Dependants in a Vanuatu Application

One Vanuatu citizenship application under the Development Support Program (DSP) can cover the main applicant plus four categories of dependant named in the DSP Regulation. Every person in the file goes through due diligence, and each added person changes the price.

• Spouse of the main applicant.
• Children under 18, natural or lawfully adopted, of the applicant or the spouse.
• Sons or daughters aged 18 to 25 in full-time study who live with the applicant or spouse, or depend on them financially.
• Parents over 50 of the applicant or spouse who both live with and depend on the applicant.

Relatives outside these categories are not covered by the published definitions and would normally need an application of their own.

Deciding who goes into the file is one of the first things we settle at the free assessment. We check every relative against the definitions and the expected lodging date, list the evidence each one needs and give you the cost for the whole family in writing. As Vanuatu law requires, the application is then lodged through a government-designated agent.

The Four Dependant Categories at a Glance

These definitions are taken from the DSP Regulations, Order No. 33 of 2019, in the version amended in 2020. Note the different joining words: for an older son or daughter it is enough to live with you or to depend on you, but a parent must live with you and depend on you.

Including a Spouse

The Regulations speak of a spouse, and the evidence is a marriage certificate, translated and apostilled if it was issued abroad. A spouse is screened like the main applicant: a passport and a police or judicial clearance, plus anything further the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) or its international firm asks for. On the notarized CV, the FIU notice requires one in every file; agents usually ask for one from each adult, and we confirm the requirement for your file.

We do not assume that an unmarried partner counts as a spouse. If your relationship is not a registered marriage, we raise the point through the designated agent before your file is priced, so that you know where you stand before anything is paid. The same applies to a recent marriage or a name that differs across documents: we reconcile the records in advance, because inconsistencies lead to questions during the checks.

Children Under 18

Children cannot apply on their own. The Citizenship Office's procedure states that applications for children under 18 are made by a responsible parent or lawful guardian, so a child is added to a parent's file. Both natural and lawfully adopted children qualify, and so do the spouse's children. For an adopted child, we include the adoption order alongside the birth certificate.

Where a child's other parent is not part of the application, for example after a divorce, expect the file to show who has parental responsibility. We gather the custody documents or the other parent's written consent before lodging, rather than waiting for a query.

Every child receives a separate citizenship certificate and, later, a separate passport. Under the government's passport guidance, which follows international aviation standards, a child cannot travel as an entry in a parent's passport and gets a passport of his or her own.

Sons and Daughters Aged 18 to 25

An adult child qualifies only while two conditions hold together: the person is 25 or younger and in full-time education, and he or she lives with you or your spouse or depends on you financially. A 23-year-old working full time does not meet the definition; a 24-year-old at university who lives abroad but is supported by you can.

The evidence is an enrollment letter from the school or university, together with either proof of a shared address or proof of financial support, such as tuition payments or regular transfers. Age limits are where family files most often go wrong. A child who is 17 when you start collecting documents may be 18 by the time the file is lodged, and a son who is 25 today may pass 26 during the process. We check each date of birth against the planned lodging date and the likely decision window, and change the category or the evidence before submission if needed.

Parents Over 50

You can include your own parents and your spouse's parents, provided each one is over 50 and both lives with you and depends on you. A parent who has a separate household and an independent income does not meet the definition, even if you help with expenses.

The documents need to show the family link (your birth certificate naming the parent, or your spouse's birth certificate for a parent-in-law), the age, a shared address and financial dependence, for example pension records alongside the support you provide. Parents are checked by the FIU like any other adult in the application, and their police certificates often come from a different country than yours, which can add time.

Who Is Not Covered

The Regulation names four categories. Its definition says a resident dependant "includes" them, so it is not worded as a closed list, but relatives outside those categories are not covered by the published definitions and would normally need their own application. This applies in particular to:

• brothers, sisters and their families;
• grandparents and grandchildren;
• sons and daughters over 25, or aged 18 to 25 but not in full-time education;
• parents aged 50 or younger, or parents who do not live with and depend on you.

Due Diligence Applies to Every Family Member

The designated agent asks the FIU to check everyone named in the application, not only the main applicant. Since 2020 the checks have been carried out by the FIU with an international specialist firm. Because clause 6(9) bars approval for anyone with a criminal conviction, a conviction of an adult relative must be dealt with before the file is built, if necessary by leaving that person out. How the checks work is explained in our guide to FIU due diligence in a Vanuatu application.

The FIU's January 2025 notice lists a valid passport copy with more than six months' validity, a police clearance, a notarized CV and a government payment receipt among the contents of every file. For a family of five, that means five passports to check for expiry dates. Agents usually ask for a CV from each adult, and where there are several, they need to tell a consistent story about the family's income; we confirm the exact list for your file.

How Dependants Affect the Cost

The published price starts at US$130,000 for one applicant and rises as the spouse and children are added. Once the file goes beyond a couple with two children, each further child or eligible dependant adds US$10,000 (the Office's Fees and Charges page lists this as "Additional Applicant"). One US$5,000 due diligence fee covers the whole application, while the VT 10,000 certificate fee is charged for every certificate, so each person adds one. We show what each family size pays, person by person, including our fee and when each payment falls due.

Adding Family Members Later

This is the question we hear most from families who are not sure whether to include everyone at once. Clause 8 of the DSP Regulation (Order No. 33 of 2019) deals with it directly, and the answer depends on who the person is and when the first grant was made.

Children born after you become a citizen

Clause 8(5) settles this: a child born after a parent is granted citizenship under the program is a citizen of Vanuatu, and the Regulation sets a passport fee of VT 10,000 for the child. No new citizenship application is needed. The government's passport policy points the same way, treating a child with at least one parent who held Vanuatu citizenship when the child was born as a citizen. For a birth abroad, the passport application needs the child's original birth certificate and the parent's citizenship certificate.

A spouse and children added after the grant

Clause 8 lets a person who already holds citizenship under the program apply later for a spouse and a child or two children. The fee is a US$5,000 administration fee. The date of the first grant matters. Where it was made after the fees were reduced by Order No. 94 of 2018, the clause also charges the difference between what was paid on the first application and the fees now prescribed in clause 7(1). Where it was made before that reduction, the US$5,000 administration fee is the figure the clause sets. How the difference is worked out for your family is something we have confirmed in writing through the designated agent before anything is paid.

Other dependants added later

For any other dependant beyond the spouse and one or two children, clause 8(4) applies the US$10,000 rates in clause 7(1)(e) and (f), the same amounts charged for an additional child or resident dependant in a first application. The relative still has to fit a category on the date of the later application, and age limits keep running: a student who turns 26, or a son or daughter who leaves full-time education, no longer qualifies.

Clause 8 sets the fees but does not describe the procedure step by step, so the documents, checks and timing for a later application are confirmed through the designated agent for your case. If a relative qualifies today, including them in the first file avoids a second round of paperwork. We go through each name with you at the assessment and put both options side by side with the real numbers. For the rest of the eligibility picture, see the other conditions every applicant must meet.

Not sure who belongs in your file, or whether to add someone now or later? Ask for a free assessment: you get a written answer for each relative, with the cost of both options, before any government fee is paid.