Digital Nomad & Residency - Vanuatu

The Department of Immigration's official residence-visa scheme lists no digital-nomad or remote-work category; the country has not enacted a specific legal framework for remote workers despite agency marketing of a 'Remote Worker Visa'.

Remote workers and the self-employed can qualify as 'Self-Funded Residents' by certifying recurring income through a Vanuatu bank of at least VUV 250,000/month (roughly USD 2,000), or VUV 500,000/month including a spouse/de-facto partner.

Self-funded and most other residence visas are issued for 1, 3, 5 or 10 years; fees for applicants 18+ range from VUV 57,600 (1-year) to VUV 511,200 (10-year).

Additional residence categories include Foreign Investor (holding a VIPA foreign-investor approval certificate), Leasehold Holder (property valued at VUV 10 million+ plus income criteria), Employee (12-month local job), and Partner/Child of a citizen.

Vanuatu levies no personal income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax, so remote-earned foreign income is not taxed locally — a primary draw for relocators.

Beyond residency, Vanuatu offers fast citizenship-by-investment via the Development Support Program (non-refundable contribution from ~USD 130,000 for a single applicant) and the Capital Investment Immigration Plan, processed in weeks — a citizenship rather than a graduated residency program.