2 May 2019

Passport sales booming in Vanuatu

From , 3:00 pm on 2 May 2019

Vanuatu passport sales are booming, but it remains contentious for some local leaders.

The monthly number of Vanuatu passports sale more than doubled from September to October last year, and have remained at nearly that level ever since.

Based on government figures, the Daily Post reported that  an estimated 1,800 passports were issued to people via Vanuatu's various citizenship by investment programmes in 2018.

Last year, on average five people become new Vanuatu citizens every day.

Foreigners are able to pay for Vanuatu citizenship, which in turn allows them to apply for a Vanuatu passport.

This is a concern to some of the leaders who helped usher Vanuatu into independence who claim the sovereignty they fought for is being devalued.

Tim Glasgow spoke with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University in Canberra about some of the issues surrounding the sale of Vanuatu passports.

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Photo: 123RF