Descent via grandparent (2nd/3rd generation) — Act No. 7 of 2024
Citizenship in Saint Lucia
- Eligibility
- The Citizenship of Saint Lucia (Amendment) Act No. 7 of 2024 (assented 27 June 2024) deleted and substituted s.5 of the principal Act (Cap. 1.04) and inserted a new s.5A. The substituted s.5 provides verbatim: 'A person born outside Saint Lucia after the commencement of this Act becomes a citizen at the date of his or her birth if, at that date, his or her father, mother, grandfather or grandmother is a citizen by birth.' The 'citizen by birth' qualifier is the chain-limiter; named ancestors stop at the grandparent generation (2nd/3rd-generation overseas descendants). s.5A is the application procedure (prescribed form; applicant + qualifying-ancestor birth certificates; passport; four certified photographs; Certificate of Character within 6 months; Apostille + recognised English translation for foreign-language documents). NON-CBI statute. Commencement date unresolved pending primary-source verification (no proclamation clause located; byte-verify vs gazette).
- Timeline
- standard
- Renunciation
- Not required
Who qualifies
- The chain-limiter for grandparent descent is the 'citizen BY BIRTH' qualifier: under the 2024-substituted s.5 the linking ancestor (father, mother, grandfather or grandmother) must be a citizen by birth. A citizen-by-descent ancestor does not qualify the line. The named ancestors stop at the grandparent generation (no 'great-grandparent' wording appears), corresponding to the government's description of beneficiaries as 'second and third-generation Saint Lucian descendants'.
How to apply
- Application procedure for citizenship by descent (NEW s.5A, inserted by Act No. 7 of 2024): a person, or an attorney-at-law on behalf of a person, may apply for citizenship by descent in the prescribed form. The application must include the applicant's birth certificate; the birth certificate of the qualifying father, mother, grandfather or grandmother; the applicant's passport; certified passport photographs (number and format as prescribed by the application form; the Act text specifies only 'certified photographs'); and a Certificate of Character issued within the last six months. - Foreign-language supporting documents for a descent application (s.5A(3)) must be authenticated by an Apostille under the Apostille (Hague Convention) Act and accompanied by an English translation prepared by a translator recognised by the Department of Home Affairs.
Timeline
Timeline: standard. Document burden: high. Required: none of residency/language/presence/renunciation.
Legal basis
Primary statute: Citizenship of Saint Lucia Act, Cap. 1.04, substituted s.5 + new s.5A (Citizenship (Amendment) Act No. 7 of 2024). Operative 2024-06-27–present. Authority: Department of Home Affairs.
Exceptions & edge cases
- Father's national status at death: where a person is born after the death of his or her father, any reference (in Const Ch VII) to the national status of the father at the time of the person's birth is construed as a reference to the father's national status at the time of his death (Const s.104(3)). This preserves descent eligibility for posthumous children. - The principal Citizenship of Saint Lucia Act is officially cited as Cap. 1.04 (NOT Cap 3.01). This is confirmed by the Act No. 7 of 2024 long title ('AN ACT to amend the Citizenship of Saint Lucia Act, Cap. 1.04') and the 2015 Revised Laws of Saint Lucia master index. The original Act is Act 7 of 1979 (in force 5 June 1979), amended by Act 20 of 1984 (in force 22 December 1984).
Example scenarios
Eligible via this route if the qualifying grandparent is a citizen by birth and the s.5A documentary requirements are met.
For a child born outside Saint Lucia after the Act No. 7 of 2024 commencement, the substituted s.5 confers citizenship at the date of birth where a father, mother, grandfather or grandmother is a citizen BY BIRTH (/013). The s.5A application procedure (/015) requires the prescribed form (lodged by the person or an attorney-at-law on their behalf); the applicant's birth certificate; the qualifying ancestor's birth certificate; the applicant's passport; four certified photographs; and a Certificate of Character issued within the last six months. Foreign-language documents need an Apostille (Hague Convention Act) plus an English translation by a Department-of-Home-Affairs-recognised translator. NON-CBI route conferring ordinary citizenship by descent.
NOT eligible via this route: the substituted s.5 named-ancestor list stops at the grandparent generation.
The 2024-substituted s.5 names only 'father, mother, grandfather or grandmother' — there is no 'great-grandparent' wording, corresponding to the government's description of beneficiaries as 'second and third-generation Saint Lucian descendants'. A person whose only Saint Lucian ancestor is a great-grandparent is therefore outside the named chain and does not qualify for grandparent descent. No look-through beyond the grandparent generation exists in the statute. As of the commencement of Act No. 7 of 2024 (assented 27 June 2024).
NOT eligible via this route: the linking grandparent must be a citizen BY BIRTH.
The chain-limiter in the substituted s.5 is the 'citizen by birth' qualifier: the linking father, mother, grandfather or grandmother must be a citizen by birth, and a citizen-by-descent ancestor does not qualify the line. A grandfather who is himself only a citizen by descent therefore cannot transmit grandparent descent. The applicant must identify a grandparent (or parent) who holds citizenship by birth. As of the commencement of Act No. 7 of 2024 (assented 27 June 2024).
Informational summary compiled from primary legal sources — not legal advice. Citizenship law changes; verify with the competent authority before acting. Last verified 2026-06-15.
Track changes to this route
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