Terms, Defined · 2026
The vocabulary, precise.
Vanuatu citizenship by investment carries its own language: the statute that grants it, the authorities that screen it, the fee that is fixed by law, and the Bitcoin terms behind how you pay. Here is every term that matters, defined in a sentence or two, with a link to the page that proves it. Numbers are canonical and dated; nothing here is inflated. Read it straight through or jump to the word you came for.
Terms26 defined
All-in (DSP)$145,000
Legal BasisCap. 112
Mobility87 destinations
Facts verified · 2026 · Not legal or tax advice
◆ Every term defined
Canonical numbers
Linked to the proof
The program
How the route is built.
- Development Support Programme (DSP)
- Vanuatu's straight-contribution citizenship route: $145,000 all-in for a single applicant, of which a $130,000 government contribution is fixed by Order No. 33 of 2019. Nothing is returned, which is what makes it the faster and simpler of the two tracks. Detailed on the program page.
- Capital Investment Immigration Plan (CIIP)
- Vanuatu's investment-led citizenship route: $174,000 gross, around $124,000 net after a $50,000 fund redemption at year 4. It recovers more capital than the DSP in exchange for a four-year hold. Both tracks sit side by side on the program page.
- All-in price
- The total cost of the file with no line left off: government contribution, due diligence, civil registration, passport enrolment, and the 5% advisory fee. For a single DSP applicant it is $145,000. Every line is itemized on the cost page.
- Oath of allegiance
- The formal declaration of loyalty to the Republic of Vanuatu that an applicant makes as part of the citizenship process. It is handled remotely, unlike the in-person biometric enrolment, so it adds no travel to the file.
- Dependent
- A family member who can be included on a principal applicant's file: a spouse, dependent children, and in defined cases dependent parents. Each adds a fixed government increment plus per-person due diligence and enrolment, which is why a family file is cheaper per head than four separate ones.
Money & payment
What you pay, and how.
- Government contribution
- The statutory payment made to the Republic of Vanuatu, fixed by law at $130,000 for a single DSP applicant under Order No. 33 of 2019. It is the largest line on the file and the one no agent can discount, which is why a quote far below it is a warning. The full breakdown is on the cost page.
- 21 CBI advisory fee
- A flat 5% of the government contribution, and that is the whole professional fee: file preparation, the on-chain source-of-funds reconstruction, submission through a licensed designated agent, and management to grant and passport. Disclosed up front, with no success-fee surprises and no markup buried in the government number.
- Sats
- Satoshis, the smallest unit of bitcoin: one bitcoin is 100,000,000 sats. The pricing calculator shows the cost of a file in both BTC and sats at the prevailing rate, for reference, so you can read the figure in whichever unit you think in.
- Lightning
- The Lightning Network, a second layer on top of Bitcoin for fast, low-fee payments. It is one of the native rails cbi.vu accepts, alongside on-chain BTC and USDT, to settle the entire file after compliance clearance. The mechanics are on the pay-in-Bitcoin page.
- USDT
- Tether, a US-dollar-pegged stablecoin accepted on agreed networks under the same compliance, sanctions, and source-of-funds checks as every other rail. USDC and other non-USDT stablecoins are excluded. BTC and Lightning are the native rails; credit cards and bank transfers are accepted as needed.
Compliance & law
The statute and the screen.
- Due diligence
- The background investigation run on every applicant before a file is approved: identity verification, criminal-record, sanctions, and Interpol checks, plus the test that the source of funds is lawful end to end. It is carried out under the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit, and it is the substance of the program. The method is on the source-of-funds page.
- Source of funds
- Documented proof that the money funding your application is lawfully earned and traceable end to end. For a Bitcoin holder this means an on-chain history tied to a clean origin, not a screenshot of a balance. cbi.vu runs this reconstruction as standard; the full method is on the source-of-funds page.
- Designated agent
- A firm the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission has appointed and authorized to file citizenship applications. An individual cannot submit directly; everyone files through a designated agent, and the Government of Vanuatu publishes the register. cbi.vu works the file through a licensed designated agent rather than claiming to be one. Why that chain matters is on the legitimacy page.
- Vanuatu Citizenship Commission
- The government body, constituted under Act No. 34 of 2018, that grants Vanuatu citizenship. It appoints designated agents, reviews files, and issues the grant; the passport is produced only after it decides. It is the authority that makes the program a grant of citizenship, not a sale.
- Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit (VFIU)
- Vanuatu's anti-money-laundering authority, which screens every citizenship file: identity, criminal-record, sanctions, and Interpol checks, and the lawful-source test on your funds. Clearing the VFIU is the real work of the program, and a clean file is exactly what the stricter screen now rewards.
- Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC)
- The regulator of Vanuatu's company and financial-services sector, including the tax-exempt International Business Company framework in place since 1993. It supervises the corporate vehicles a Vanuatu citizen may use, covered on the tax and residency page.
- Common Reporting Standard (CRS)
- The OECD framework for the automatic exchange of financial-account information between participating jurisdictions. Vanuatu participates, so account data is reported to your country of tax residence; the passport creates no privacy from your home tax authority. The honest framing is on the tax and residency page.
- Citizenship Act, Cap. 112
- The Vanuatu statute that is the legal foundation of citizenship by investment. A citizenship granted lawfully under Cap. 112 is hereditary and permanent: it passes to your children and cannot be cancelled at a government's convenience the way a visa can. The legal basis is laid out on the legitimacy page.
- Order No. 33 of 2019
- The Vanuatu instrument that fixes the Development Support Programme fee schedule, setting the government contribution at $130,000 for a single applicant. It is why a credible all-in quote can never fall far below that floor, and why the largest number on your file is set by an act of state, not by an agent.
- Biometric enrolment
- The mandatory in-person capture of fingerprints and a facial image, required of every applicant since the Vanuatu Passport (Amendment) Act 2025. The file cannot clear without it, and it is the one step no firm can waive. Accredited centers and logistics are on the FAQ.
- Hereditary citizenship
- Citizenship that passes by descent to your children and theirs. A Vanuatu citizenship granted lawfully under Cap. 112 is hereditary and permanent, not a status that lapses or renews like a visa, which is part of what separates it from temporary residency routes.
- Apostille
- An international certification, under the Hague Convention, that authenticates a public document for use abroad. Some civil documents in a Vanuatu file require an apostille alongside a certified copy, which is why document preparation starts before the clock does.
Travel & tax
What it carries, and what it does not.
- Henley Passport Index
- A widely cited ranking of passports by the number of destinations their holders can enter without a prior visa. The Vanuatu passport's honest current reach is 87 destinations, weighted to the Asia-Pacific corridor, after Schengen access was revoked in December 2024 (effective February 2025) and the UK introduced a Standard Visitor visa requirement in July 2023. The canonical map is on the visa-free map.
- International Business Company (IBC)
- A Vanuatu corporate vehicle under a tax-exempt framework in place since 1993, supervised by the Financial Services Commission. Whether its treatment reaches you depends on your tax residence, not your citizenship. Vanuatu levies zero personal income, capital gains, inheritance, and corporate tax, with a 15% VAT on local consumption. The full picture is on the tax and residency page.
Bitcoin
The rails, in plain terms.
- On-chain
- Recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain itself, as opposed to held off-chain on an exchange or in a custodian's ledger. An on-chain history is what lets a Bitcoin position be documented as a lawful source of funds, which is the work cbi.vu does up front. The reconstruction is detailed on the source-of-funds page.
- Self-custody
- Holding your own Bitcoin private keys rather than trusting a third party to hold them for you. Self-custodied coins with a clean, documented trail are exactly what the source-of-funds screen rewards; an unexplained balance is what fails it.
These five terms, on-chain, self-custody, sats, Lightning, and USDT, are the difference between a Bitcoin position that clears compliance and one that does not. The whole file, government contribution and professional fees alike, settles in BTC, Lightning, or USDT after the VFIU screen, and cbi.vu completes the statutory payments with the Vanuatu authorities on your behalf. The mechanics are on the pay-in-Bitcoin page.
Sources & Authorities
Where these definitions come from.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Verify any line against the law and your own advisor before you act.
- Legal basis
- Citizenship Act (Cap. 112); Development Support Programme fees under Order No. 33 of 2019; Vanuatu Citizenship Commission under Act No. 34 of 2018; Vanuatu Passport (Amendment) Act 2025.
- Pricing
- Government contribution and the full fee schedule, canonical to 21cbi.io/programs/vanuatu and itemized on the cost page.
- Mobility
- 87 destinations on the Henley Passport Index; Schengen access revoked December 2024 (effective February 2025); UK Standard Visitor visa from July 2023.
- Tax & CRS
- Vanuatu participates in the OECD Common Reporting Standard and Global Forum; zero direct tax with a 15% VAT; tax-exempt IBC framework since 1993.
- Disclaimer
- General information only, not tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a qualified professional about your specific circumstances.
Related, In Depth
Put the terms to work.
Answers
Every question, answered
The same vocabulary, put to the questions a serious buyer actually asks. →
The MathWhat it really costs
Government contribution through enrolment, every fee to the line. →
MethodSource of funds, on-chain
How a Bitcoin position becomes a file the VFIU can clear, with no forced sale. →
Terms understood
Now run the numbers.
You know the words; the next step is the math on your own file. Run the calculator to see your all-in figure in dollars, BTC, and sats, then, if Vanuatu fits, book a confidential file-read with Adam, where the first thirty minutes go straight to your file, not a sales script.