Looking for retirement + business venture + advice with business idea

will be arriving in Vanuatu in 2 weeks. My family wants me to look for a retirement and possible business venture. I'm gonna have to stay a while and I might need to find work and housing. Any help with how to navigate the government red tape for work visa, housing and other mine fields I might run into. We hope to buy a snorkeling boat and maybe a small dive shop. I have extensive experience in maintenance, electrical ,plumbing aircon repair, and appliance repair. I'm in my 30's and could use some advice and maybe a friend or two when I get there. Any advice and help would be very much appreciated. My e-mail is hshepherd[at]carolina.rr.com   PH# USA 1-803-432-4537  Father and mother are retired and have fair income of at least $3000.00 monthUSD.and a nestegg that could be just what we all need to get started. Any help as to what kind of problems we may run into.     Chris    PS father is very much into saltwater aquariums and has extensive knowledge in the hobby

Hi Chris,  red tape for visa etc is actually quite minimal and the processes are straight forward as long as you give yourself enough time to follow the dots.  Happy to give advice if you have specific questions :)
Have sent you an email with my contact details.

Im excited about the trip. Do you have an Idea of an AC repair company on the island I can hook up with or should I make an attempt to start my own. And what is all involved in business liscence and residency process entail? What are the prices for appartments. Hope im not getting crazy with the questions. just want to know what im looking forward to. Oh yeah still looking forward to the drink and some good island food.

There are a few companies that do aircon, check out the Yellowpages online at yellowpages.vu/
In regards to setting up a business it is relatively simple.  Apply for a VIPA, you can find details and forms here investvanuatu.org/ , this will take around 15 working days from the time you lodge.  One pre-requisite for VIPA is reserving a business name, this can take weeks to get.
If/when it is approved you take this to Immigration to support your application for residency.  This will take around 12 business days.
You will then need to apply for the relevant licence/s, find premises and hire staff etc.
Opening bank accounts can be difficult, there are strict anti laundering laws here so there are many forms to fill in!
I would allow at least 2 months to do all of this, there are often delays and the timeframes between getting each task completed can stretch out.
For housing, Google is your friend :)  There are quite a lot of real estates here in Port Vila and they handle both long and short term rentals and buying and selling.  Prices can vary massively so browsing these sites before you arrive will be a good idea.

HI BellM ,Im chris's Dad..I want to help him get set up as much as possiable. I was woundering if I sent he his air con equipment and tools would they have a hard time in costoms and he my need a small truck to do his work. I'm thinking about buying him all new tools but if it would be cheeped to send him his old ones so be it. I hope to make the move with him if he can show me that my wife and I can make it on retirement of 3000.00 a month. I love the water a laid back lifestyle and diving. Please get back to us as soon as possiable....Thank You from the bottom of our Hearts ....The shepherds,Kenneth,Cindy and Ashley.....also Chris

Will you be bringing your personal effects over in a container?  We did and we simply paid a company to pick it up at one end and deliver it to us here.  They looked after all the customs stuff and for us it was pretty painless.
There is an allowance of one container per person within six months of getting residency here and that is tax free as long as they are not items that are brand new and are for your personal use.  This includes one vehicle per person as well.  Your company should know all the rules and regulations that you will need to follow.
Not sure if bringing your goods or buying here would be cheaper, I would be visiting the shops here to see what the prices are like.

Just tried to email you, recieved a "Return to sender" as Elvis would say :-) :-) Can you kindly check that your email address is correct.
Many thanks.  :cool:

Mookelama's kid wrote:

Just tried to email you, recieved a "Return to sender" as Elvis would say :-) :-) Can you kindly check that your email address is correct.
Many thanks.  :cool:

[email protected]   or haroldkennethshepherd/fb.com