New Zealand or Vanuatu
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| New Zealand | Vanuatu | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 79 660 | — |
| Citizenship | 5 years | 10 years |
| Partner can work | yes | — |
| Parents | difficult | — |
| Pets | difficult | difficult |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | 10 days | — |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 2 048 | $ 1 932 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 36,9 | $ 65,4 |
| Life expectancy | 82.01 | 71.65 |
| Homicides/100k | 1.46 | 0.33 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 4.1 | 5.1 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: New Zealand — 92, Vanuatu — 25. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment and retirement. New Zealand adds: startup, talent, job seeking and working holiday. Vanuatu adds: repatriation.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
New Zealand: fees range from 275 to 27,470 NZD. Routes with no fee: 8. Routes stating an income threshold: 6; the lowest is 350 NZD a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 68; the shortest is 10 days. Vanuatu: fees range from 10,300 to 3,090,000 VUV. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 6; the lowest is 40,000 VUV a month.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: New Zealand after 3 years, Vanuatu with no residence period. Citizenship: New Zealand after 5 years, Vanuatu after 10 years. Both allow a second citizenship.
New Zealand in brief
A degree is no barrier, but reuniting with a partner's parents runs into a lottery and years of waiting; the working language is English, and pets need a year of preparation and quarantine.
Vanuatu in brief
Vanuatu is an archipelago of more than 80 islands in the south-west Pacific, with no personal income tax: the country's main tax revenue comes from VAT, a turnover tax and excise duties (customsinlandrevenue.gov.vu). Its economy rests on tourism, offshore financial services and agriculture. The country is widely known for its citizenship-by-investment programme — the Vanuatu Development Support Program and its parallel versions (Capital Investment Immigration Plan, Vanuatu Contribution Program, Real Estate Option Program): citizenship here is granted with no residence-time requirement, but in response, from February 2023 the European Union suspended visa-free access for Vanuatu passport holders, and as of late 2024 (the most recent official statement found) negotiations to restore it were continuing. Land in Vanuatu is almost entirely held under customary (custom) ownership by indigenous communities; foreigners, including residence-visa holders, do not acquire freehold land but a long-term lease (leasehold). By cumulative risk indices, the country ranks among those most exposed to natural disasters in the world: it lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire with constant seismic and volcanic activity (including the active volcanoes Yasur on Tanna and Manaro Voui on Ambae, whose 2017–2018 eruption caused the full evacuation of the island) and falls within the Pacific cyclone season every year from November to April.
Other comparisons
New Zealand or… Australia · Papua New Guinea · Solomon Islands · New Caledonia · Fiji
More on each: New Zealand · Vanuatu. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.