“Pride and Industry”
BARBADOS
General: Governed by the 1966 Constitution of Barbados and the Barbados Citizenship Act, Cap. 186.
By Birth: A child born in Barbados on/after November 30, 1966 is a citizen only if a parent is a Barbadian citizen at the time of birth, or if the child would otherwise be stateless (birth in Barbados does not, by itself, automatically confer citizenship on children of two foreign parents).
By Descent: A child born abroad is a citizen by descent if the mother or father was a Barbadian citizen (by birth) at the time of the child's birth. Diplomats'/consular officers' children born abroad are also treated as citizens.
By Registration: Available to a foreign spouse (historically framed as a "foreign woman" married to a citizen; now generally applied to spouses) after a period of marriage; children of a Barbadian-born citizen parent may also be registered by ministerial discretion. Persons registered (rather than born/descended) do not receive the same constitutional protection against revocation.
By Naturalization: Requires at least 5 continuous years of lawful residence, good character, and intent to reside; administered by the Barbados Immigration Department.
Dual Citizenship: Recognized/permitted — Barbados does not require renunciation of other nationalities.
Loss of Citizenship – Voluntary: Renunciation is permitted under the Citizenship Act; a formal declaration is submitted (historically to the Barbados Immigration Office).
Loss of Citizenship – Involuntary: The Minister may deprive a naturalized or registered citizen of citizenship on grounds such as disloyalty, fraud/misrepresentation in the application, or (historically) certain wartime trading-with-the-enemy provisions. Citizens by birth/descent have stronger constitutional protection from involuntary deprivation.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
Barbados permits dual nationality and allows citizenship by descent if a parent was a citizen of Barbados at the time of the applicant's birth.
Specific Forms: Form C (Application for Registration as a Citizen of Barbados).
Applicant's birth certificate and valid US passport bio-data page.
Parent’s Barbadian birth certificate.
Parent’s marriage certificate.
Three identical passport-sized photos signed/certified by a Notary Public or Justice of the Peace.
Divorce decree or death certificate for previous marriages (if applicable).
Form Download: Barbados Immigration Department Request for Certificate of Citizenship by Descent
Serving The Countries of CARICOM: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, The Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
