So, we are definitely citizens of Vanuatu. Not really sure when it *actually* happened, but quite sure it is now official. The options are…
- 26 June 2015 when the citizenship committee approved our applications with conditions
- a few days later when we clarified the issue that needed clarification
- a few days later when we paid the fee and presented the receipt to the Citizenship Office
- July when we took our oaths before a Supreme Court official
- August when we received (poor quality) photocopies of our Citizenship certificates
- September when we received our Vanuatu passports
- December when the 2015 Citizenship Certificate ceremony took place (we were absent … in the US)
- February 2016 when we received our certificates
Besides giving us more “permanence” as we commit to another decade in Vanuatu, we will also save $1400+ per year in permit fees.
**We have no intention of forfeiting our US citizenship**, and are grateful that the Vanuatu government voted to allow for dual-citizenship in late 2013. We traveled on both passports this past trip, and it was cool!