VisaVanuatu’s self-funded residence category excludes dependent children
Current-rule guide to the self-funded residence file, local-bank income certification, the immigration bond and differing published long-stay charges.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Establish the income basis and who can join the application
Applicants seeking Vanuatu residence on their own income should check the category before paying or planning a family move. This guide compares official forms and procedure pages.
The residence application form requires income certified by a bank operating in Vanuatu: at least VT250,000 monthly for the principal applicant or VT500,000 with a spouse or de facto partner. It describes lower thresholds for a specifically defined group who held self-funded-retiree permission before February 2011. Those transitional figures should not be treated as the normal threshold for a new applicant.
The form permits a spouse or partner but expressly excludes dependent children from the self-funded application. It also requires the qualifying monthly income to continue. Establish a child's separate route with Immigration rather than assuming that doubling the couple's income figure covers the entire family.
Prepare the category checklist and establish the bond assessment
The self-funded checklist requests a completed form, a passport with more than six months' validity, two recent identity photographs, payment evidence, a recent nationality-country police clearance and a medical certificate. It also requires an immigration bond through the National Bank of Vanuatu and local-bank certification of the monthly income. These are separate pieces of evidence; paying the application charge does not itself demonstrate the income or satisfy the bond.
The checklist displays VT57,600 as the associated application fee. It additionally asks whether the person is inside Vanuatu and, if so, calls for a VT100,000 change-of-status payment and receipt. That line is not proof that every visitor can change status: Immigration must confirm whether the person's existing category permits the proposed change. Obtain the applicable bond assessment and payment instructions directly before transferring funds. The published checklist does not establish an individual bond amount or a guaranteed acceptance date.
Choose the duration before comparing the published charges
The department's residence overview describes self-funded visas of one, three, five or ten years, depending on the selected duration and eligibility. It publishes adult charges ranging from VT57,600 for one year to VT511,200 for ten years. A larger payment should not be interpreted as buying approval or avoiding the continuing conditions of the category.
The government Trade Portal instead shows VT426,000 for ten years, plus VT158,400 for three and VT259,200 for five. Ask Immigration which charge applies to the requested duration rather than selecting the cheaper page. Keep the visa charge, in-country change charge and bond distinct. The discrepancy does not establish that the older ten-year amount remains available or that the department overview formally repealed it.
Complete the medical report with the examining doctor
The separate departmental Medical Report divides responsibilities between applicant and doctor. Complete the identity, intended-stay and medical-history questions before visiting the practitioner, but sign the applicant declaration in the examining doctor's presence, as the form instructs. Bring relevant history and current-treatment information so the practitioner can complete their part accurately.
The second part records the examining doctor's findings and conclusion, with the doctor's name, contact number, signature and date. Use the actual departmental form rather than assume an unrelated general letter has all its fields. This guide makes no diagnosis or prediction about the immigration effect of a medical finding.
Check broader clearance requirements and the receiving office
The Trade Portal asks adults for police certificates from each country where they lived for twelve months or more in the preceding five years. This is broader than the category checklist's nationality-country reference. Ask which clearances the receiving officer expects; omission from the shorter checklist proves no exemption.
The portal identifies Immigration's Visa Processing Unit in Port Vila and telephone +678 22354. It says incomplete applications are not accepted and requires certified translations for material outside English, French or Bislama. Confirm submission arrangements and existing-permission expiry; no universal filing deadline or individual processing guarantee was verified.
