EXCLUSIVE: Influencer Andrew Tate got Vanuatu Passport Around Time of Arrest on Rape Charges

Self-described “misogynist” and online influencer Andrew Tate obtained citizenship from the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu around the time of his 2022 arrest by Romanian authorities on charges including rape and human trafficking, documents and interviews show.

Tate received his Vanuatu passport via the country’s controversial Development Support Program, which fast-tracks citizenship to the country in exchange for a minimum investment of $130,000. His name was included on official citizenship lists obtained by Intelligence Online and shared with OCCRP and Public Record.

The agency that submitted the application, NXT Citizen, confirmed Tate’s identity to reporters and said his citizenship was granted in December 2022, the same month he and his brother Tristan were arrested in Romania. His passport was issued the following month, while both brothers were still temporarily held in pre-trial custody. There is no record of Tristan receiving Vanuatu citizenship.

Tate, who was also recently confirmed to be facing 21 similar charges in the United Kingdom, has built a cult following among boys and young men by offering life advice laden with glorification of violence and hatred towards women. The British-American influencer frequently shows off his own wealth online, and has bragged about having “seven passports,” without detailing where they are from.   

Reporters sent questions to Tate via his U.S lawyer, Joseph McBride, and his Romanian lawyer, Ioan Gliga. Neither responded.

In picking Vanuatu, Tate bought into a “golden passport” scheme that has been taken advantage of by a colorful collection of figures, ranging from the ultra-rich to spies, fugitives, and sanctioned oligarchs. The European Union revoked Vanuatu’s visa-free access to the bloc in 2024 over concerns of abuse of its passports. 

British lawyer Matthew Jury, who is pursuing a separate civil suit for rape and sexual assault against Tate in the U.K., said he may have sought out Vanuatu citizenship in order to flee charges in Romania.

“One of the reasons Tate might have applied for Vanuatu citizenship is that it has no extradition agreement with Romania,” Jury said. “ However, now that the U.K. is seeking his extradition to face prosecution in that jurisdiction, it may no longer be attractive for him as Vanuatu and the U.K. have a long-standing extradition arrangement.”

It is unclear when Tate first sought a Vanuatu passport. NXT Citizen did not say when Tate’s citizenship application was formally lodged, but a U.K. criminal background check filed as part of the process was dated February 2022 – meaning that his bid for a new nationality occurred some time after that point. Tate’s home and webcam studio in Bucharest were raided by Romanian investigators in April 2022. 

The office of Vanuatu’s prime minister, Jotham Napat, did not respond to questions. The country’s citizenship commissioner, Charles Maniel, said that there was little he could do to block an application from someone facing investigation or charges.

“Under the Citizenship Act, we have a process for cancellation, but the process of cancellation doesn’t happen until they’re proven guilty in court,” Maniel said.

But Philippe May, the head of citizenship by investment firm EC Holdings, said waiting for a criminal verdict wasn’t good enough and that countries should take factors like character into account when granting citizenship. 

“The criteria applied by the government should be based on the moral values of the country and the beliefs of its people,” he said. 

May said he would have declined to take Tate as a client “because of reputational issues.” 

“He is way too controversial,” he said.

The Tate brothers’ Romanian case is still ongoing, but has been delayed after the court sent the case back to prosecutors. In addition to the newly announced U.K. charges, the Tate brothers also reportedly may be under federal criminal investigation in the United States.

The Tates have denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism declined to respond to questions.