Barbados: Information on the procedure that a person born in St. Vincent must go through to obtain Barbadian citizenship, on how people can lose their citizenship, and on the procedure by which they can re-acquire it
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BRB22493.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Barbados: Information on the procedure that a person born in St. Vincent must go through to obtain Barbadian citizenship, on how people can lose their citizenship, and on the procedure by which they can re-acquire it, 1 December 1995, BRB22493.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac5080.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Please find attached copies of the Citizenship Act of Barbados, obtained from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) legal database, and the section of the Constitution of Barbados that deals with citizenship. The former, which includes amendments up to and including 1978, provides information on acquisition and loss of citizenship, including the conditions under which an individual is entitled to Barbadian citizenship or naturalization.
An official at the Embassy of Barbados in Ottawa was unaware of any amendments made after 1978 to the Citizenship Act, but was certain that no amendments had been made to the Constitution (7 Dec. 1995).
The source stated that a person who has Barbadian citizenship would normally have to formally renounce it to lose it. The official added that Barbados allows double citizenship, so its citizens normally do not renounce their Barbadian citizenship when they acquire another one.
Although uncertain of the exact procedure to recover lost citizenship, the source stated that the procedure, requirements and decision would likely depend on how the Barbadian citizenship was originally obtained. For example, it could have been obtained by descent, by marriage to a Barbadian, or by naturalization, all of which have different requirements. The documents that govern citizenship in Barbados are the Constitution and the Citizenship Act. The authority that handles citizenship matters is the Immigration and Passports Department; some citizenship cases can, or may have to, go to the Minister of Home Affairs for a decision (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Embassy of Barbados, Ottawa. 7 December 1995. Telephone interview with official.
Attachments
Barbados. Barbados Citizenship Act. 30 November 1966. (UNHCR/Refleg database)
Newton, Velma. September 1989. Vol. 2. "Barbados," Constitutions of the Countries of the World. Edited by Albert P. Blaustein and Gisbert H. Flanz. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications, pp. 22-26.
