Citizenship by descent | Barbados Digital

If either of your parents were born in Barbados and are a citizen of Barbados by birth, then you are deemed to be a citizen of Barbados at birth under Section 5 of the Constitution of Barbados, and are entitled to apply for a Certificate of Citizenship with the Immigration Department.

Requirements for citizenship by descent

You'll need to complete the application form and provide the following documentation:

Three passport photos (5cm x 5cm) of the applicant; one of which must be certified by a Justice of the Peace or a Notary Public.
Original birth certificate of the applicant, or a certified copy thereof. You must also provide one photocopy of the birth certificate (must be in colour).
Original birth certificate of the applicant's mother and/or father, or a certified copy thereof. You must also provide a photocopy of each such birth certificate (must be in colour).

There is a non-refundable application fee of BBD $300 which can be paid in person at the Immigration Department if you are in Barbados at the time you submit your application. Credit and debit card payments are accepted.

Finding a Justice of the Peace in Barbados

There should be at least one Justice of the Peace in every local community. You should reach out to your nearest Justice of the Peace to request your documents to be certified.

It is against the law for any person who has been sworn in as a Justice of the Peace to charge, or attempt to charge, members of the public for the certification of official documents.

Frequently asked questions

Any person born in Barbados is automatically conferred citizenship under Section 4 of the Constitution of Barbados. ^[1]

If you are a Barbadian by descent and your child is born outside Barbados, your child will not be eligible for citizenship by descent, because Section 5 of the Constitution of Barbados (which establishes citizenship by descent) expressly forbids cascading citizenship by descent beyond the immediate child of a Barbadian who was born in Barbados.

However, your child may be eligible to apply for Immigrant Status to permanently reside in Barbados by virtue of his or her family connections in Barbados, with a pathway to citizenship after residing in Barbados for at least seven years. ^[2] If your child becomes a citizen this way, please note that he or she will not be a citizen by descent. Your child will be a citizen by registration (also known as citizenship by naturalisation). Persons who are citizens by registration are not conferred constitutional protections against revocation of citizenship unlike citizens by birth or descent.

^{[1] Birthright citizenship does not apply to any child born in Barbados to a father who, at the time, either (a) has diplomatic immunity and serving as an envoy for a foreign state; or (b) is an enemy alien and the birth occurs in a place in Barbados under enemy occupation. For the purposes of citizenship law, an "alien" refers to any person who is neither a Commonwealth citizen, a British protected person for the purposes of the British Nationality Act 1948 of the United Kingdom, or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland.}

^{[2] You may be eligible to apply for Barbadian citizenship if you have resided in Barbados for at least seven years. For Commonwealth citizens, and citizens of the Republic of Ireland, this is pursuant to Section 4 of the Barbados Citizenship Act, Cap. 186. For all other citizens, including citizens of Mozambique and Rwanda, this is pursuant to Section 7 of that Act.}