Vanuatu trust questions answered

A will takes effect only on death and usually passes through a court process. A trust takes effect once the deed is signed and funded, and the trustee then holds the assets for the beneficiaries. The two can work together. Which suits you depends on your home law, so ask your own lawyer.

A trust needs a bank to open accounts and advisers to work with it. If they see the place as a risk, set-up slows or stalls. That is a practical cost, whatever the law says. It shows up before any drafting, so weigh it before you pay for a draft deed.

The Trust Companies Act (Cap. 69) is the statute for trust companies in Vanuatu, according to the PacLII page. What it asks of a trust company is a point your lawyer confirms, so have your lawyer read it before you choose a trustee.

It depends on your residence, your assets, your bank and your aims. Three inputs decide most of it: the bank's written reply, any EU ties among the people involved, and the advice you get at home. If they line up, drafting may be worth the cost; if not, another place may fit better, and we say so early.

See who a Vanuatu trust suits

Yes, before any drafting. We cannot answer for your bank, and a place on the EU list may draw more questions or a refusal. Write to the bank, name the proposed trustee, describe the assets and ask whether it will open or keep accounts. If it refuses, the plan needs another design or another place. Give your lawyer a copy of the reply.

Sometimes, in principle, if the deed lets the trustee be replaced and the governing law change. Whether Vanuatu law allows it, your lawyer confirms. Mention an existing deed in your enquiry, but do not send a copy until we ask for it.

That depends on what the trustee, the bank and your lawyer require; some ask for meetings in person or for certified copies made a set way. We ask each before you book anything. Tell us early if travel is hard for you, so we can plan around it.

We tell you as early as we can, usually after the first identity and source-of-funds review. Every client goes through our client acceptance policy, and that review comes first so you do not pay for drafting on a case we cannot accept.

The trustee holds the assets, follows the deed, acts in the interests of the beneficiaries and keeps accounts and records. It holds meetings for major decisions and records its reasons. A trust company in Vanuatu takes that role. Your lawyer confirms what local law adds to those duties.

The trustee decides, within the deed and guided by your letter of wishes, which is not binding. Requests come to us, we prepare the papers, and the trustee passes a resolution if it agrees. The decision and its reasons go into the trust's records.

A deed can be drafted that way in many places, but your lawyer confirms whether Vanuatu law allows it, and on what terms. Keeping too much can lead a court at home to treat the assets as still yours. Your lawyer should review that balance before you sign.

A trust can generally hold shares, and a company can hold accounts, investments or property below it; your lawyer confirms the local rules. A company adds formation, agent and accounting work, so it changes the cost. Your lawyer should advise whether a company suits the assets you plan to move.

The trustee keeps the deed, minutes of its decisions, accounts, a register of assets and the identity papers of the people connected to the trust. You can ask for a yearly report. A trustee that signs whatever the settlor sends, without real minutes, is a warning sign.

The Global Forum review of April 2026 rated Vanuatu largely compliant on information exchange (source: KPMG, ETF 585). Who reports what, the trustee or a bank, your lawyer confirms for your case. Expect a bank to ask for self-certification forms at the start. Do not plan on secrecy.

We make no promise of a tax result. Your home country decides how it treats you as settlor or beneficiary, and being on the EU list can bring defensive measures against people with EU ties. Ask your adviser to confirm a view in writing, using the draft deed and asset list.

No, and we do not take such a case. Banks, tax authorities and the trustee need to know who stands behind the trust, and the trustee runs identity and source-of-funds checks before it accepts office. A trust gives continuity and structure. It does not remove your duty to declare.

Bring the three facts that shape every step: who the beneficiaries would be, which assets would go in, and where each family member lives. Add any reply from your bank. Ask the lawyer to confirm the structure is suitable and lawful where you live, and to review the deed.

The differences that matter are how the place is seen by banks, whether a full trust statute exists, and who acts as trustee. Our comparison tool lets you set Vanuatu beside another place, such as the Cook Islands or Samoa. Tax and legal comparisons belong with your own advisers.

Send us a short message with where you live, what the trust would hold and who it is for. We reply with the questions that matter, then move to identity and source-of-wealth checks, the design of the structure with your lawyer, drafting and signing.

Tell us where you live, what the trust will hold and who will benefit. We send a written quote with each line shown separately. Any figure comes from the written terms of the trustee and the law firm, so you can compare it line by line before you decide.