The programmes
Two core programmes — consolidated into one Act, run by one Bureau, under one integrity rulebook. The National Status comes with its own travel document; the Digital Residency opens Vanuatu’s services to the world.
One statutory platform. Three service layers. No citizenship.
Each programme has its own public purpose, register and operating rules. All sit under the same Bureau, the same integrity standard and the same legal firewall.
Vanuatu National Status
A recognised legal status for vetted non-citizens, with rights and obligations defined in law.
Non-citizen status · no nationalityDetails 02Schedule 2Non-Citizen Travel Document
The ICAO-standard travel document of the National Status — legally distinct from the citizen passport.
Document layer · distinct from citizen passportDetails 03Programme 2 · Schedule 3Vanuatu Digital Residency
A government-issued digital identity and permit to use defined Vanuatu e-services from anywhere.
Digital identity · defined e-servicesDetails 04Later phase · Schedule 4Digital Corporate Registry
A modern digital company registry — enacted now as enabling law, brought into operation once the core programmes are proven.
Enabling law · later commencementDetailsThe two programmes at a glance
The operating routes differ, but the public-law discipline is the same: statutory basis, due diligence, controlled issuance and no citizenship.
| National Status (+ travel document) | Digital Residency | |
|---|---|---|
| In plain terms | A defined legal status for vetted non-citizens, with an ICAO-standard Non-Citizen travel document | An online identity and permit to use Vanuatu e-services |
| Confers citizenship? | No — expressly excluded in primary law | No — expressly excluded in primary law |
| Right to live in Vanuatu? | No — defined rights only, not residence or settlement | No — not a visa and not physical residency |
| Qualifying commitment | Fund investment or SBD contribution + national contribution (indicative) | Subscription fees set by regulation |
| Where it lives in the Bill | Schedule 1 (status) and Schedule 2 (travel document) | Schedule 3 |
A digital-economy growth path
These two programmes are the foundation, not the ceiling. Once a digital resident can operate from Vanuatu, the natural next step is a modern, fully compliant digital corporate registry — earning incorporation and annual fees and routing genuine business activity through Vanuatu’s digital economy. The Bill enacts that framework as Schedule 4, deliberately positioned as a later phase, to be opened on its own merits once National Status and Digital Residency are proven.
Stages 3–5 open on their own merits, in sequence — each one funded by the last, none of them by the taxpayer.
See each programme in detail
Or read why none of this — by design and by law — is citizenship.