Capital Investment Immigration Programme
Vanuatu Citizenship in 60 Days — From the Team That Wrote the Law
Stanford Knight & Partners helped write Vanuatu’s citizenship legislation in 2012. We are a government-appointed Master Agent, based in Port Vila next door to the Citizenship Commission, and the only route into the Vanuatu Impact Fund.
USD 165,000 all-inclusive — USD 50,000 returned to you after four years- No residency requirement and no interview. Approval is fully remote, with one biometric appointment in Dubai
- Citizenship for life, passed to your children and grandchildren
Free, confidential pre-screening before you pay anything. No agent fees, ever.
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100%
Success rate on lodged applications
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1,400+
Families granted citizenship
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2012
We co-authored the legislation
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60 days
Typical time to approval
Why this matters
Anyone can sell you a passport. Almost nobody built the programme.
Vanuatu has many registered agents, and most are perfectly competent. Four things separate Stanford Knight from all of them.
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We wrote the legislation
Our senior advisory team helped create Vanuatu’s citizenship legislation in 2012. We did not apply to join an existing system. We helped build it.
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Master Agent, not a middleman
Government-appointed Master Agent. Your file goes straight to the Commission, not through a sub-agent adding a layer and a markup.
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Our office is next door
Our head office has been in Port Vila since 2004, directly adjacent to the Citizenship Commission. While your file is processed, our team is metres away.
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Zero agent fees
The Vanuatu Government pays us directly. The prices on this page are complete and all-inclusive: government fees plus due diligence, nothing added.
The programme
CIIP, in plain numbers
The Capital Investment Immigration Programme is Vanuatu's flagship citizenship route. It is the only one that returns part of your investment.
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Total investment
USD 165,000
Principal, spouse and two children under 18
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Effective cost
USD 115,000
After the Impact Fund redemption in year four
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Time to passport
60 days
From lodged application to approval, on average
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Residency required
None
No visit, no interview, no language test
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Visa-free access
100+ countries
Singapore, Hong Kong, Russia and the Commonwealth
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Passed to children
For life
Hereditary citizenship, by descent, indefinitely
What the 165,000 is made of
Complete and all-inclusive. Nothing is added later.
- Vanuatu Government contribution $110,000
- Government due diligence $5,000
- Vanuatu Impact Fund investment redeemed after 4 years $50,000
- Stanford Knight service fee Nil — paid by the Government
Additional children under 18 are $20,000 each. A child aged 18 to 25 or a dependent parent over 50 is $25,000. Payment by bank transfer in USD, or in USDT, USDC and most major cryptocurrencies at no extra cost.
Free eligibility check
Three questions. No email required.
Tell us who is applying and what you are after. We will tell you straight away whether CIIP is the right route for you.
Step 1 of 3
You are a strong fit for CIIP
- No residency, interview or language requirement applies to you
- Your file would be lodged directly with the Citizenship Commission by the Master Agent
- Expect approval in roughly 60 days from a complete file
Final eligibility depends on due diligence. We pre-screen every applicant free of charge before you pay anything.
Exclusive to Stanford Knight
The only citizenship route where you get part of the money back
Every other Vanuatu route is a pure donation. CIIP places $50,000 of your $165,000 into the Vanuatu Impact Fund, held under a capital preservation policy and independently managed. It is returned in full after four years, with anticipated returns of 5–6% per annum.
Stanford Knight & Partners is the only agent offering CIIP through the Vanuatu Impact Fund. Your capital supports 300+ farmers across coffee, cacao and timber, never concentrated in a single sector.
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Year 0
You invest $50,000 in the Vanuatu Impact Fund as part of your application.
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Years 1–4
Capital is deployed across diversified primary-sector activities on the islands, independently managed.
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Year 4
Your $50,000 is returned in full. No conditions, no performance dependency.
The process
Sixty days to approval, and one appointment in Dubai
- 01
Day 0
Free pre-screening
A confidential call and a preliminary background check. If you would not pass due diligence, we tell you before you spend anything.
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Week 1–3
Documents and file preparation
We collect and certify your documents, prepare the application and handle the translations and notarisation.
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Week 3
Lodged with the Commission
As Master Agent we file directly with the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission. Our office is next door to theirs.
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Week 4–8
Due diligence and approval
Government vetting runs in parallel with Interpol and financial checks. Approval typically lands around day 60.
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Day 60+
Oath of allegiance
You take the oath before a Vanuatu official. This can be administered remotely, so nothing interrupts your work.
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+2–3 weeks
Biometric appointment and passport
Vanuatu’s passport is biometric, so every applicant attends one in-person appointment for fingerprints and a photograph. There is an enrolment centre at the Vanuatu Consulate in Dubai, as well as Port Vila, Hong Kong and Nouméa.
Track record
900 families approved. Not one application refused.
1,400+
Families granted Vanuatu citizenship
100%
Success rate on applications we lodge
13+
Years working with the Vanuatu Government
2004
In Port Vila since. Also Dubai and London
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They told us upfront which parts of our file would raise questions, fixed them before lodging, and the approval came through without a single query from the Commission.
Family of four · Hong Kong
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I had been quoted three different prices by three agents. Stanford Knight was the only one where the number I was quoted was the number I paid.
Entrepreneur · United Arab Emirates
Free download
The Vanuatu CIIP Guide
Twenty-eight pages, written by the team that drafted the legislation. No sales copy, just the programme as it actually works.
- The full CIIP cost table, with every government fee itemised
- The document checklist, and what actually delays a file
- How the Vanuatu Impact Fund redemption works, year by year
- CIIP against DSP, and how to choose between them
- The 100+ visa-free destinations, current as of this year
We send the guide and nothing else unless you ask. Your details are never sold or shared.
Straight answers
The questions people actually ask
Something we have not covered? Message us and a senior adviser will answer, not a chatbot.
Ask on WhatsApp Is Vanuatu citizenship by investment legitimate? 
Yes. Vanuatu is a United Nations member state and the programme is written into national legislation, administered by the Citizenship Commission of Vanuatu. It has run continuously for over 13 years with no legal challenges or suspensions.
Do I have to visit or live in Vanuatu?
No. There is no residency requirement, no interview, no language test and no obligation to travel. The oath of allegiance can be administered remotely by a Vanuatu official.
How long does it actually take?
A complete file is typically approved in around 60 days from lodgement. Document preparation before that usually takes two to three weeks, depending on how quickly your paperwork comes together.
What does 165,000 actually cover?
The government contribution of $110,000, due diligence of $5,000 and the $50,000 Impact Fund investment, for a principal applicant, spouse and two children under 18. Our service fee is paid by the Vanuatu Government, so nothing is added on top.
Is the $50,000 really returned?
Yes. The Impact Fund investment is redeemed in full after four years under a capital preservation policy, with anticipated returns of 5–6% per annum. That brings the effective cost to $115,000.
What if I would not pass due diligence?
We pre-screen every applicant free of charge before you commit a single fee. If your file would not clear, we tell you then, not after you have paid. This is why every application we have lodged has been approved.
Can my family be included?
Yes. Your spouse and two children under 18 are in the base price. Additional children under 18 are $20,000 each. Children aged 18 to 25 in full-time education, and dependent parents over 50, are $25,000 each.
How do I pay?
Bank transfer in USD, or in digital assets. We accept USDT, USDC and most major cryptocurrencies at no additional cost.
Next step
Start with a free pre-screening. Pay nothing until it clears.
Tell us your situation. A senior adviser will tell you honestly whether CIIP fits, what your file would look like, and what could hold it up. If it is not right for you, we will say so.
Prefer to talk? Call +971 4 718 7291. Port Vila office hours, answered by a person.