The Vanuatu Citizenship Commission has announced a complete suspension of the CIIP citizenship by investment program for obtaining Vanuatu citizenship passports, with the restart date to be determined.
A spokesperson for the Vanuatu Immigration Bureau stated: "The suspension is to comply with international anti-money laundering standards, and future restarts must meet higher scrutiny requirements of FATF."
This adjustment resonates with the EU's termination of Cyprus and Malta's "golden passports" and the Caribbean islands tightening background checks.
This suspension applies to the Capital Investment Immigration Plan CIIP, while other investment citizenship options: the Development Support Program DSP and the Vanuatu Fund Donation Program (limited to Chinese applicants) remain valid and applications can still be made.
Capital Investment Immigration Plan CIIP combines donations and investments, requiring applicants to invest funds into government-approved projects beyond donations. The investment part can be redeemed after a specific number of years, thus more suitable for investors with long-term plans.
CIIP model citizenship certificate of Vanuatu
Development Support Program DSP: Applicants obtain citizenship by making a one-time donation to government-designated public projects. This method is simple, fast, and suitable for those who want to complete citizenship quickly.
DSP model citizenship certificate of Vanuatu
The citizenship certificate number can be used to identify the method of citizenship.
On March 8, the President of Vanuatu appointed Charlie Maniel as the new chairman of the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission, who then announced this suspension measure.
In fact, the review of the Capital Investment Immigration Plan has been listed as one of the new government's top ten priorities, aiming to improve compliance and protect the long-term credibility of the program to ensure the expected economic benefits.
In recent days, the government has revoked several passports obtained through fraud. The termination of the Capital Investment Immigration Plan now prevents illegal discount activities and ensures accountability for investments received by agencies under this program."
In the past two years, the Vanuatu government has implemented stricter due diligence requirements, including third-party agency checks and verifications by Interpol, which have been reported to be very effective, significantly increasing the number of applications rejected by the Financial Intelligence Unit, effectively preventing potential unqualified applicants."
According to official notifications, all agencies should prepare for the new Capital Investment Immigration Plan regulations, which will be finalized by the Attorney General's Office and signed into official regulations by the Prime Minister."
The upcoming regulations may significantly reduce designated agencies and implement stronger accountability for fund allocation, possibly increasing investment costs to meet EU recommendations and make similar adjustments to the Caribbean region.
Starting May 1, 2025, new applicants for Vanuatu passports must go to overseas consulates to collect biometric information, with three consulate offices available for fingerprinting: Hong Kong, Dubai, and New Caledonia (South Pacific).
Since the approval process for Vanuatu citizenship takes about a month, applicants submitting in April might face fingerprinting.
