Residence visa for a person employed or accepted for employment by a Vanuatu business for at least twelve months.
Eligibility: 3Process & costs: 1Report facts: 6
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Melanesia · Immigration
Vanuatu
Vanuatu sits in Melanesia. Its immigration system runs 19 distinct routes — led by investment, family and short stays and visits, each set out in official law. All 19 cite an official government source, shown on the route with the date we last read it. Who actually qualifies depends on your full profile.
- Immigration routes
- 19across 11 route categories, each set out in official law
- Source-cited routes
- 19 of 19cite an official government source, with the date we last read it
- Largest category
- Investment3 of the 19 routes — see them under Investment below
- Region
- Melanesia
- Capital
- Port Vila
- Population
- 335,169
- Official language
- Bislama, English · +1
- Currency
- VUV
- Time zone
- UTC+11:00
Source-cited pathways
Immigration routes
All 19 routes, grouped by purpose — 19 of 19 cite an official government source directly.
Work
1 route
Investment
3 routes
Permanent residence subclasses for serious investors intending substantial investment in Vanuatu.
Documents: 1Report facts: 5
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Residence visa for a foreign investor holding a valid VIPA approval certificate and any required business licence.
Eligibility: 1Documents: 1Report facts: 5
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Residence visa based on ownership of qualifying Vanuatu leasehold property and certified monthly income.
Eligibility: 2Process & costs: 1Report facts: 6
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Study
1 route
Student visa for a person enrolled in a course of study in Vanuatu.
Eligibility: 2Documents: 1Process & costs: 2Report facts: 5
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Family
3 routes
Twelve-month family visa for the spouse or dependent child of a Vanuatu citizen or eligible resident visa holder.
Process & costs: 4Report facts: 8
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Residence visa for a dependent child of a Vanuatu citizen.
Process & costs: 1Report facts: 7
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Residence visa for the spouse or genuine de facto partner of a Vanuatu citizen.
Process & costs: 2Report facts: 7
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Living from your own income
1 route
Residence visa based on monthly income certified by a Vanuatu bank.
Resources: VUV 250,000 monthly; VUV 500,000 with spouse or de facto partner.
Eligibility: 1Process & costs: 2Report facts: 3
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-08-03
Long-term residence
1 route
Permanent residence for a person of Ni-Vanuatu descent or a person who has resided in Vanuatu for at least twelve months.
Report facts: 1
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Culture, faith and volunteering
1 route
Twelve-month sponsored visa for community support, academic research, film/media activity or student attachment.
Report facts: 9
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Short stays and visits
3 routes
Business visa for meetings, training, negotiations, research, filming or temporary skilled work supported by the relevant local documents.
Process & costs: 2Report facts: 6
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Tourist visa for tourism, leisure or social visits, available on arrival to exempt nationals or by advance application to others.
Process & costs: 1Report facts: 8
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Advance visitor visa for a non-exempt applicant outside Vanuatu intending to visit for up to 30 days.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 2Report facts: 5
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Ancestry and return
1 route
Twelve-month multiple-entry visa for a former Vanuatu citizen or descendant of a Vanuatu citizen.
Eligibility: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 4
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Transit
1 route
Transit visa for a traveller remaining within the airport proclaimed area for no more than 24 hours.
Process & costs: 2Report facts: 4
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Special cases
3 routes
Short bridging status for a person in Vanuatu while a substantive visa or departure-related documentation is processed.
Eligibility: 1Process & costs: 5Report facts: 4
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Institutional visa for a diplomatic-passport holder on an accredited mission, and eligible family members.
Eligibility: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 5
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Institutional visa for government employees or secondees, diplomatic-mission members, prescribed donor-agency members and eligible family.
Eligibility: 1Documents: 1Process & costs: 1Report facts: 5
Official government source: immigration.gov.vu · checked 2026-07-26
Official sources
- Department of Immigration PassportGovernment
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