Registration of an adopted minor
Citizenship in Grenada
- Eligibility
- A minor adopted by a Grenadian citizen under a Grenadian adoption order automatically becomes a citizen from the date of the order (Citizenship Act Cap 54 s.4 'Citizenship on adoption'). This is automatic acquisition on the order date, distinct from the discretionary registration of minors under s.6 (GD-CBN-01).
- Timeline
- standard
Overview
A minor adopted by a Grenadian citizen under a Grenadian adoption order automatically becomes a citizen from the date of the order (Citizenship Act Cap 54 s.4 'Citizenship on adoption'). This is automatic acquisition on the order date, distinct from the discretionary registration of minors under s.6 (GD-CBN-01).
Who qualifies
- Citizenship on adoption: where, under a law in force in Grenada relating to the adoption of children, an adoption order is made by a court in respect of a minor who is not a citizen, then if the adopter (or, in a joint adoption, either adopter) is a citizen, the minor BECOMES a citizen of Grenada as from the date of the order (Cap 54 s.4). Acquisition is automatic on the order date — no separate registration is required.
Requirements
- Adoption-route preconditions: the s.4 automatic grant requires (i) a court adoption order made under a Grenadian adoption law, (ii) the adoptee being a minor (under 18) who is not already a Grenadian citizen, and (iii) at least one adopter being a Grenadian citizen. There is no residence, language, or character condition attached to the s.4 adoption grant itself.
Timeline
Timeline: standard. Document burden: medium. Required: none of residency/language/presence/renunciation.
Legal basis
Primary statute: Citizenship Act Cap 54 s.4. Operative 1976-11-05–present. Authority: Ministry of Home Affairs.
Example scenarios
nationality: child Haitian; adoptive parents Grenadian
Eligible — the adopted minor becomes a Grenadian citizen automatically from the date of the Grenadian adoption order.
Cap 54 s.4 ('Citizenship on adoption') provides that a minor adopted by a Grenadian citizen under a Grenadian adoption order automatically becomes a citizen from the date of the order. This is automatic acquisition on the order date (acquisition_type 'automatic'), distinct from the discretionary registration of minors under s.6 (GD-CBN-01). No separate application for naturalisation is needed.
nationality: child foreign; mother Grenadian
s.4 automatic citizenship keys to a GRENADIAN adoption order — a foreign adoption order does not trigger automatic citizenship; the discretionary minor-registration route (s.6) would be the path.
Cap 54 s.4 confers automatic citizenship on a minor adopted 'under a Grenadian adoption order'. A foreign adoption order does not engage s.4's automatic mechanism. The adoptive mother's recourse would be discretionary registration of the minor under Cap 54 s.6 (GD-CBN-01), which is application-based and discretionary, not automatic.
Informational summary compiled from primary legal sources — not legal advice. Citizenship law changes; verify with the competent authority before acting. Last verified 2026-06-14.
Track changes to this route
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