Grenada Citizenship by Descent: Parent and Grandparent Routes

Grenada citizenship by descent works one of two ways: if a parent is Grenadian, you are almost always a citizen automatically from birth and no application is required; if the link is a grandparent, you can apply to register as a citizen through Grenada’s Department of Home Affairs. Which route applies depends on where your parent was born, when they acquired their own citizenship, and whether your parents were married. The rules sit in Sections 94 through 100 of the Grenada Constitution, which took effect on February 7, 1974, with procedural details in the Citizenship Act.

Parent Route: Automatic Citizenship at Birth

Under Section 97 of the Constitution, a person born outside Grenada after February 7, 1974 is a citizen at birth if either parent is a Grenadian citizen.¹ There is nothing to apply for. You are Grenadian from the day you are born, even if you have never visited the island. What you may want is documentation confirming that status, and eventually a passport.

Section 97 carries one important limit. Your Grenadian parent must hold citizenship through some route other than Section 97 itself. If your parent was born in Grenada, or became a citizen at independence, and you were born abroad, the automatic right passes to you. If both you and your parent were born abroad and your parent’s own citizenship came only through Section 97, the automatic transfer stops there.¹ That second-generation-abroad situation is exactly what the grandparent registration route is designed to cover.

The 1974 Independence Cutoff

The Constitution treats February 7, 1974 as a dividing line because that is the day Grenada became independent from Britain. People born in Grenada who held British citizenship on February 6, 1974 automatically became Grenadian the next day under Section 94, and their children born abroad who also held British citizenship on that date became Grenadian citizens at the same moment.¹

Many Grenadians emigrated to the UK, US, and Canada in the 1950s and 1960s, so a parent born abroad before independence often ended up a citizen under Section 94 rather than Section 97. That matters when you look at your own status, because a parent who is a citizen under Section 94 passes citizenship automatically to a child born abroad, while a parent whose only claim is under Section 97 does not. If your family tree spans independence, trace each ancestor to the specific section that applies to them.

Grandparent Route: Registration Required

If your Grenadian ancestor is a grandparent, citizenship is available but not automatic. Section 99 of the Constitution allows Parliament to extend citizenship beyond the automatic categories, and the Citizenship Act sets up the registration process that grandchildren use.¹

The application is more demanding than a parent claim. You are proving a longer chain of descent, and the government also assesses you as an individual. Expect to produce a full three-generation paper trail, submit to a background check, pass a medical panel, and provide character references.

Children Born Out of Wedlock

Section 100(2) of the Constitution contains an interpretive rule that can quietly derail a claim through a father. For a person born out of wedlock who was not later legitimated, every reference to “father” in the citizenship chapter is read as a reference to “mother.”¹ In practice, if your parents were not married when you were born and your father is the Grenadian, the automatic provisions may not carry his status to you under the Constitution’s original text. Your citizenship link would need to run through your mother’s status instead.

Documents You’ll Need for a Parent Claim

For a child-of-Grenadian-parent application, the document package is fairly compact. Based on the official instruction sheet issued by Grenadian diplomatic missions, you will need:

The completed application form, signed before a Justice of the Peace or Notary Public.
Your original birth certificate, plus one photocopy. If it was issued outside Grenada, it must be apostilled.
Your Grenadian parent’s original birth certificate, plus one photocopy.
Your parents’ marriage certificate, if applicable; apostilled if issued outside Grenada.
Four passport-sized photographs (50mm × 50mm), certified as a “true likeness” by a Justice of the Peace or Notary Public.
A medical letter from a registered doctor confirming you are in good health.
A copy of your current passport or government-issued photo ID.

Any document not in English needs a certified translation. The apostille requirement applies to public documents issued outside Grenada and is what allows a foreign civil record to be accepted as authentic by the Grenadian authorities.²

Extra Requirements for a Grandchild Claim

Grandchild applicants file everything a parent-based applicant files, and more. You must include the birth certificate of both your Grenadian grandparent and the intervening parent, giving a complete three-generation record of descent. You also need a Police Certificate of Character from your country of residence, and you must disclose any criminal convictions from anywhere in the world.³

The medical exam is more extensive as well. It must include a chest X-ray, HIV test, syphilis screening, stool culture, tuberculosis (Mantoux) test, malaria blood smear, and serum creatinine test, along with proof of up-to-date immunizations for measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, and hepatitis B. You will need to produce your immunization card.³

You also need two references from Grenadian citizens who are householders and who are not related to you and are not your solicitor or agent. They must sign a statement vouching for your good character and loyalty. The application itself is a sworn declaration, made before someone authorized to administer oaths.³

Where to Submit and What It Costs

All citizenship applications are processed by the Department of Home Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister in Grenada.⁴ You can send the package directly to that office in St. George’s. Applicants in the United States can also lodge documents through the Embassy of Grenada in Washington, D.C. or the Consulate General of Grenada in New York, though the embassy’s website notes that it forwards applications to Grenada rather than deciding them.⁵

Because originals are required, submit in person or by registered mail. Keep copies of everything, and get a receipt or tracking reference. Officials will contact you if a document is missing or needs correction.

Published fee schedules from Grenadian missions list the child-of-citizen application at $250 for citizenship plus a $100 application fee, for $350 total, paid by check or money order to the Government of Grenada.² Grandchild registration fees can differ, so confirm the current amount with the consulate handling your file before you send payment.

Processing generally runs three to six months. Officials cross-check your certificates against national birth and marriage registries to confirm the ancestral link, and grandchild files, with their extra verification and background check, tend toward the longer end of that window. You are notified when the review is complete.

After Approval

Successful applicants receive a Certificate of Registration confirming their citizenship. That certificate is your foundational proof of Grenadian nationality and is what you present when applying for a Grenadian passport, which is a separate process with its own fees. The current ePassport costs US$350 for adults and is valid for 10 years; the children’s passport is US$250 and valid for 5 years. Expedited processing is available for an extra US$50 and takes roughly seven business days.⁶

Dual Citizenship and US Tax Reporting

Grenadian law does not prohibit dual citizenship. You can hold a Grenadian passport alongside your US, UK, Canadian, or other passport without renouncing anything. The United States likewise permits its citizens to hold foreign citizenships, so becoming Grenadian through descent will not endanger your US status.

Becoming Grenadian does not by itself trigger any US tax event, but opening accounts in Grenada afterward can. Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), Grenadian financial institutions must identify US-citizen account holders and report their account information to the IRS when the aggregate value exceeds $50,000, and they will ask you for your Social Security Number.⁷ Separately, any US person whose foreign financial accounts exceed $10,000 in aggregate at any point in the year must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) with FinCEN, including accounts you only have signature authority over. Failing to file can bring substantial civil and criminal penalties.⁸

1
Grenada Parliament. Grenada Constitution Act – Part VII Citizenship
2
Grenada High Commission. Instruction Sheet for Citizenship Children of Grenadian Parents
3
Grenada Consulate Miami. Instruction Sheet Citizenship Application Grandchildren of a Grenadian
4
Embassy of Grenada. Applying for Citizenship
5
Embassy of Grenada. Consulate General of Grenada – New York
6
Consulate General of Grenada, Miami. Nationals – Consular Services
7
Grenada Inland Revenue Division. FATCA – Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
8
Internal Revenue Service. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)