An official programme of the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu — Council of Ministers Decision N°273 Legal framework Contact EN
VNB official seal Vanuatu National BureauRipablik blong Vanuatu
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Vanuatu National Status

A recognised legal status granted to vetted non-citizens — with clearly defined rights and obligations set out in the law, and an ICAO-standard travel document of its own. It is not citizenship, and the law says so expressly.

Non-citizen statusDefined by Schedule 1, outside nationality.
Government registerGranted, recorded and reviewed by the Bureau.
Hard legal boundaryNo vote, no political office, no citizenship pathway.
Vanuatu National Status source folio and secure government register visual showing statutory records separated from citizenship
Status lives in a register, not in nationality.The Bureau records a defined non-citizen status, issues documents under statute, and keeps the citizenship boundary outside the programme.
Legal sourceCreated by Schedule 1 of the Bill.
Public authorityGranted only by the Bureau after screening.
Official recordStanding is tied to the National Register.
Citizenship boundaryNo nationality, vote or political rights.
What it is

A defined status, not a nationality

Vanuatu National Status is a lawful status created by Schedule 1 of the Bill. A successful applicant — vetted against the full statutory integrity framework — receives a Certificate of Vanuatu National Status, an identity document, and the programme’s Non-Citizen travel document.

What it is not: it is not citizenship, confers no nationality, no vote, and no political rights. Custom land remains beyond its reach. The status exists alongside — never inside — the citizenship of the Ni-Vanuatu people.

In brief

  • Granted only by the Bureau — the Government — after full screening
  • Defined rights and obligations, set out in the law
  • Renewable administratively, subject to continued compliance
  • Revocable for fraud, misrepresentation or character grounds
The statutory boundary

A legal status outside nationality.

National Status is designed as a register-controlled public-law status. It can be granted, renewed, suspended or revoked by the Bureau, but it never enters citizenship, nationality, voting rights, political office or custom-land rights.

Read the citizenship firewall Legal framework
Institutional visual of a statutory status register separated from citizenship and political rights
Register controlledStatus is recorded and verified inside a statutory register while citizenship and political rights remain outside the programme.
01

Created by law

Schedule 1 defines the status, its documents, and its limits.

02

Granted by Government

The Bureau decides grants, renewals, suspensions and refusals.

03

Recorded in register

Standing is verified through official public-law records.

04

Outside citizenship

No nationality, no vote, no political office and no custom land.

Rights and limits

Rights — and hard limits

National Status works because the law states both sides at once: what a holder may receive, and what the status can never become.

Institutional visual showing National Status documents on one side of a statutory boundary and citizenship, voting and political rights excluded on the other side
Rights are defined. Limits are structural.The holder receives programme instruments and register standing, while citizenship, nationality, political rights and custom land remain outside the legal perimeter.
Granted instrumentsCertificate, identity card, travel document and register entry.
Continuing conditionsScreening, renewal discipline, records and revocation powers.
Excluded rightsNo nationality, vote, public office, custom land or citizenship pathway.

What a Status Holder receives

  • A Certificate of Vanuatu National Status and identity card
  • The ICAO-compliant Non-Citizen travel document
  • Access to defined services and dealings with the Republic
  • Sponsorship of qualifying dependants under the Schedule
  • Entry in the National Register, with verifiable standing

What it can never include

  • Citizenship or nationality of the Republic of Vanuatu
  • The right to vote or to hold political office
  • Ownership of custom land
  • Automatic right of abode or settlement in Vanuatu
  • Any step or preference toward citizenship
The qualifying commitment

Two routes — invest, or contribute

To qualify, an applicant makes a substantial financial commitment to Vanuatu by one of two routes, and on either route also pays a national contribution that goes straight to the Treasury. Amounts are set by regulation; the figures shown are indicative.

Institutional visual showing two public-value finance tracks separated from the Government-controlled legal status decision path
Commitment supports development. Status remains a legal decision.The Fund and SBD routes sit beside, not above, the statutory checks and Government decision that control National Status.
Financial routeFund or SBD is a qualifying commitment, not a purchase of status.
Integrity gateIdentity, AML/CFT, sanctions and source-of-funds checks come first.
Government decisionThe Bureau grants or refuses under law; no contribution buys extra rights.
Route A · invest

The National Development Fund

VT 5,000,000+ VT 1,000,000 national contribution to the Treasury · indicative, set by regulation
  • An at-risk investment into an independent, regulated Fund — pooled and put to work for the nation
  • Deployed into government bonds and approved strategic projects: infrastructure, urban renewal, disaster recovery and resilience
  • Redeemed after a fixed lock-up period — the value may rise or fall; it is not capital-protected
  • Managed under a fixed mandate by an independent investment committee

At-risk means exactly that: the investor shares the risk of the portfolio. The State does not guarantee repayment — which is precisely why the Fund adds no fixed debt to the national budget.

Route B · contribute

Strategic Business Development (SBD)

VT 3,000,000+ VT 1,000,000 national contribution to the Treasury · indicative, set by regulation
  • A non-returning contribution paid directly to local priority enterprises
  • Recipients approved by the same independent investment committee, on published criteria
  • Directed to where the country most needs growth — agriculture, fisheries, tourism, manufacturing and services
  • Externally audited, with public disclosure

Nothing is returned to the applicant: the SBD is a contribution to the local economy, not an investment — and it earns no rights beyond eligibility for status.

Money and status travel on separate tracks and never cross: the grant of status follows the law and the background checks — and nothing else. An applicant whose Fund investment loses value does not lose status, and no contribution buys anyone extra rights.
Inside the Fund & the SBD route
Lifecycle

From application to register

Institutional lifecycle visual showing application intake, due diligence, Bureau decision, register entry, renewal review and revocation safeguards inside a government-controlled record system
Every status has a reviewable public-law lifecycle.Applications, decisions, documents, renewals and revocations remain inside one Bureau-controlled record system, with review safeguards under the Act.
Bureau controlThe Bureau grants, refuses, renews, suspends and revokes.
Register evidenceStanding is tied to the register, documents and supporting official records.
Review safeguardsAdverse decisions carry review and appeal protections under the Act.
Decision authority remains public. Service delivery may support the file, but only the Bureau can decide, record, renew, suspend or revoke National Status.
1

Application

Lodged with the Bureau in the prescribed form, with identity documents and the applicable fees.

2

Due diligence

AML/CFT and KYC checks, sanctions and source-of-funds screening, and the good-character standard — on every applicant, on both routes.

3

Decision by the Bureau

Grant or refusal is decided by the Government — always. The operator never holds this power.

4

Grant & documents

Certificate, identity document and the Non-Citizen travel document are issued; the holder is entered in the National Register.

5

Renewal & compliance

Administrative renewal subject to continued compliance; records maintained under the data-protection framework.

6

Suspension & revocation

Status can be suspended or revoked for fraud, false documents, sanctions exposure or character grounds — with review and appeal rights under the Act.

Institutional visual showing National Status aligned across law, register control, integrity review, treasury revenue and national development
One status. One public-law system.Law, records, integrity checks, Treasury channels and public development move together under Government control.
National alignment

Public trust comes before programme scale.

National Status only works if every part of the system points in the same direction: the law defines the boundary, the Bureau controls the register, integrity checks protect entry, public revenue follows traceable channels, and the value returns to national resilience.

LawRights, limits and revocation powers are written into the statutory framework.
RegisterStatus is recorded, verified and maintained through official public-law records.
IntegrityKYC, AML/CFT, sanctions and source-of-funds checks sit before any grant.
TreasuryNational contributions move through Government channels, not private discretion.
DevelopmentThe programme is designed to support resilience, services and long-term public value.
Official opening notice

Opening only by official notice.

Upon commencement of the Act, in stages set by Order in the Gazette. Register your interest and we will notify you when the programme opens.

Not open yetNo applications are accepted before commencement.
Gazette controlledOpening stages and fees follow official orders and regulations.
No early paymentNo person should pay programme fees before official publication.
Register your interest The travel document
Official Gazette opening notice and secure National Status register visual
Gazette first.Opening stages, forms and fees begin only through official publication and Bureau-controlled notices.