Entry to and Residence in Vanuatu is governed by the Immigration Act (Cap 66) as amended and by Immigration Orders issued by the Minister from time to time.

Entry to Vanuatu for anything more than a short tourist or business visit is strictly controlled and Permits to Enter and Reside are normally issued to those who can in some way make a positive contribution to the economic development of Vanuatu.

Visitors Permits

Persons wishing to visit Vanuatu for a holiday or to see relatives or for reasons of business where such business is not located in Vanuatu (i.e sales representative etc) may be issued with Visitors Permits on arrival provided they are in possession of a confirmed onward or return ticket to a place to which entry is authorised and they have sufficient funds to support themselves. Apart from the exception stated above, Visitors are not permitted to engage in any business or employment. The validity of a Visitors Permit may be extended to a maximum period of four months but, under the law, cannot be extended further.

Applications for Residence Permits from persons entering Vanuatu as Visitors CANNOT BE CONSIDERED.

Residence Permits

Residence Permits are normally issued for one year in the first instance but may be renewed provided the conditions under which they were first issued remain the same. The initial fee for one year and subsequent annual renewal is VT 20,000. Fees which are not refundable are to be paid when submitting the form of application.

Residence Permits for limited periods may be renewed to expatriate where authority, by way of a Work Permit, is given for them to be employed on contract by local employers, in occupations where there are not enough Ni-Vanuatu available. However, many occupations previously filled by expatriates are being localised. Work Permits are usually issued on conditions that the employer takes positive action to train Ni-Vanuatu to fill posts occupied by expatriates.

Residence Permits may also be issued to persons who wish to invest in a business in Vanuatu where approval from such business has been given by the Ministry of Finance, Small, urban based businesses require a minimum capital investment of 5 million vatu.

Long Term Permits

Major Investors or Retirees - Those wishing to be considered for 15 years permits must show evidence certified by a Vanuatu Bank or Lawyer of a minimum financial investment of 100 million vatu (this investment may include the value of Vanuatu real estate). For a 10 year permit, the investment must be not less than 50 million vatu.

Minor Investors - must show evidence that their investment is not less than 20 million vatu to be considered for a 5 year permit. Those whose investment is not less than 10 million may be considered for a 3 year permit.

Long Term Permit Fees

These are calculated as follows:
For all long term permits, there is a processing fee of VT 50,000 which includes the 1st year. For each subsequent year the fee of VT 20,000. Therefore total fees for a 15 year permit are VT 330,000, for a 10 year permit VT 230,000, for a 5 year permit VT 130,000 and for a 3 year permit VT 90,000. All fees payable in advance and not refundable.

Conditions in Vanuatu

Most manufactured goods including food are imported and expensive. Rented accommodation is also very expensive.

Person thinking of coming to Vanuatu should give serious consideration to the foregoing and are advised NOT TO TAKE ANY IRREVOCABLE STEPS before a Residence Permit is issued.

Applications for such Permits must be submitted from outside Vanuatu. A visit to Vanuatu first to see conditions at first hand is strongly recommended.

Citizenship

Permanent residence of Vanuatu can only be attained by Citizens of Vanuatu. Non-Citizens who have resided continuously for 10 years in the Republic may apply for citizenship by naturalisation.

Visa

Citizens of the following countries are exempted from the necessity of having visas in their passports when landing in Vanuatu:

All Commonwealth Countries, namely:

Visas may be obtained on application to the:

Principal Immigration Officer,
Private Mail Bag 0092,
Port Vila, Vanuatu.
The fee required is VT2,500.

Or download in PDF format a Vanuatu Visa Application form.