Getting your documents ready in Vanuatu

Many good applications fail because of documents: a missing certified copy, a passport that has expired, a translation that arrives too late. Start at least two months before the deadline. Some offices need an appointment, and some documents come from another island.

The fees and steps below come from official sources, on the date shown at the top of this page. They can change. Check with the office before you go.

Start with a list

Open the scholarship page. Look at its Documents checklist. For each document, write down:

• Do they want the original, a scan, or a certified copy?
• Does it need a translation?
• How recent must it be?

Write your full name exactly as it is in your passport on every form. Even a small difference, like a missing middle name or a different spelling, can cause problems later.

Birth certificate

Birth certificates come from Civil Registry and Identity Management (CRIM). CRIM can give you a reprinted certified copy of your birth certificate. You must ask with the right forms.

• Who can ask: you; a parent, for a child under 18; or a family member or close contact with the consent form and a Vanuatu Identification Number.
• Price of a reprinted certified copy: free for children aged 12 or under, people with a disability and people over 60. 500 vatu for people aged 13 to 59. Copies with special designs cost more.

The Vanuatu Government scholarship portal asks every applicant for a birth certificate.

Passport

Passports come from the Department of Immigration and Passport Services. In Port Vila and Shefa, you apply at the immigration office (Tamarama Building, Kumul Highway). In other provinces, you apply at your provincial immigration office.

The department asks for:

• Two recent passport photos (less than 6 months old, 3.5 cm × 4.5 cm). An identity witness writes your full name on the back of one photo, then signs and dates it.
• A copy of your Vanuatu birth certificate.
• Your marriage certificate, if you are married.
• A letter that explains why you travel. Ask the office what to write.
• The fee, paid in vatu.

Fees listed by the department: 10,000 VT normal (up to 21 days), 20,000 VT express (up to 10 days), 25,000 VT urgent (up to 3 days). Passports for children cost less.

Check that your passport stays valid long enough. For example, the Vanuatu Government scholarship office asks for a passport that is valid at least six months after the end of your studies. It asks this if you are shortlisted (chosen for the next step) for study overseas.

Certified copies

A certified copy is a photocopy that an official person checks against the original. Then this person signs it to say it is a true copy.

Australia Awards Vanuatu explains how to do it. Take the original and the photocopy to a Commissioner of Oaths. The Commissioner checks that the copy is the same. You may have to pay, and you may need an appointment. You can find Commissioners at the State Law Office, the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission and the Vanuatu National Provident Fund.

Other providers may have other rules. Always read the provider's instructions. Never certify your own documents.

Translations

Did you study in French? Many English-language scholarships need your documents in English. For example, Australia Awards Vanuatu asks for a certified English translation of every document in French (or Bislama).

French universities may ask for the opposite: a French translation by an official French service or a sworn translator.

We did not find an official list of accepted translators in Vanuatu. Ask the provider which translations they accept before you pay. Ask early, because translations take time.

Transcripts and certificates

Ask your school, college or university office for your official results and certificates. Ask early, especially if you studied on another island or overseas. Then make certified copies.

For school leavers, the Vanuatu Government scholarship portal asks for different documents in each category (Year 13 VUEC, DAEU, Baccalauréat, other). Choose your category carefully. See Vanuatu Government Scholarships.

Police clearance

Some providers, employers or visas ask for a police clearance (a paper that shows your criminal record). In Vanuatu, the Office of the Police Commissioner gives it. The Vanuatu Police Force lists these steps:

1. Download and print the right form from the police website. There is a form for citizens. You can also ask for a form at your nearest police station.
2. Fill in the form and sign it.
3. Pay the fee at the Central Government Cashier (Efate, Santo) or at the Provincial Headquarters (Malampa, Tafea). The price is on the form.
4. Give the form and a copy of your passport at Vansec House (Port Vila) or Luganville Police Headquarters.
5. Come back to collect your certificate.

Police numbers (not emergencies): Port Vila 22 222, Santo 36 222. The waiting time is not published. Ask when you give your form.

Medical checks

Medical checks are usually for the visa, after you are selected. They are usually not part of the scholarship application. A doctor approved by the country of study must often do them. Some checks are not possible in Vanuatu. For example, the Chevening Vanuatu page says there is no TB test in Vanuatu for UK visas. Selected students travel to another country for it. See After you're selected.

Scanning and sending

• Scan in colour. Make sure the text is easy to read and every page is straight and complete.
• Give your files clear names, for example Surname_Transcript_Year13.pdf.
• Keep a folder with every original, copy and scan, on paper and on your phone or a USB key. You will need them again for the visa.