Can Russian Citizens Apply for Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment?
Can Russian citizens apply for Vanuatu citizenship by investment? The current admissibility position as published, the additional checks that apply, and the date this page was last verified.
Reviewed by Dmytro Konovalenko, Senior Partner
Questions about Russian applicants come up often, and the honest answer is that the position is uncertain and has been for some time. This page sets out what has been reported, what we could not confirm, and how to get a definitive answer before any money moves.
Status checked: 19 October 2026. We have not found an official notice from the Citizenship Office that settles the question. Treat everything below as reported information to be confirmed, not as a statement that applications are open.
What has been reported
- 2022. When Caribbean programmes suspended applications from Russian and Belarusian nationals, reports at the time said Vanuatu was still accepting them. In the same period the European Union began suspending visa-free access for Vanuatu passports, citing the investor citizenship scheme.
- 2023. One source reported that Vanuatu planned to stop accepting new applications from citizens of Russia and Belarus from late November 2023, as part of reforms to its vetting. Other sources continued to describe Russians as eligible, so it is not clear whether that cut-off took effect.
- 2026. An industry report described a memo dated March 2026 telling agents that Russian nationals may no longer apply; the same report noted that this may have been miscommunication. We could not confirm it from an official source.
What this means in practice
A firm that tells a Russian applicant "no problem, it is open" without showing a current official basis is not giving reliable advice. Before anything is paid:
- Ask the designated agent, in writing, whether the Citizenship Commission currently accepts applications from Russian nationals, and on what official basis.
- Check that the agent is on the official register; only designated agents can lodge an application. The page on official sources explains where to look.
- Expect enhanced due diligence in any case: source of funds, source of wealth and background checks are applied to every applicant, and nationality affects how deep they go.
What citizenship would and would not change
Vanuatu citizenship does not remove or override sanctions, export controls or banking restrictions that apply to a person; banks and other countries assess those independently. It does not make anyone a Vanuatu tax resident, and the passport requires a visa for the Schengen Area and the UK.
The current status of the programme in general is set out on is the programme open now, and the lawful route itself on buying citizenship lawfully.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The position is uncertain. Restrictions were reported in 2023 and again in a 2026 memo, neither of which we could confirm from an official source. Ask a designated agent for the current official basis in writing before paying anything.
No. Sanctions, export controls and banking restrictions are assessed by banks and other countries independently of a second citizenship.
Every applicant passes due diligence on identity, source of funds and background; nationality affects how deep those checks go.
Through the designated agent, who should be able to point to the current notice or regulation, and through the Citizenship Office's official publications.
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