Ten years ago, a second passport was considered a niche preoccupation of the ultra-wealthy. Today, it is a mainstream calculation for entrepreneurs, executives, and internationally mobile families who have watched geopolitical certainty erode on multiple fronts simultaneously. The numbers reflect it. According to Henley & Partners, 2025 saw a record 142,000 millionaire relocations globally, with forecasts for 2026 projecting as many as 165,000. The citizenship-by-investment market, valued at $5.2 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $12.8 billion by 2033.
The Vanuatu Investment Migration Bureau (VIMB) has quietly become one of the more consequential players in the Pacific’s citizenship market — not because of marketing, but because of its formal position inside the program itself.
A Market Driven by Structural Anxiety
The demand for second citizenship has moved well past the category of luxury planning. According to The Wealth Report, 19% of all global ultra-high-net-worth individuals planned to apply for a second passport or obtain new citizenship in 2024. Applications across the citizenship-by-investment sector have risen by up to 1,000% since 2020, with a 400% jump recorded in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period the prior year.
The motivations are varied but consistent: visa-free mobility, tax optimization, reduced dependence on a single jurisdiction, and what analysts now routinely describe as a “safe haven” positioning for families. Citizenship is increasingly treated not as a status symbol but as a component of a broader asset portfolio — one that provides optionality when other instruments cannot.
“Mobility, second citizenship, plan B,” said Daniel Agius, managing director of VIMB, when asked to summarize what qualified applicants are seeking when they first make contact with his firm. The simplicity of that framing reflects how normalized the conversation has become among internationally mobile investors.
Where Vanuatu Sits in the Global Picture
Vanuatu’s citizenship-by-investment program occupies a specific position in the global market: speed and structural simplicity that most comparable programs cannot offer. Pre-approval arrives within seven to 10 days. Full citizenship follows in as little as 45 days. Caribbean programs, widely regarded as the benchmark for accessible citizenship, typically run three to six months. European programs routinely require 12 to 18 months, and several have been suspended or restructured under political pressure in recent years.
The Vanuatu passport provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 96 countries, including the United Kingdom, the Schengen Area, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The country operates without personal income tax, capital gains tax, or inheritance tax, which makes it a relevant jurisdiction for wealth structuring, not simply for travel. There is no residency requirement attached to either of the two available program tracks, and citizenship, once granted, passes to future generations.
VIMB’s Specific Role in the Process
VIMB is not a standard licensed agent. The firm holds formal government appointment as a master agent for the Capital Investment Immigration Plan (CIIP), with authorized standing to represent the Vanuatu Citizenship Office through 2033. Agius, a chartered accountant who was the principal architect of the CIIP, has led the firm from its permanent offices in Port Vila since 2017. Since then, VIMB has guided more than 1,000 successful citizenship grants across more than 40 nationalities, maintaining a 98% application success rate.
“We are a government-appointed designated agent that markets Vanuatu CBI products globally and manages the process on behalf of the government,” Agius said. That positioning carries practical consequences. Applications managed by VIMB are handled by a team with direct institutional access to the Citizenship Commission and the Financial Intelligence Unit conducting due diligence reviews — a material advantage for applicants with complex financial profiles or time-sensitive circumstances.
For investors assessing where Vanuatu fits within a broader citizenship strategy, the program’s combination of speed, pricing transparency, and zero-tax structure remains difficult to replicate elsewhere. VIMB’s role, and its record, reflect why qualified applicants are increasingly treating it as the first call rather than the last resort.
Apply now at the VIMB: lp.vimb.org — or contact the team directly at info@vimb.org or Telegram: VIMBOFFICIAL for a confidential eligibility assessment.