Vanuatu land policy

The so-called buying land in Vanuatu is actually renting land. A very prestigious local told me: In Vanuatu, we don't buy land, we buy leases (in Vanuatu, we don't buy land, we buy leases). Because the law stipulates that all land belongs to the state or chiefs, they will always be the owners of the land. Just like the name Vanuatu is translated as "our land". State-owned land and land departments sign contracts, chiefs own them, and sign contracts with chiefs.

The contract with the Ministry of Land and Resources is generally 75 years, and the contract with the sheikh is generally 50 years. The lease guarantees your ownership of this land. After the first person signs the lease, the lease can be transferred. The owner of the lease can use the land or sell the lease. When the lease expires, the landowner has two choices. First, the leasehold owner is allowed to continue to sign a 75-year contract at a price not higher than the market price of the leasehold 10%; Second, recover the land lease right, but pay the market price of the lease right to the owner of the lease right, as well as the price of all the improvements and buildings made by the owner of the lease right on the land. Vanuatu is a small government society, and the financial resources of the government are extremely weak. The Ministry of Finance has only two floors, and the Immigration Bureau has five offices. Therefore, as we all know, the land contract signed with the government is actually permanent, and the fee is only paid once every 75 years.

Although the principle is clear, there are many land disputes in Vanuatu. These disputes have two sources:

First, the so-called land owner who signed the lease with you is not the real owner. Old chiefs often have several children, and they must find the real landowner when signing the lease.

Second, the land itself is controversial, that is, the ownership of the land is in the process of judicial judgment.

Therefore, you must be careful when buying land in Vanuatu. Only when your name is registered in the land lease contract with the Ministry of Land and Resources can you say with peace of mind that you have acquired the land.