Nikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the VFSC decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get an investment license in Vanuatu.
The fastest supervised dealer licence on the map: VFSC authorisation under the Financial Dealers Licensing Act - a VT 5,000,000 deposit with the Commission, processing around three weeks from a final file, a one-year renewable term in a zero-income-tax system, and clear words about what a dealers licence is and is not.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Vanuatu in brief
Speed, a deposit and clear words.
Vanuatu licenses dealing under the Financial Dealers Licensing Act (Cap 70): the VFSC issues classed financial dealers licences - securities and foreign exchange expressly in scope - against a VT 5,000,000 deposit lodged with the Commission, fit-and-proper directors and a compliant local presence. The machine is fast: processing runs around three weeks from a final file, the licence lives a year and renews, and business must commence within three months of grant. It is a dealing licence - a supervised home for executing and managing international books, not a fund regime, not an EU retail passport, and we say both before anyone builds.
Used properly, the economics are unmatched: no corporate income tax, no capital gains tax, no withholding - state charges are the licence and renewal fees, and VAT touches only domestic supplies. That makes Vanuatu the working answer for dealing desks that need supervised speed: a licence in weeks, renewable annually, at running costs an early-stage book can carry. The serious architecture pairs it with onshore licences where regulated-market clients live, and banking is built deliberately - island licensees open accounts on the strength of their compliance, not their flag. We build the file, the deposit, the substance and the banking end to end.
The fastest supervised desk: VFSC financial dealers licence under Cap 70 - securities and FX expressly in scope, VT 5M deposit, ~3 weeks from a final file, 1-year renewable term, commence within 3 months.
No corporate income tax, no CGT, no withholding, and stated scope: global books here, regulated retail through licensed entities. Built end to end.
The two builds
The classed dealers licence - or the layered structure.
One Act, classed permissions: securities and FX dealing under the FDL classes, and the clean two-lane build for groups with regulated-market clients. We scope the classes first.
The classed dealers licence - or the layered group build.
01 - FINANCIAL DEALERS LICENCE
The fast supervised desk
Classed dealing permissions under Cap 70. Securities and foreign exchange in scope, VT 5,000,000 deposited with the Commission, three-week processing from a final file, one-year renewable term.
Classed dealing permissions under Cap 70. Securities and foreign exchange in scope, VT 5,000,000 deposited with the Commission, three-week processing from a final file, one-year renewable term.
- ✓Classed dealing permissions
- ✓Securities and FX in scope
- ✓VT 5,000,000 deposit
- ✓~3 weeks from final file
- ✓1-year term · renewable
- ✓Commence within 3 months
02 - THE LAYERED BUILD
The architecture that holds
The Vanuatu desk paired with licensed entities where EU, UK or other regulated retail lives. Each client base served from the licence that actually covers it.
The Vanuatu desk paired with licensed EU/UK entities where regulated retail lives. Each market served from the licence that covers it.
- ✓Global book - Vanuatu desk
- ✓EU/UK retail - licensed entities
- ✓Scope documented per market
- ✓Banking built deliberately
- ✓Compliance across the group
- ✓Both ends constructed properly
Classes and deposit per Cap 70 and VFSC practice as of 2026. The licence covers dealing. Fund and retail-passport ambitions are routed to the regimes that hold them.
Why Vanuatu
Six reasons desks choose Port Vila.
✓
Weeks, not quarters
Around three weeks of processing from a final file. The fastest supervised licence on the map, earned by preparation.From a final file.
✓
Zero income tax
No corporate income tax, no CGT, no withholding. The running economics are the licence fees and nothing else.Fees are the cost.
✓
A real deposit, not theatre
VT 5,000,000 sits with the Commission. Skin in the game that separates licensees from letterheads.VT 5M with the VFSC.
✓
Annual renewal discipline
The one-year term keeps licensees current. A regime that re-examines annually stays credible.Credibility kept current.
✓
FX and securities in scope
The FDL Act names the instruments expressly. The desk's permissions are written in statute, not inferred.FX and securities named.
✓
Scope, stated first
A dealing licence for global books. We say what it does not cover before you build, and structure the rest properly.Limits stated first.
How it compares
How Vanuatu differs from other routes.
Numbers next to numbers: the speed-and-cost frontier. With scope and banking built deliberately around it.
Vanuatu vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Vanuatu | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | Cap 70 - VFSC classes | Dealer or type licences |
| Entry | VT 5M deposit | US$50k-RM1M capital |
| Speed | ~3 weeks final file | 3-15 months |
| Tax | No income tax | 3%-27% elsewhere |
Regime
VanuatuCap 70 - VFSC classes
Other jurisdictionsDealer or type licences
Entry
VanuatuVT 5M deposit
Other jurisdictionsUS$50k-RM1M capital
Speed
Vanuatu~3 weeks final file
Other jurisdictions3-15 months
Tax
VanuatuNo income tax
Other jurisdictions3%-27% elsewhere
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanuatu | Financial dealer - VFSC | No corporate income tax | VT 5M deposit |
 Seychelles | Securities dealer - FSA | 15%/25% source-based | US$50,000 capital |
 Mauritius | Investment dealer - FSC | 15% · 3% effective | MUR 1M, 2 officers |
 New Zealand | MIS manager · DIMS - FMA | 28% · no general CGT | Positive NTA, capability |
VanuatuLicense typeFinancial dealer - VFSC
TaxationNo corporate income tax
RequirementsVT 5M deposit
SeychellesLicense typeSecurities dealer - FSA
Taxation15%/25% source-based
RequirementsUS$50,000 capital
MauritiusLicense typeInvestment dealer - FSC
Taxation15% · 3% effective
RequirementsMUR 1M, 2 officers
New ZealandLicense typeMIS manager · DIMS - FMA
Taxation28% · no general CGT
RequirementsPositive NTA, capability
Before you apply
Requirements for the Vanuatu licence.Requirements for the licence.
The VFSC moves at the speed of a complete file. The checklist below is what final means.
01
Vanuatu company. Locally incorporated for the licence.
02
The deposit. VT 5,000,000 lodged with the Commission.
03
Class selection. The dealing classes mapped to the actual instruments.
04
Fit-and-proper directors. Clean histories, vetted to ultimate-owner level.
05
Business plan. Clientele, instruments and projections stated plainly.
06
Local presence. Registered office and administration the VFSC can reach.
07
Compliance officer. Named, with documented procedures.
08
Client-asset arrangements. Segregation logic per the Act.
09
AML/CFT programme. Vanuatu framework with a named officer.
10
Commencement readiness. Operations able to start within three months of grant.
11
Scope, stated. Regulated-market clients routed to licensed entities, documented.
01
Vanuatu company built.
02
VT 5M deposit lodged.
03
Classes mapped to book.
04
Directors vetted clean.
05
Plain business plan.
06
Local admin reachable.
07
Compliance officer named.
08
Client assets segregated.
09
AML programme live.
10
Start within 3 months.
11
Scope documented.
Reflects Cap 70 and VFSC practice as of 2026. The three-week clock runs from a final file. Completeness is the whole game.Cap 70 + VFSC practice, 2026.
How it works
From first call to the VFSC register.
01
Classes and scope
Instruments, classes and the precise client map - scoped before anything is filed.Instruments mapped.
02
Company and deposit
Vanuatu entity, VT 5,000,000 lodged, directors vetted.VT 5M lodged.
03
The final file
Plan, compliance and evidence assembled to final standard. The clock only runs from here.Complete, then filed.
04
VFSC processing
Around three weeks on a complete file. Queries answered same-day.~3 weeks answered.
05
Licence and commencement
Grant, banking live, operations started within the three-month window. The desk running.Inside 3 months.
Quick facts
RegulatorVFSC
FrameworkCap 70 · FDL
Securities & FXExpressly in scope
DepositVT 5,000,000
Processing~3 weeks final file
Licence term1 year, renewable
CommencementWithin 3 months
Corporate taxNone
Speed is a function of finality: files that arrive complete license in weeks. Files that dribble in take months anywhere.
On the ground in Vanuatu
Run from our Port Vila office.
Prifinance - Vanuatu
Port Vila · Vanuatu
Port Vila, Vanuatu
01
Classes and scope
The dealing classes mapped to real instruments, the scope stated up front. Built once, correctly.Stated once.
02
The VFSC file
Plan, deposit and compliance pack. Final at submission, which is what the three-week clock requires.Clock-ready.
03
Renewal discipline
The annual cycle managed as routine. Filings, fees and compliance current every year.Run as routine.
04
Banking deliberately
Accounts and PSP relationships built on compliance strength. The workstream run in parallel from day one.Parallel from day one.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Madeira
Portugal
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
Taxation of investment firms in Vanuatu.
The simplest system on the map - no income tax, known fees, and VAT that never touches the book.
No corporate income tax
Vanuatu levies none. The dealing book's profits are not taxed at the company level at all.Nothing at company level.
No capital gains tax
Appreciation and exits sit outside the system entirely. Economics stay whole.Whole economics.
No withholding taxes
Distributions leave clean. Holding structures stack without leakage.Clean exits.
VAT domestic only
15% VAT touches domestic supplies. The international book sits outside its practical reach.Outside the book.
Known state charges
Licence and renewal fees are the fiscal relationship. Costs known to the vatu, every year.To the vatu.
Plan at the owner level
With nothing taxed locally, planning moves to owner and group level. Where residence rules live. We model it there.Where rules live.
Tax summary
Corporate income taxNone
Capital gains taxNone
Withholding taxesNone
VAT15% domestic only
State chargesLicence + renewal fees
*Figures as of 2026 per Vanuatu law. Owner-level and group outcomes are modelled per structure.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: Vanuatu company, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a live, licensed dealer.
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Vanuatu · VFSC
Launch your investment firm in Vanuatu with expert support.
Full-service assistance - from class scoping and the deposit to the VFSC licence, banking and renewals - run through our Port Vila office.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
Is Vanuatu the right fit for your project?
Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days
Request a free conclusion →FAQ
The Vanuatu investment licence: the practical answers.
What licence does an investment firm need in Vanuatu?+
The financial dealers licence from the VFSC under the Financial Dealers Licensing Act (Cap 70) - classed permissions with securities and foreign exchange expressly in scope.
What does entry cost?+
A VT 5,000,000 deposit lodged with the Commission, plus licence and renewal fees - the deposit is the regime's skin-in-the-game requirement.
How fast is licensing really?+
Around three weeks of VFSC processing from a final file - the fastest supervised licence we build. The qualifier is 'final': the clock runs from completeness, and we assemble to that standard before filing.
What is the licence term?+
One year, renewable - with business required to commence within three months of grant. The annual cycle is a discipline, and we run it as routine.
Can it serve EU or UK retail clients?+
No - regulated-market retail requires locally licensed entities. The Vanuatu desk serves global books; serious groups run the layered structure, and we build both ends.
Is it a fund-management regime?+
It is a dealing licence - managing and executing international books, not a collective-scheme framework. Fund ambitions are routed to regimes built for them, openly.
How are Vanuatu dealers taxed?+
No corporate income tax, no capital gains tax, no withholding - state charges are the licence and renewal fees, with 15% VAT touching domestic supplies only. Planning moves to owner level.
Is a Vanuatu licence bankable?+
With deliberate work, yes - accounts open on compliance strength, not flag. We run banking as a parallel workstream from day one, because a licence without accounts is a certificate.
Vanuatu or Seychelles for the fast leg?+
Vanuatu is faster and unlimited by income tax; Seychelles brings a securities-act frame at US$50,000 capital. Renewal discipline versus lower annual friction - the book decides, and we model both.
Why Prifinance for Vanuatu?+
Files assembled to final standard before submission, which is what makes three weeks real - plus banking and renewals run as one system from Port Vila.
What licence?+
VFSC financial dealer.
Cost?+
VT 5M deposit + fees.
Speed?+
~3 weeks, final file.
Term?+
1 year, renewable.
EU retail?+
No - layered instead.
Funds?+
Dealing only, by statute.
Taxes?+
None on income.
Bankable?+
Deliberately, yes.
Or Seychelles?+
Speed vs frame.
Why you?+
Final-standard files.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
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Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of VFSC or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.