Business Registration & License : Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority

Organization : Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority
Type of Facility : Business Registration & License
Country: Vanuatu

Website : investvanuatu [dot] vu

Business Registration :

The Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC) is responsible for company incorporation, along with other registry services.

Related : Foreign Investment Application Certificate FIAC Vanuatu Promotion Authority : www.statusin.org/8619.html

A company must not conduct business before it has been issued a Certificate of Incorporation. Once issued with a Certificate, companies must file with the Registrar of Companies at the VFSC the following documents:
** Notification of any changes to the company’s directors, shareholding and Secretary, and charges on its property
** Certain special resolutions of the company
** An annual return providing standard information about the company as at a specified annual date
** Set of annual audited accounts (if a company’s turnover exceeds VT 20 million in any year)

For further information, download our fact sheet on the right or visit the Financial Services Commission website

Business License:
The issuance of the Business licence is the second step in investing in Vanuatu and can’t be issued unless the investor has been granted a VIPA Approval Certificate.

In Vanuatu it is illegal to carry on any non-exempted commercial activity without obtaining a Business licence. It is, therefore, obligatory for a “person” (which term also includes a company) to obtain a Business licence from the Rates and Taxes office, Customs Department, before taking up any commercial activity as required in the terms of the Business licence Act.

Every Business licence is issued annually and may be subject to certain conditions. The licence is transferable and the business licence subject to an annual fee which has been standardized to a principal sum of VT20, 000 plus VT90, 000 for each non-citizen employee, principal or partner engaged in the business.

Other businesses in the financial and monetary institutions including insurance companies and agents are charged on the basis of 2% of estimated turnover.

Effective Business Reforms Our Priority :
Vanuatu is ranked among the top 10 best performing economies in the Asia & Pacific Region for its overall competitiveness and ease of doing business. Like many other emerging markets, the Vanuatu government is convinced that the best option for foreign capital inflow that accelerates growth, offers sustainable and long term benefits is “foreign direct investment (FDI)”. Therefore it has taken measures to ensure certainty and predictability to foreign investors and the business community.

Overall, Vanuatu has made improvement in more than 50% of the topics that contributed to this impressive improvement.
These include :
** Starting a Business – +21
** Getting Credit – +9
** Protecting Minority Investors – +23
** Resolving Insolvency – +18

Ensuring an enabling business environment has been and remains the Government’s number one priority in its effort to boost economic development initiatives. This success will be build upon in other sectors to see more of them leveraging on use of modern technology. A classic example of such development is the recent move to a one-stop-shop by all departments involved in FDI facilitation.

This has been and remains one of the Government’s long standing policy issues. Driven by the Vanuatu Investment Investment Promotion Authority (VIPA) with having an online processing of FDI applications as its key objectives, Vanuatu is making good progress to becoming the best location to do business.

For further information on business licenses please contact:
Manager of Rates & Taxes Office
Phone: +678 24635 or 24544
Fax: +678 24257
Email: bmalas AT vanuatu.gov.vu

For further information, download our fact sheet on the right or visit the Department of Customs & Inland Revenue website.