Vanuatu citizenship by investment: cost, timeline and who you can include

Of all the investment citizenship programs open to Russian and Belarusian nationals, this is the one that runs most predictably. Below is how the program is structured as of mid-2026, without any marketing assumptions.

What it costs

The price depends on whether you apply alone or as a family, and the difference is significant.

• A single applicant — roughly $130,000 in contribution, plus a government due-diligence fee, notarial costs, and legal fees.
• A family — roughly $165,000, which standardly covers four people.
• Each member beyond four — an additional fee of around $27,500.

The arithmetic is counterintuitive: a family of four filing together works out to roughly $41,000 per person, against $130,000 for a solo applicant. The larger the family, the lower the cost per passport.

Who can be included

The program's defining feature is the age cutoff for children. Children up to age 28 can be included — not 18, as in most programs. That means an adult son or daughter, who may already have their own family, can be added to a parent's application. Once they have their own passport, each of them can then independently apply for European residency for themselves and their children.

For large families, this makes the program considerably cheaper per person than any alternative.

Timeline

Standard processing takes three and a half to four months. With an expedite fee, the process comes down to roughly two months. The procedure is remote: there is no need to travel to the country to file, to receive the passport, or for subsequent document renewals, which go through the consulate.

What this passport gives you

1. A working travel document that does not depend on a single state.
2. Predictability. The program has run since 2012, with an established track record of how the government behaves — including toward holders who run into trouble back home.
3. Reasonable treatment from compliance teams. Banks understand what this kind of passport is and do not treat it as exotic.
4. A foundation for European residency. Holding a passport other than a Russian or Belarusian one opens residency programs that would otherwise be unavailable directly.

What it does not give you

This needs to be said plainly. It is not a European passport and not a ticket to a developed country. It does not grant the right to live or work in the EU. Visa-free arrangements between island states and the EU are under constant review, and should not be relied on as a stable feature.

There is also an ongoing discussion about splitting citizens into categories: a practice is under consideration where passports obtained through the investment program would be distinguished from ordinary ones. If such a rule is introduced, it would apply to those who applied after it takes effect.

Who it suits

The program makes sense for two groups. The first is families who want a backup travel document and a foundation for European residency, especially larger families. The second is people for whom speed matters most: two to three months against a year and a half to two years for alternatives.

Anyone looking for a passport purely for free movement across Europe should look at a different combination: investment citizenship plus European residency. One document alone does not solve that particular problem.

What to do

1. Work out your application's composition — including adult children and spouses sharply changes the cost per person.
2. Confirm current requirements at the time of filing; programs get amended.
3. Make sure you are working with an agent under a direct government agreement, not a third-tier intermediary.
4. Plan the next step — a European residency permit — in advance, not after the passport is in hand.