanuatu Development Support Program

The world's fastest citizenship processing at 30-60 days starting from USD 130K though passport power has declined significantly with UK (2023) and EU Schengen (2024) visa-free access permanently revoked.

Program overview

Status: Active
Minimum Investment: USD 130K
Established: 2017
Processing Time: 1-2 months
Visa-Free Countries: 91+
E-2 Visa Eligible: No

Schedule consultation

Investment options

Government Fund

USD 130K

Key benefits

No income or corporate tax; no inheritance tax; no foreign exchange controls

Visa-free access to Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore

No physical residency required

Family inclusion

Spouse

Dependent children up to age 25

Parents

Program details

Vanuatu's citizenship by investment program, established in 2017, offers the fastest citizenship processing globally. The Development Support Program (DSP) provides citizenship in as little as 30-60 days.

Program Highlights

Vanuatu is known for having the fastest citizenship processing in the world. However, passport power has been significantly reduced since 2022, with the permanent loss of UK visa-free access (July 2023) and EU Schengen access (December 2024). Current visa-free access covers approximately 91 countries including Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and various Asian destinations.

Investment Options

Development Support Program (DSP): USD 130K for single applicant
DSP Family Package: USD 180K for family of 4 (includes spouse + 2 children under 25)
Capital Investment Immigration Plan (CIIP): USD 165K (includes USD 50K redeemable after 4 years)

Processing & Timeline

30-60 days for the DSP, the fastest citizenship processing globally. The CIIP was briefly suspended from March to June 2025 but has since resumed.

Tax Benefits

No personal income tax
No corporate tax
No inheritance tax
No forex controls

Benefits

Fastest citizenship globally
English is official language
Dual citizenship allowed
No residency requirement
Zero-tax jurisdiction

Family Inclusion

Spouse
Children under 25
Parents over 50

Important Notes

Reduced Passport Power: The Vanuatu passport has lost significant travel benefits:

UK visa required since July 2023
EU Schengen access permanently revoked December 2024
Visa-free count reduced from 130+ to approximately 91 countries

The program remains valuable for Asia-Pacific access (including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand) and unmatched processing speed. The government continues negotiations with the EU to potentially restore Schengen access. Biometric requirements for passport issuance are being implemented by end of 2025.

Tax situation