Moving abroad: Your moving abroad checklist
Moving overseas is a new beginning that gives you the chance to follow your dream and live an exciting and life-changing adventure. Thousands of peopl
Not just one, but over 80 islands that enjoy the benefits of being an undiscovered tropical paradise. The country is not flooded by tourists, nature is largely untouched and the people are friendly and authentic.
Taxes in Vanuatu are low or non-existent which makes the country a rewarding place to earn money. Locals largely depend on agriculture and fishing, but tourism is also an important industry on the islands and you can find career opportunities here and in trade. It’s also a fantastic place for freelancers to work from their laptop and be surrounded by tropical beauty.
There are 84 islands to explore and 14 of them have an area of more than a hundred square kilometres. Many of the 277.000 inhabitants live in the countryside, but a few main cities have a larger population. Temperatures are not too extreme year round and there is a dry season and a wet one.
Vanuatu was devastated by a cyclone in 2015 and the country has shown an impressive recovery in a short time, the island is back on its feet and beautiful as always. There is a volcano to explore, lots of diving opportunities, things to see by kayak, beautiful white sand beaches to chill on and you can even see the islands from a helicopter. And if that isn’t exciting enough there is always surfing, snorkelling, eating wonderful local food and boat trips.
A residence permit is required to work and live in Vanuatu and your (future) employer must file the application for you. The permit is generally valid for one year, but can be renewed annually. Permits are only granted to immigrants who contribute to the country’s economy.
The application fee is about $1900 and non-refundable. The fee must be paid to the Immigration Office and every year the permit is renewed, a similar fee must be paid.
Through income/pension:
- If you can provide a statement from a local commercial bank to prove monthly revenue transfer to Vanuatu, minimum of Vt.300, 000, you can apply for a retirement visa.
Vanuatu Investor Status Residency Permit – If you invest more that VT 5,000,000 in an approved business venture in Vanuatu, you can apply for residency. There is also a government fee starting at VT130,000 and increasing if your investment increases.
To find out if you need a tourist visa to visit Vanuatu, please use the VisaHQ tool below.
Family Visas:
- If your spouse is a citizen or permanent resident of Vanuatu, you are probably eligible for residency. If your spouse is a citizen, you can apply for citizenship after living together in Vanuatu for a period of 2 years. Please note that your status of spouse needs to be legally recognised in this country.
Here are some of the ways to get citizenship in Vanuatu:
Investment
Vanuatu has an Honorary Citizenship Program – the “Development Support Program”, which grants honorary citizenship to the applicants upon meeting the below mentioned investment (contribution) and other eligibility criteria:
- A contribution of USD280,000 for the applicant and up to 4 family members.
- An initial payment of a non-refundable fee of USD 5,000 for the probity checks by the Government FIU Division.
Through your family
- If one or both of your parents were citizens when you were born, you are probably also a citizen.
- If your spouse is a citizen or permanent resident of Vanuatu, you are probably eligible for residency. If your spouse is a citizen, you can apply for citizenship after living together in Vanuatu for a period of 2 years. Please note that your status of spouse needs to be legally recognised in this country.
- If you pay US$ 260,000 to the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission, you can apply for citizenship to Vanuatu.
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