Vanuatu

No. This is the single most common false claim about the programme, and it has been false since February 2025. The EU did not simply suspend access temporarily. It moved Vanuatu from Annex II to Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 by Regulation (EU) 2025/11, making the visa requirement permanent, with that permanent requirement applying from 3 February 2025. The partial suspension began on 3 March 2022 and was progressively tightened. Vanuatu is the first country ever to have an EU visa waiver fully and permanently revoked over a citizenship-by-investment scheme, and it happened explicitly because of this programme.

As of June 2026 the Vanuatu passport carries 87 visa-free destinations (Henley), ranking 57th and tied with Fiji. That is down sharply from its pre-suspension level. Beyond the permanent loss of Schengen, the United Kingdom removed visa-free access in July 2023, expressly citing the CBI scheme, and Ireland has done the same. The three destinations that once made this passport worth buying are all closed now. Buy it for what it is today, and assume further erosion. The EU's June 2025 visa-suspension mechanism explicitly targets CBI schemes that lack genuine ties.

It is genuinely among the fastest in the world, roughly one to four months under the Development Support Programme, operating under the Citizenship Act [CAP 112]. As at late 2025 the contribution is USD 130,000 for a single applicant, with an all-in figure around USD 135,500 including due diligence, about USD 155,500 for a couple, and USD 185,500 for a family of four, before agent and legal fees. There is no residence or minimum-stay requirement to obtain or keep citizenship. Since July 2025, however, biometrics must be given in person in Vanuatu or at an overseas representation office. That adds a travel step, and ID-card and birth-certificate fees of about USD 1,000 per person were added as well.

Vanuatu has no personal income tax, no capital gains tax, no wealth tax and no inheritance tax. It is territorial, and its revenue comes from 12.5% VAT, import duties and business-licence fees. But a passport alone changes nothing about your tax residency. If you still live in a country with CFC and CRS rules, zero tax in Vanuatu does nothing for you until you actually break residency elsewhere. The passport does not do that. A Vanuatu passport paired with a Vanuatu address tends to attract scrutiny rather than deflect it, especially given that Vanuatu has appeared on the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions.

Often the opposite happens. The OECD flagged this programme in 2018 as potentially high-risk to CRS integrity. Banks and exchanges now apply enhanced due diligence to Vanuatu CBI passports, and account opening on this document alone is frequently refused. Vanuatu remains a CRS participant, so the passport does not buy financial privacy. Think of it as a travel document with real limits, not a banking solution.

Yes. The DSP allows a spouse, dependent children and dependent parents to be included, with the contribution rising to roughly USD 150,000 for a couple and USD 180,000 for a family of four before due diligence. Vanuatu permits dual citizenship, so no one has to give up their existing nationality. Note that nationals of certain countries are ineligible, and the restricted list changes, so it needs to be checked at the time of application.

The Development Support Programme is the established route. It is a straightforward non-refundable contribution of USD 130,000 for a single applicant. The Capital Investment Immigration Plan pairs a smaller USD 100,000 contribution with a USD 50,000 bond that is stated to be redeemable after five years. It is structurally more complex and less established. That bond redemption depends on the counterparty performing. The USD 50,000 should be treated as at risk rather than as a deposit, and the redemption terms should be verified independently.

Yes. Citizenship obtained by investment is revocable by the granting state. In a tightening international environment, that risk is not merely theoretical. Combined with the possibility of further visa-free losses as the EU's suspension mechanism bites, this is a strong argument for buying the passport only for what it demonstrably does today. It suits holders of a weak primary passport who need a lawful second travel document quickly and cheaply, so long as they go in with clear eyes about where it does and does not work.