The Vanuatu government, through the Department of Immigration and Passport Services (DoIPS), has cancelled the Vanuatu passports of three Chinese nationals for fraudulently obtaining them.
Huang Bo, Liu Hong, and Tang Ying obtained their passports through willfully false or misleading statements, violating the Passport Act No. 20 of 2009.
Both Hong and Ying have been wanted by INTERPOL Beijing since September 2022 for organizing and leading pyramid selling activities.
They were issued Vanuatu passports on 28 June 2022, and then on 12 March 2025, the Department of Immigration received a request to cancel their passports.
Bo received his Vanuatu passport in April 2022. The DoIPS received information early this year that Bo had used false information to obtain citizenship while under investigation for several offenses and was about to appear in court.
The Citizenship Act is administered by the Citizenship Office, while the Passport Act is administered by the DoIPS.
The Citizenship Act allows for the issuance of a citizenship certificate to eligible individuals, granting them citizenship. However, it does not grant the authority to issue passports.
The Passport Act, on the other hand, governs the issuance and administration of Vanuatu passports, certificates of identity, and other travel documents to those who have obtained citizenship through the citizenship program.
Following the cancellation of passports for the three Chinese nationals, the government has directed an an investigation into agents facilitating citizenship applications for criminals and wanted individuals.
Agents aiding such applications will have their licenses reviewed and revoked, and criminals bypassing due diligence will have their passports cancelled, according to the government.
The DoIPS acted on instructions from the responsible minister to cancel the three fraudulently acquired passports after the Prime Minister made it clear that Vanuatu will not harbour criminals.
