“Sub Umbra Floreo (Under The Shade I Flourish)”

BELIZE

General: Governed by the Belize Constitution (as amended, notably in 2017/2021 regarding dual citizenship) and the Belizean Nationality Act, Chapter 161.

  • By Birth: A child born in Belize on/after September 21, 1981 is a citizen regardless of parents' nationality, except children of certain diplomats.

  • By Descent: A child born abroad on/after September 21, 1981, with at least one Belizean parent (or in some cases a Belizean grandparent), acquires citizenship by descent through an Application for Registration filed with the Immigration and Nationality Department.

  • By Registration: Available to a foreign spouse of a Belizean citizen (commonly after around 1 year of marriage and residence); Commonwealth citizens naturalized/registered before independence; certain historic categories tied to independence-era transition.

  • By Naturalization: Standard route requires about 5 years of permanent residence (reduced, e.g., to around 1 year if married to a citizen), good character, and intent to reside permanently.

  • Dual Citizenship: Recognized under Section 27 of the Constitution — "a citizen of Belize by birth or descent who acquires the citizenship of any other country may... retain his citizenship of Belize," provided the other country also permits it. Exceptions: a citizen by descent who previously renounced Belizean citizenship must, on reapplying, renounce the other nationality and show genuine intent to reside in Belize; and dual nationality is barred for a citizen (by descent or registration) who pledges allegiance to, or is a citizen of, a country that does not recognize Belize's independence/sovereignty/territorial integrity.

  • Loss of Citizenship – Voluntary: Renunciation is permitted by law through formal application.

  • Loss of Citizenship – Involuntary: A person who acquired citizenship by descent or registration and makes an invalid/ineffective renunciation of a foreign citizenship is deemed never to have validly acquired Belizean citizenship; citizenship obtained by fraud or misrepresentation may also be revoked.

    The following may be grounds for involuntary loss of Belizean citizenship for a person who acquired Belizean citizenship by registration if such person: Has been convicted of an offence under the Belizean Nationality Act; or Has been convicted of any offence under Title XIV of the Criminal Code; or Was registered as a citizen of Belize by means of fraud, false representation, or the concealment of material circumstances, or by mistake; or Has, within five years after the date of registration as a citizen of Belize, been sentenced in any court to imprisonment for a term of twelve months or more; or Has, since the date of his becoming a citizen of Belize by registration, been for a period of not less than two years ordinarily resident in a foreign country of which he was a national or citizen at any other time prior to that date, and has not maintained a substantial connection with Belize; or Has taken an oath or affirmation of, or made a declaration of, allegiance to a foreign country; or Has so conducted themself that their continuance as a citizen of Belize is detrimental to the interest of Belize.

 

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

  • Belize fully permit dual nationality with the US. However, they do not offer digitized web-based public downloads for their descent registration sheets. To lodge a claim, you must interface directly with their consular offices:

  • Review instructions via the Embassy of Belize in Washington, D.C. to obtain descent forms.

  • Contact the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Dominica to request physical descent registries.

  • Review the Embassy of Haiti consular services page for nationality verification protocols.

  • Important Procedural Requirements

  • Apostille: Because the US is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, all US-issued documents (like your state birth certificate) must be apostilled by the Secretary of State where they were issued to be legally recognized by Caribbean authorities.

  • Certified Translations: Any supporting paperwork not natively written in English must be accompanied by a sworn, official English translation.

Serving The Countries of CARICOM: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, The Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

 
 
 
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