Pursuant to the provisions of Part II, Section 3, Subsections (2) & (3) of the Immigration Act ( cap.66).

Standard Residence Permits are issued initially for a duration of 1 year subject to annual renewal. The non-refundable application fee of Vt.20,000 is payable to the Immigration Office upon submission of the completed application form.

Residence Permits may also be issued to potential investors who wish to undertake businesses in the country. The potential Investors must first obtain an approval for such business from the Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority Board (VIPA).
Residence Permits are normally issued for one year in the first instance but may be renewed provided that the conditions under which they were first issued remain the same.

Visitors Permits

Persons wishing to visit Vanuatu for a holiday, to see relatives or research the possibility of starting a business or for the furtherance of businesses carried on outside Vanuatu (i.e. sales representatives 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, have sufficient funds to support themselves and a valid passport.

Applications for Residence Permits from persons entering Vanuatu as Visitors is not necessarily required.

Long Term Residence Permits

The following fees apply to long term residences when applying for an 'investor status' residence permit:

Investment Value	Residency Permit		Total RP Fees Required
5,000,000 VT	5 Years		130,000 VT
50,000,000 VT	10 Years		230,000 VT
100,000,000 VT	15 Years		330,000 VT

All fees are payable in advance and are not refundable if the permit is granted. In the first year VT50,000 is charged while VT20,000 is charged for each subsequent year. In accordance with the Immigration Act, all investors are subject to the VT5 million minimum investment requirement.

The minimum investment acts as a guarantee to the Vanuatu Government as it demonstrates commitment by the foreign investor to do business in Vanuatu. This is clearly stated in Part 2 Section 3, subsection (ii), (iii), g in the Immigration Act Cap, 66. The VT5 million requirement can be held in either cash or assets. However, in assets form, the Immigration Department will only accept certification from a recognised law firm, accounting firm or from a local domestic bank. Once certified the investor is free to use the funds towards the approved investment.

Citizenship

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

Visas

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

Visas may be obtained on application to the Principal Immigration Officer. The fee required is VT2,500

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

• All Commonwealth countries
• All European economic community member countries

Austria Bermuda Cameroon China Dependencies of United Kingdom Dependencies of France Brazil Mexico Tunisa Peru Finland

Japan South Korea Maldives Marshall Island Federated States of Micronesia Norway Chile Morocco Russian Federation United Arab Emirates Palau

Philippines Sweden Switzerland Thailand Unites States of America Kuwait Poland South Africa Vatican

Retirement Opportunity

Statement from the local commercial bank to prove monthly revenue transfer to Vanuatu, minimum of Vt.300, 000 is required. This requisite fee is non-refundable.

Certification Required:

• Police Clearance from country of origin (Statutory declaration)
• Birth Certificate
• Number of dependents, gender & birth certificate
• Certificate of incorporation from VFSC
• Divorce certificate if any
• Medical Certificate
• Married certificate if any
• Copy of passport
• VIPA certificate
• Passport photos

For all matters pertaining to the issue of a residency permit, whether for self-employment or otherwise please contact:

Principal Immigration Officer
Immigration Department
PMB 9092, Port Vila
Phone:+678 22354
Fax +678 25492