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Pathway

Vanuatu Partner Residence Visa

Vanuatu Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

A spouse or genuine unmarried partner of a Vanuatu citizen or current resident can apply for partner residence. You must prove the relationship and the sponsor’s status; work permission and citizenship have separate requirements.

Partner
A Vanuatu citizen or a person with valid Vanuatu residence
Relationship
Legal marriage or a genuine unmarried partnership
Unmarried couples
Both declarations and evidence of living together are required

Summary

Vanuatu has a residence visa route for the spouse or genuine de facto partner of a Vanuatu citizen or current resident. The relationship must be documented and remain the basis of the visa; a foreign partner's Vanuatu citizenship or residence status must be proved rather than inferred from ancestry or future plans.

This is a residence route based on a continuing family relationship. It is not citizenship through marriage. A non-citizen spouse seeking citizenship has a separate application that generally requires a legal marriage, at least two years living with the citizen spouse in Vanuatu, and a Bislama citizenship test.

Applying to live with a partner in Vanuatu
  1. Confirm the relationship category and partner’s status Check marriage, unmarried partnership, or any surviving-spouse case.
  2. Prepare evidence of the relationship and shared home Include the required declarations, personal records, sponsor documents, and bond.
  3. Apply and maintain the residence conditions Report significant changes and check work permission separately.

Partner residence is different from citizenship through marriage.

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Eligibility

For a married applicant, the checklist requires a marriage certificate and proof that the sponsoring partner is either a Vanuatu citizen or a valid Vanuatu resident.

For an unmarried partner, Immigration asks each partner for a legally declared statement, called a statutory declaration, describing when and where the relationship began, confirming that it continues and is exclusive, plus evidence of living together. Examples on the official form include a lease, rent receipts, utility or phone bills, and bank statements. Saying that you are a couple is not enough without records of your life together.

The application normally also includes:

You must continue to meet the relationship condition on which your visa was based. Immigration says the holder must continue to be legally married to, or in the de facto relationship with, the same Vanuatu citizen on whom the visa was based, unless that citizen has died.

Children and other dependents

The general residence rules allow inclusion of a spouse or de facto partner and dependent children. A dependent child is unmarried and under 18, or age 18, 19, or 20 and dependent for financial, psychological, or physical support. The child's civil, custody, health, police, and passport documents must be provided as applicable.

What This Route Allows

An approved Partner Residence Visa permits the holder to live in Vanuatu for the period granted. Immigration currently describes residence-visa periods of one, three, five, or ten years for partner cases, depending on the application and eligibility. Adult fees range from VUV 57,600 for a one-year visa to VUV 511,200 for ten years; the application form lists VUV 2,880 per year for each applicant under 18.

The visa can support a stable family residence while the relationship and other conditions continue. A renewal application uses a separate checklist and should be filed before the current visa expires.

Residence does not by itself settle work permission. A person who will work should confirm the required employment visa or Labor Department work permit before starting work; family residence should not be treated as an unrestricted work authorization.

What This Route Is Not

This is not automatic because a couple is engaged, dating, or has family in Vanuatu. The applicant must fit the legal marriage or genuine de facto category and prove the sponsoring partner's citizenship or valid residence.

It is not a permanent guarantee if the relationship ends or the resident sponsor loses status. Immigration must be told about significant personal changes, and the applicant may need another visa basis. A person whose spouse has died may have an option to continue their stay, but should obtain written guidance rather than assume the visa remains unchanged.

It is not citizenship or a Vanuatu passport. Marriage-based citizenship uses the Citizenship Office, Form B, living together in Vanuatu, language-test, and Commission-decision process. The residence visa can help establish lawful residence but does not guarantee that decision.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm whether the case is a legal marriage, de facto partnership, or surviving-spouse case and whether the sponsor is a citizen or resident.
  2. Obtain the sponsor's Vanuatu citizenship documents or current residence visa and check that all names and dates match the relationship records.
  3. For an unmarried-partner case, prepare both required declarations and dated evidence of living together throughout the relationship, not just in the application month.
  4. Use Immigration's current Partner checklist to obtain the passport, photographs, police clearance, medical certificate, bond, fee receipt, and certified civil records.
  5. Confirm the requested one-, three-, five-, or ten-year period and the current charge before payment. If applying from inside Vanuatu, check whether the separate change-of-status fee applies.
  6. Ask the Labor Department and Immigration what separate permission is needed before any employment begins.
  7. Keep relationship, address, sponsor-status, and travel records for renewal, and report significant changes to Immigration.

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Other routes in Vanuatu.

Sources