Foreigners who are in or outside of Vanuatu and are applying for a visa to reside in Vanuatu for more than 12 months can apply for Vanuatu residence permit. There are six different grounds on which a residence visa may be granted. The main applicant must satisfy the criteria of one of the grounds outlined below to be eligible for the grant of a residence visa. Applicants may include spouse (married or de-facto) in your application. You may include dependent children in your Residence visa application unless you are applying for a Residence visa as a SelfFunded Resident.
1. Partner Residence visa
For the main applicant must continue to be legally married to, or in a de facto relationship, with the same citizen of Vanuatu on which basis the visa was granted, unless the citizen of Vanuatu is deceased.
Condition: You are married to or are living in a genuine, de facto relationship with a Vanuatu citizen, or you were married to or living in a genuine de-facto relationship with a Vanuatu citizen at the time of his or her death and either have children that are citizens of Vanuatu, or were in that marriage or de-facto relationship for at least 5 years.
2. Child Residence visa
for the main applicant must continue to be a dependent child of a citizen of Vanuatu.
3. Employee Residence visa
For the main applicant must continue to be an employee of the business operating in Vanuatu on which basis the visa was granted and the visa holder has been given permission to commence or continue working in Vanuatu under the Labour (Work Permits Act) [CAP 187].
4. Self-funded Residence visa
For the main applicant continues to receive the monthly required income. You have an income certified by a bank operating in Vanuatu of at least 250 000 vatu per month, or 500 000 vatu per month if you are including your spouse or de-facto partner in your application, or If you were the holder of a residence permit on the basis of being a self-funded retiree prior to 7 February 2011 have an income certified by a bank operating in Vanuatu of at least 150 000 vatu per month, or 300 000 vatu per month if you are including your spouse or de-facto partner in your application.
5. Foreign Investor Residence visa
For the main applicant continues to hold valid foreign investor approval certificate issued by VIPA and a valid business licence issued by the relevant official body if conditional on issue of VIPA approval certificate. Requires approval certificate by the Vanuatu Investment and Promotion Authority (VIPA) as a ‘foreign investor’, and If the foreign investor certificate issued by VIPA indicates that you will be operating a business in Vanuatu, a business license issued by the relevant official body.
6. Leasehold Holder Residence visa
the main applicant continues to receive the monthly required income and continues to have leasehold ownership of the property concerned. You have leasehold ownership of a property in Vanuatu with a value of 10 million vatu or more, and you have an income certified by a bank operating in Vanuatu of at least 250 000 vatu per person included in the application.
Application forms can be downloaded here from Vanuatu immigration office.