In every citizenship programme, checking the applicant's background is the most important stage. In a Vanuatu application with Royal Golden, this stage is tied to the review by Vanuatu's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The information in this article comes from Royal Golden's service contract for Vanuatu and the site's published questions and answers, checked on 24 October 2026.
Where the FIU sits in the process
The usual stages of an application:
- signing the service contract and paying the down payment;
- gathering and checking the documents;
- submitting the application to the authorities;
- the review by Vanuatu's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU);
- the FIU's decision and Royal Golden's notice to you;
- the second payment;
- further processing and the decision on citizenship;
- issuing and delivering the citizenship documents: the Vanuatu passport, the national identity card and the citizenship certificate.
In the portal, the date of submission to the FIU, the date of its approval or rejection and the date of our notice are shown on the contract page.
Payments and the FIU
- 40 percent of the contract amount on signing.
- 60 percent only after FIU approval; you have at least 40 calendar days from the date of our notice.
- Until FIU approval, the portal shows the second instalment as "Not yet due — payable only after the Financial Intelligence Unit's approval".
If the FIU rejects the application
If the FIU or another competent authority in Vanuatu formally rejects the application, including a final refusal of citizenship, all amounts received for that application are refunded without any deduction within 72 hours of receiving the official notice. A tether payment is refunded in tether for the same amount, and Royal Golden pays the network fee of the return transfer.
Duration
The contract sets a term of 110 days from the day of signing to delivery of the Vanuatu passport, covering all stages, including the FIU review. This is Royal Golden's commitment for its own services; the Vanuatu authorities decide independently and set their own processing times.
Preparing before the FIU review
- Prepare the source of wealth documents completely and clearly; the article "Proving the source of wealth" is a practical guide to this.
- Give all information correctly and completely; in the contract you confirm that the information is correct and complete.
- The spelling of names should be the same in all documents.
This article is a summary. The binding text is your signed contract. Decisions on citizenship rest with the Vanuatu authorities.
Sources
- Royal Golden's service contract for Vanuatu and the site's published questions and answers (checked on 24 October 2026)