Moving to Vanuatu

Residence and citizenship are different applications

Vanuatu Immigration publishes separate forms for residence categories such as foreign investor, self-funded applicant, employee and family member. Choose the category that reflects the actual situation. A citizenship programme does not eliminate the need to understand local business, property, health and practical establishment requirements.

Evaluate the physical move

Plan access to medical care, schooling, communications and dependable travel for the whole household. Confirm work and investment permissions before making commitments. Property or lease transactions require local due diligence and should not be treated as a standard freehold purchase based on another country’s rules.

Review all countries involved

Vanuatu has concrete local obligations including VAT, rent tax and business licensing. Those requirements need a separate workstream from the former country’s residence, CFC and company-management rules. A passport does not terminate obligations elsewhere. The tax guide now explains verified local rates and registration conditions rather than relying on a general low-tax description.

Assemble the residence evidence before arranging a permanent move

The government procedure distinguishes self-funded, investor, employee and leasehold cases. A self-funded file uses bank-certified income evidence, with the published general figures of VT250,000 monthly or VT500,000 with a partner. The investor file instead needs the relevant investment approval and business licence. Do not combine the least demanding parts of different categories into one application.

Prepare passport and relationship records and obtain the adult medical and police evidence required by the selected checklist. The residence form describes police certificates for relevant prior countries of residence. Ask the authority for current validity, certification and translation requirements before commissioning documents. The publicly available forms have older dates, so verify the live fee and bond instructions rather than treating them as a current quotation.

Confirm the order of entry, application and local establishment

Check whether the applicant files from abroad or changes an existing status locally, and whether additional charges or permissions apply. A visitor entry is not a substitute for the correct residence and work arrangement. Obtain a written completion checklist and keep copies of receipts, submissions and the eventual grant. No universal authority processing target was verified for this guide.

For an operating business, coordinate foreign-investment approval, the business licence and TIN before trading. Arrange the banking evidence required for capital and ongoing transactions. Do not use funds reserved for a residence or business condition as though they were unrestricted household spending. Clarify family permissions and practical access to housing, healthcare, schooling and communications before finalising the move.

Create tax and recordkeeping routines from the first transaction

Determine whether the business must register for VAT and whether its supplies are standard-rated, exempt or zero-rated. Retain invoices and import documentation. If acquiring rental property, review the 12.5% gross-rent regime, the individual allowance and VAT interaction before using a net-yield estimate to choose the investment.

At the same time, complete the former country’s departure analysis and document where any foreign companies will actually be managed. Citizenship and local residence papers cannot extinguish another country’s claim by themselves. Keep records of the household’s home, travel and work, and ensure bank declarations reflect the actual tax position. The objective is a workable residence and business arrangement, supported by evidence in every country involved.

How Offshore Capitalist can help

Share your current residence, nationality, business activities and intended changes through the inquiry form or WhatsApp. We can assess the cross-border issues, explain the work required and coordinate the agreed implementation. For this jurisdiction, local regulated work and government decisions remain with the relevant qualified providers and authorities. We confirm scope and fees before starting.