Vanuatu Citizenship for Russian Citizens Residing in Cyprus

In May 2021, Irina and Roman reached out to us. The couple, Russian citizens, had long ago moved to Cyprus, where they obtained residence permits, successfully renewing them several times.

Roman owns a business with primary assets located in Cyprus and the United States. The couple frequently travels to the U.S. and enjoys exploring new places. However, the challenges of obtaining visas and restrictions related to the pandemic prompted Irina and Roman to consider alternatives. They were aware that some countries provide their citizens with extensive freedom to travel globally, but they lacked time to review the conditions of every existing citizenship program. So, they contacted our specialists to help them find the best option.

From the list of Caribbean countries and Vanuatu, the couple chose Vanuatu’s citizenship-by-investment program. There were several reasons for this choice:

• Vanuatu is the fastest jurisdiction, allowing investors to obtain a passport in a maximum of 8 weeks.
• The Due Diligence process is straightforward and lenient, “overlooking” issues such as past convictions, deportations, and political affiliations.

In addition to a passport, applicants gain access to long-term visas for the U.S., Canada, and Australia, which was exactly what the clients needed. Additionally, they would enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 125 countries worldwide.

Note: Due to quarantine measures, the list of countries with simplified border-crossing procedures is subject to periodic changes.

A Vanuatu passport in just 2 months is quick and convenient. On Cyprus, by comparison, the only path to citizenship is through naturalization, which requires a long period of residence.

Process Organization and Document Collection

After signing an agreement with Roman for legal support, we began collecting documents in two countries. Since the applicant and his spouse were Russian citizens, we gathered Russian civil and foreign passports, birth and marriage certificates, and educational diplomas. From Cyprus, where their personal and economic interests were based, we prepared documents verifying the client’s income sources, as Roman’s primary business assets were concentrated there.

We also obtained police clearance certificates. Vanuatu’s program requires this document from both the applicant’s country of citizenship and their country of residence. There were no issues with Roman’s record in Cyprus. However, the Russian certificate indicated that he had previously been subject to criminal charges, although his record had been expunged. Vanuatu’s program allows applicants with cleared records to participate, but we decided not to take any risks and submitted only the certificate from Cyprus. This proved sufficient, as no request for a certificate from his country of citizenship was made.

Vanuatu Citizenship Application Process

In May, the client made the payment required for the background check donation.

The payment was processed from Cyprus via Revolut, as Vanuatu temporarily does not accept payments in U.S. dollars, only in Australian dollars. Such a payment directly from Russia would not have been possible for verification.

We submitted the documents for Due Diligence, and after seven days, we received a positive response.

Roman paid the remaining amount, which included the contribution to the Government Fund.

On behalf of the client, a licensed agent in Vanuatu submitted an application to the Citizenship Review Committee.

Two weeks later, we received a preliminary decision from the Committee, which led to a Zoom interview with the official representative and the client.

Roman and his wife then took the oath.

Soon, the agent delivered the completed passports to the GARANT.in office in Moscow, where we handed them over to the client.

Case Outcome

Roman and his wife obtained Vanuatu passports in less than two months. They were pleased with the results of our cooperation and can rely on our legal and professional assistance in the future if needed.