Vanuatu

Main article: Countries of the world

Vanuatu is a South Pacific island nation east of Australia. Vanuatu gained independence from Britain and France in 1980 and is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Population

Migration

2021: Net outflow over 4 years

Economy

Agriculture, fishing, offshore financial services and tourism are the backbone of Vanuatu's economy. For 2021, the country has developed banking and financial infrastructure.

Vanuatu is one of the poorest countries in the world: tiny GDP, large debts due to natural disasters. After a devastating cyclone in 2014, the country's debt-to-GDP ratio rose from 23% to 47% in 2018.

Passport sales are the main source of income

Passport sales are Vanuatu's main source of income: in 2020, the program provided about 42% of all government revenues.

Among the programs of "golden" passports of the world, Vanuatu enjoys not the best reputation. The country offers to apply for economic citizenship in a month for investments in the amount of USD 130,000 (can be cryptocurrency). These conditions attract dubious applicants.

In addition to visa-free access to 130 countries of the world, including the EU and the UK, Vanuatu's passport is a tax haven where income, corporate, property taxes are zero.

In 2020, 2,200 foreign investors acquired Vanuatu citizenship. Of these, 1,200 passports were issued to the Chinese. Further in the ranking of investors are Nigerians, Russians, Lebanese, Iranians, Libyans, Syrians and Afghans. Among them are wealthy people with a dubious reputation at home.

A potential problem for international security could also be the ability to change the name in Vanuatu's passport without unnecessary bureaucracy.

In 2020, the EU demanded that Vanuatu officials tighten background checks for applicants. The authorities promised to do everything possible to save the image of the program.

However, in January 2021, suspicious investors received cherished passports. The list will include an Emirati princess, a Nigerian TV host, FIFA president and others.

Floyd Mera, director of the financial intelligence department of Vanuatu, believes that the attack of journalists is not based on facts, since the applicants exposed in the article were not convicted at the time of obtaining a passport or checking their identity.

As the official put it, we are talking only about "pending investigations and litigation." Some investors were under investigation after the registration of citizenship. The measure assured that the authorities will conduct an additional check.

Vanuatu Citizenship Program for Investment

At the end of 2021, the country has two investment programs that play a large role in the local economy:

1. Vanuatu Assistance Program - Designed for Chinese citizens and available through one international agent, PRG Group of Hong Kong, which promotes it in mainland China.

2. Vanuatu Development Support Program (VDSP) is a global program detailed below.

VDSP participants must make a gratuitous contribution of USD 3,000 to 5,000 (depending on agent) to the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit, which conducts the initial trustworthiness check, and then donate to the Vanuatu government.

All applications are handled by government-approved agents in Vanuatu. Depending on the agent, the minimum investments vary from USD 130 000-160 000 for one applicant, USD 150,000 for a married couple and USD 180 000-220 000 for a family of four.

There is also a fee of USD 15,000-25,000 for each additional dependent.

Holders of a Vanuatu passport are granted visa-free (or visa-on-arrival) access to 130 countries, including the Schengen Area countries, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The application process takes two to three months. Investment requirements and the cost of processing an application are quite low, it is not necessary to visit or live in a country. Citizenship can be passed on to future generations.

Agriculture

2019: Low use of pesticides in agriculture

As of 2019

Automobile traffic

Vanuatu is a left-hand country.

Data for 2017

Crime

Prisons

2022: Minimum age for children to be jailed

Data for 2022