All companies setting up in Vanuatu must register their company with the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC). This process ensures that your company is recognized as a legal entity in Vanuatu. The process can be done online however the office also accepts applications manually.
Required Documents
When applying for company registration you are required to submit the following supporting documents:
- Notarized Police Clearance from area of jurisdiction for all foreign passport holders being Directors and Shareholders.
- ID of Directors, Owners & Committee Members.
- Source of funds.
- Declaration of interests in any other entity.
Business Licenses
A business licence is essential for opening up your business operations in Vanuatu.
The Department of Customs and Inland Revenue is the licensing authority responsible for issuing business licences. As a foreign investor applying for a business licence you are required to submit along with your application the following documents:
- Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority (VIPA) FIAC Certificate.
- Certificate of Business Name or Certificate of Incorporation from Vanuatu Financial Service Commission (VFSC).
Company Types
The three common types of entities registered in Vanuatu are:
- The Sole Trader.
- The Partnership
- The Company
The sole trader is personally liable for debts she or he incurs. There is no legal separation between the person and the business. A partnership is where two or more people contribute their own resources- cash, or property, or even their time. They then have an agreement about how they share the profits between them. A company is a separate legal entity from the owners, who are called shareholders.
Registeration Fee:
- Company: Online-VT30,000 Manual-VT35,000
- Business: Online-VT10,000 Manual-VT12,000
- Processing Time: 3-5 days.
Provident Fund
It is a legal obligation to register your company with the Vanuatu National Provident Fund as an employer.
VAT Registration
Registering for VAT is free and it usually takes up to 5 days processing your registration.
Residence Visa
A foreign investor who will be managing aged under 18 years: certified copy of birth their company/business in Vanuatu, you are in certificate. expected to apply for a Residency VISA
Priority Sectors
The Vanuatu Government prioritizes foreign direct investment in its key economic sectors which are currently the Primary Sector that is inclusive of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock and in the Tourism Industry.
Foreign Investment Approval Certificate (FIAC)
It is legal obligation for any interested foreign investors to register with the Vanuatu Foreign Investment Promotion Agency. This process also requires that any interested foreign investor must have done prior research on Vanuatu and in the sector they wish to invest in
A foreigner cannot venture into reserved activities whether by means of a joint venture, partnership or association with any citizen of Vanuatu or a local company whose shareholders are Ni-Vanuatu citizens.
Government Incentives
Director of the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue grants exemptions for activities undertaken in the Tourism Industry (construction or renovation of hotels/resorts) and Manufacturing Industry for imports of machinery.
Locations – Invest in Six Provinces
SANMA PROVINCE
Claiming the longest road networks in Vanuatu and host to the longest wharf in the region, your products and services are guaranteed of reaching their final destination for consumer needs.
MALAMPA PROVINCE
Malampa province is host to Vanuatu ‘s second biggest island of Malekula. Malekula has been and remains Vanuatu’s major producer and exporter of copra and cocoa. Because of its clean beaches and waters, it is the country’s best location for Aquaculture projects.
TAFEA PROVINCE
Tafea Province is rich with Agriculture crops, particularly high value crops such as Coffee planting, Coconut, Kava, Citrus, Noni spices and root crops and root crops. The Islands within Tafea Province are popular based on the value crops planted by the people. Tanna Island is famously known for its Tanna Coffee which grown under the shadows of the still active Yasur Volcano. It is the active Volcano’s influence that makes the Tanna Coffee so unique.
SHEFA PROVINCE
Shefa Province has a population of 97,602. SHEFA is one of the six provinces of Vanuatu, located in the center of the country and including the Islands of Epi and the Shepherd Islands. The Province’s main island of Efate is host to the Vanuatu Capital, Port Vila City.
TORBA PROVINCE
TORBA province is Vanuatu’s happiest province and home to the country’s friendliest people with an array of unique, untouched and unspoilt tourism attractions. Tourism, fisheries and manufacturing opportunities are but some potential investment activities that are calling you to invest in Torba today!
PENAMA PROVINCE
Penama Province is home to Vanuatu’s best quality kava and boasts some of the country’s most interesting natural tourist attractions and the world famous Nangol land dive.
Continued support programs for skills improvement and development is carried out by TVET programs and also encouraged through policies within the provincial government and relative departments including the agriculture department in the province.
