# Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment: Fastest Passport and EU Visa-Free Revocation > Vanuatu's program offers one of the world's fastest passports via donation from USD 130,000, but in December 2024 the EU fully revoked visa-free entry to Schengen. Author: Алёна Дунаева — юрист, Family Office (https://wiki.private.law/authors/dunaeva) Last modified: 2026-07-21T17:01:00.000Z Canonical: https://wiki.private.law/en/cbi-vanuatu Topics: migration Jurisdictions: global Semantic tags: permanent-residence, residence-permit --- Dozens of states sell citizenship by investment, but Vanuatu long held a niche of its own: nowhere in the world was a passport issued faster or with fewer formalities. That same speed brought the program under fire — in December 2024 the European Union definitively stripped Vanuatu citizens of visa-free Schengen access, and since July 2025 even here biometrics are mandatory. Below: what the Vanuatu passport is worth today, how the procedure works and who still benefits. ## The Concept Vanuatu is a Pacific island state with the world's fastest [citizenship-by-investment program](https://wiki.private.law/en/citizenship-by-investment). A passport takes two to three months, with no residence requirement or language exams: the contribution starts at ~US$130,000, the procedure is almost entirely remote, and government fees can officially be paid in cryptocurrency via BitPay — unique for the industry. Speed and simplicity made the program one of the world's best-selling — and drew the visa sanctions dissected below. ## History and Reputation The modern program grew out of the 2017 Development Support Program. During the pandemic, passport sales funded a substantial share of the state budget; the flip side was weak vetting — passports reached, among others, people flagged in Interpol databases. Those stories triggered the EU pressure the program lives under to this day: partial suspension of visa-free access in 2022, full termination in December 2024. The response came in the 2025–2026 reforms: external due diligence, biometrics, revocation of improperly issued passports (about thirty) and the relaunch of the CIIP investment plan after a hundred-day pause. ## Price and Speed The main route is the **Development Support Program (DSP)**: a non-refundable contribution from **$130,000** for a single applicant, ~$150,000 for a couple, ~$180,000 for a family of four (+$15,000 per child under 25). The alternative is the **Capital Investment Immigration Plan (CIIP)**: ~$155,000–165,000 for a family of up to four, of which about $50,000 is a redeemable investment in an agricultural fund (coffee/cocoa) with a multi-year return horizon; after the 2025 suspension the plan has been relaunched. A real-estate option (REO) from $200,000 exists, but approved projects are few. On top: due diligence (from $5,000), biometrics, translations and professional support. Timelines remain the market's best: the marketed 30–45 days became, with biometrics, a realistic **two to three months** — applicants must give fingerprints in Port Vila or at consulates (Hong Kong, Dubai, Brussels). > ⚙️ Since July 2025 the "fully remote" Vanuatu no longer exists: biometrics are mandatory for everyone. And the country signed the Nakamal Agreement with Australia (June 2026): investor passports are to be marked separately from "ordinary" ones — signed, not yet in force, but the direction is clear. ## Vetting and Compliance After the wave of criticism Vanuatu turned the program toward international standards: external due-diligence providers, sanctions and watch-list screening, tougher source-of-funds requirements, nationality stop-lists and reviews of previously issued passports. For a private client this means more predictable but more demanding compliance: a clean history, transparent capital and a carefully assembled file. ## Mobility: What Remains Here lies the main weakness. In the Henley 2026 index the Vanuatu passport slid to around 50th place with **~90 visa-free destinations** — one of the steepest falls in the index's history. **Schengen is closed** since 12 December 2024 (the first-ever full visa-free termination over CBI), **the UK** since July 2023. What remains of note: Russia (visa-free since 2016), Singapore, Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific. Restoring European access is discussed, but with no timeline — and under the EU's new visa mechanism (where a CBI program is itself grounds for suspension) it should not be counted on. ## Taxes and Residency The second draw is taxes — or their absence: no tax on worldwide income, capital gains, inheritance or wealth. But the passport does not create tax residency: to use the zero rates you must genuinely move your centre of vital interests — otherwise the [treaty tie-breaker](https://wiki.private.law/en/tax-residency-basics) resolves the dispute in favour of the previous country. Vanuatu participates in automatic exchange: accounts are visible through [CRS](https://wiki.private.law/en/crs-overview), and a "zero" jurisdiction has long ceased to mean banking secrecy. The OECD keeps the program on its high-risk list for CRS circumvention — banks apply enhanced due diligence to these passports. ## Typical Mistakes 1. **Buying Vanuatu for Europe.** Schengen and the UK are closed; for European mobility look at the [Caribbean programs](https://wiki.private.law/en/citizenship-by-investment) or [Türkiye](https://wiki.private.law/en/turkey-citizenship-investment). 2. **Believing in "30 days, fully remote".** Biometrics are mandatory — budget a visit to Port Vila or a consulate and two to three months. 3. **Ignoring the banking optics.** A Vanuatu passport is an enhanced-due-diligence trigger at many banks; prepare the structure and source-of-funds story. 4. **Calling CIIP "cheaper than DSP" without caveats** — the $50,000 redemption is stretched over time and depends on the fund; compare effective costs honestly. 5. **Building a tax plan on the passport** — without genuinely moving residency, Vanuatu's zero rates do not apply to you. ## Vanuatu and the Competition Against the Caribbean, Vanuatu wins on speed and price and loses on mobility: [St Kitts](https://wiki.private.law/en/cbi-st-kitts), [Dominica](https://wiki.private.law/en/cbi-dominica) and [Grenada](https://wiki.private.law/en/cbi-grenada) start at $200,000–250,000 but keep Schengen (for now), and Grenada adds E-2 and China. The closest competitor in logic is [Turkish citizenship](https://wiki.private.law/en/turkey-citizenship-investment): pricier and via real estate, but a stronger passport. The budget niche is shared with [Egypt and Jordan](https://wiki.private.law/en/cbi-egypt-jordan), while newcomer Nauru is capturing the "fast" segment. If European visa-free access is critical, Vanuatu now trails almost everyone; if speed, crypto payment and a second document without relocation matter — the program stays in the game. ## Who It Is For > 🔗 **Related** > [Citizenship by Investment](https://wiki.private.law/en/citizenship-by-investment) · [A second passport and Plan B](https://wiki.private.law/en/second-passport-plan-b) · [Passport indices](https://wiki.private.law/en/passport-index) · [CBI St Kitts & Nevis](https://wiki.private.law/en/cbi-st-kitts) · [CBI Dominica](https://wiki.private.law/en/cbi-dominica) · [CBI Grenada](https://wiki.private.law/en/cbi-grenada) · [Türkiye citizenship](https://wiki.private.law/en/turkey-citizenship-investment) · [CBI Egypt and Jordan](https://wiki.private.law/en/cbi-egypt-jordan) · [CRS](https://wiki.private.law/en/crs-overview) After the EU cut-off the buyer profile narrowed to two: an urgent [Plan B](https://wiki.private.law/en/second-passport-plan-b) — a second citizenship within a couple of months, no relocation, no renunciation — and access to a zero-tax jurisdiction for those genuinely ready to rebuild their residency. For free movement around Europe the passport no longer works, and its reputational price at banks is higher than the Caribbean's. In the [Five Flags theory](https://wiki.private.law/en/five-flags) this is Flag 1 in its purest form — fast, cheap, and with the shortest list of bonuses. > 🍓 The world's fastest passport — two to three months, from $130,000, crypto accepted — but without Schengen or the UK, and with biometrics since 2025. A working tool for an urgent Plan B; for European mobility, go Caribbean or Turkish. *This material is expert-analytical in nature and does not constitute individual legal or tax advice. Terms and fees change — verify current rules on your filing date.* --- ## Sources - [Vanuatu Citizenship's Office and Commission — official CBI site](https://vancitizenship.gov.vu/) - [Vanuatu Government Portal](https://gov.vu/) --- ## Factual claims - The modern program grew out of the 2017 Development Support Program. - The main route is the Development Support Program (DSP): a non-refundable contribution from $130,000 for a single applicant, ~$150,000 for a couple, ~$180,000 for a family of four (+$15,000 per child under 25). - Timelines remain the market's best: the marketed 30–45 days became, with biometrics, a realistic two to three months — applicants must give fingerprints in Port Vila or at consulates (Hong Kong, Dubai, Brussels). - Against the Caribbean, Vanuatu wins on speed and price and loses on mobility: St Kitts, Dominica and Grenada start at $200,000–250,000 but keep Schengen (for now), and Grenada adds E-2 and China.