BarbadosCitizenship by marriage

Citizenship by marriage in Barbados

A route to Barbados citizenship for the foreign spouse of a citizen of the country. The applicant files the documents with the Immigration Department personally, on the prescribed form. The package confirms the applicant's identity, the fact of the marriage and the spouse's citizenship — including where the spouse acquired citizenship otherwise than by birth. The ground is designed for married applicants: children of citizens and long-term residents have their own grounds of registration. The outcome is registration of the applicant as a citizen of Barbados.

Source: Barbados Immigration Department — Barbadian Citizenship

Who can be registered as a citizen by marriage

The set of documents depends on how your spouse — the Barbados citizen — acquired citizenship of the country.

The spouse is a citizen of Barbados by birth

The spouse's birth and baptism certificates are required
No additional confirmation of their citizenship is needed
The rest of the document package is common to all applicants under this programme

The spouse became a citizen of Barbados otherwise than by birth — by registration, marriage or naturalisation

The spouse's birth and baptism certificates are required
In addition, a document confirming the spouse's citizenship is required
The rest of the document package is common to all applicants under this programme

When this programme will not suit you

You are not married to a citizen of Barbados but are their child

registration of citizenship by descent — sections 3(2) and 5(1) of the citizenship legislation

You want to live and work in Barbados but do not plan to take citizenship

permanent resident status on Form A1, section 5 of the Immigration Act

The matter is a work permit for a foreign employee rather than citizenship for a spouse

a work permit under section 17 of the Immigration Act — arranged by the employer

You are a citizen of the Commonwealth or of Ireland with long residence in Barbados but are not married to a citizen of the country

naturalisation under section 4(3) of the Citizenship Act, Form N1

What it costs

Fee for filing the application on Form R1Paid on filing; without payment of the fee the application will not be accepted	300 BBD
Final fee on approval of the application	1 500 BBD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	1 800 BBD

Paid separately

Official translation of documents into English — Required if the documents are drawn up in a foreign language; paid for separately from the state fee
Certification of a photograph by a justice of the peace or a notary — One of the three photographs must be certified; the certification service itself is not covered by the state fee

Documents to gather

The list for registration under sections 3(1), 3(3), 3A(1)(b) and 6 of the citizenship legislation — copies are submitted together with the originals.

The applicant's birth certificate
Birth and baptism certificates of the spouse who is a Barbados citizen; if the spouse acquired citizenship otherwise than by birth, additionally a document confirming their citizenship
Marriage certificate
Three passport photographs, one of them certified by a justice of the peace or a notary
A death certificate or a divorce document, if a previous marriage was dissolved
Passport page with biometric data
Official translation into English of all documents drawn up in a foreign language
An affidavit explaining discrepancies in the spelling of names across different documents — if there are any

How the process runs

The general procedure for registration as a citizen of Barbados by marriage.

1
Preparing and filing the application on Form R1
The applicant files the application together with the full package of documents — birth and marriage certificates, photographs and the passport page with biometric data — and pays the application fee; without payment of the fee the application will not be accepted.
2
Consideration of the application by the Immigration Department
The department checks the documents and confirms the ground of registration — one of sections 3(1), 3(3), 3A(1)(b) or 6 of the citizenship legislation.
3
Approval and registration as a citizen of Barbados
After approval, the applicant pays the final fee and is registered as a citizen of Barbados.

Timelines and rights

Work

A citizen of Barbados works without a permit: permits under section 17 of the Immigration Act are arranged by employers for foreign workers.

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

Permanent residence is arranged separately, on Form A1: a fee of 300 Barbados dollars and a further 1,200 on approval.

Route to citizenship

Citizenship of Barbados

Frequently asked questions about Citizenship by marriage

What should be attached to the application if the spouse became a citizen of Barbados otherwise than by birth?

In addition to the spouse's birth and baptism certificates, a document confirming their Barbados citizenship is required — this is stated separately in the requirements for the registration-by-marriage package.

Will the application be accepted without payment of the fee?

No — the department states expressly that applications without payment of the fees are not accepted; the application fee must be paid at the same time as the documents are submitted.

Can permanent residence be obtained instead of citizenship?

Yes, that is a separate programme — permanent resident status on Form A1, with its own set of documents and fees, unconnected with registration of citizenship by marriage.

Does a foreign spouse need a separate work permit after obtaining citizenship by marriage?

No — once registered as a citizen of Barbados, no work permit is required at all; it is needed only by foreign workers hired by a Barbadian employer under section 17 of the Immigration Act.

Where should enquiries about registration of citizenship by marriage be addressed?

To the citizenship section of the Immigration Department of Barbados — by email or on one of the telephone numbers listed; the head office is in Bridgetown, in the BTI Corporate Centre complex.

Other ways to move to Barbados

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Barbados.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.