The largest Grenadian communities outside the Caribbean grew out of post-war migration: to Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, and to New York, Toronto and Montreal from the 1960s onwards. Their children and grandchildren now make up a large share of the people asking about Grenadian citizenship, often with a specific aim: a second passport, the right to retire on the island without permits, or the chance to buy family land without a foreigner's licence.
Most of the work can be done without leaving home. The citizenship rules are the same wherever you live, but the documents you need come from your own country's registries, and the way you file depends on which Grenadian mission serves you. This page covers those practical differences for applicants in the UK, the United States and Canada. Procedures and fees change; confirm the details with the citizenship office in St George's or the mission before sending anything.
Same law, different paperwork
The question of descent or registration as a child or grandchild of Grenadians turns on your family chain, not on where you live. What changes from country to country is how you prove your side of that chain. Grenada will want full certified birth certificates that show parents' names, and in some cases apostilles or legalisation, photographs certified by a notary or Justice of the Peace, a medical certificate and, for grandchildren, a police certificate from your country.
The Grenadian end of the chain is a certified birth certificate from the General Registry in St George's for the Grenada-born parent or grandparent. If no one in the family holds a recent certified copy, start that request first. It is almost always the slowest item.
Grenada permits dual citizenship, and so do the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Holding a Grenadian passport does not by itself affect a British, American or Canadian one, although each country has its own rules on which passport to use when entering it.
Applicants in the United Kingdom
Birth certificates. Order the full birth certificate, not the short version that omits parents. Copies come from the General Register Office for England and Wales, or the equivalent offices in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Apostille. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office legalisation service issues apostilles for UK public documents. Ask whether Grenada requires them for your file before paying.
Police certificate. Grandchild applicants usually need a police certificate. In the UK this is generally obtained through the ACRO Criminal Records Office for overseas purposes; Disclosure and Barring Service checks are designed for employment and may not be what is wanted.
Mission. The Grenada High Commission in London serves applicants in the UK. Ask whether it accepts citizenship applications for forwarding, certifies documents, or only advises.
Windrush-era families. Many grandparents travelled on British passports as citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies. Those old passports, landing cards and Home Office papers often record a Grenadian birthplace, which helps the Registry search.
Applicants in the United States and Canada
US birth certificates. Request a certified long-form copy from the state or city vital records office where you were born; New York City births are handled separately from the rest of New York State. Apostilles are issued by the secretary of state of the issuing state.
US police certificate. An FBI Identity History Summary is the usual national check; ask whether a state-level certificate is also wanted.
US missions. Grenada has an embassy in Washington and a consulate general in New York, which serves the large Brooklyn and Queens community. Ask which handles citizenship enquiries for your state.
Canadian birth certificates. Long-form certificates come from the provincial vital statistics office. Canada joined the Apostille Convention in 2024, so ask whether an apostille or the older authentication route applies.
Canadian police certificate. A certified criminal record check based on fingerprints through the RCMP is the standard national certificate.
Canadian mission. Grenada has a consular presence in Toronto serving Canadian residents; confirm current arrangements before sending anything.
A filing plan that works from abroad
Applicants who keep to this order rarely have to start again:
- Confirm with the citizenship office or your mission if your case is one of descent or of registration, and which form applies.
- Ask a relative or attorney in Grenada to obtain the certified Grenadian birth certificate of your parent or grandparent.
- Order your own long-form birth certificate, and your parent's if the link runs through a grandparent.
- Obtain apostilles or legalisation only for the documents Grenada says need them.
- Book a medical with your doctor using the wording on the Grenadian form; generic letters are often returned.
- Have the application form signed and photographs certified before a notary public; Commonwealth applicants may also find a Justice of the Peace accepted.
- Order the police certificate last so it is recent when the file is lodged.
- Submit through the route the office or mission confirms, by tracked courier or in person, keeping a full copy.
Timing, follow-up and the passport afterwards
No published processing time applies to descent or registration files, and experiences vary from a few months to considerably longer. Applicants with a relative or attorney in St George's who can follow up in person tend to hear faster. Keep the courier tracking number and a copy of everything, including the photographs.
Registration ends with a certificate of registration, and descent cases are usually proved through a passport application. Either way, the Grenadian passport is a separate step with its own form and fee, handled by the Immigration and Passport Office in Grenada or through a mission abroad.
Once you hold Grenadian status, think about what you want from it. Living in Grenada becomes possible without permits; buying land no longer needs an Alien Landholding Licence; and returning nationals may qualify for customs concessions when moving household goods. Tax is a separate matter: becoming Grenadian does not change where you are tax resident.
Pitfalls specific to applicants abroad
Distance makes every mistake slower to fix, because a returned file has to travel back across the Atlantic or up from the Caribbean before it can be corrected. These problems come up repeatedly with diaspora files:
- Using a short-form birth certificate, which omits the parents and breaks the chain.
- Sending irreplaceable originals without certified copies kept at home.
- Letting the police certificate expire while waiting for the Grenadian birth record.
- Paying intermediaries who promise faster results; the office decides the pace and the fees are set by the government.
- Assuming a mission can approve the application. Missions advise and may forward files; decisions are made in St George's.
- Forgetting that a parent's name changed on marriage or naturalisation abroad, without a certificate to prove it.
- Paying fees by a method the office does not accept; ask how foreign applicants should pay before sending money.
Thinking ahead for the next generation
Diaspora applicants often focus on their own passport and forget that the same records will matter for their children. A grandchild of a Grenadian who registers today may have children of their own who want to claim a link later, and they will need the full chain, including documents that are easy to obtain now and hard to find in thirty years.
Keep a complete digital and paper copy of the file: the Grenadian ancestor's certificate, every marriage record that explains a change of name, the birth certificates for each generation, and the certificate of registration or first passport. Store one set away from home.
If your children are minors, ask whether they can be registered at the same time or soon after you. Registration rules for children of citizens can be simpler while they are under 18, and an application made while the family papers are already assembled is far cheaper than starting again.
Frequently asked questions
Is a trip to Grenada needed to apply?
Usually not. Many applicants file through a Grenadian mission, an attorney or a relative in St George's. A visit can help with locating old records and following up, but it is rarely a formal requirement for descent or registration.
Does claiming Grenadian citizenship affect British, US or Canadian citizenship?
Those three countries permit dual citizenship, so acquiring Grenadian status does not by itself cause loss of the other nationality. Each country still expects its own citizens to enter on its passport, so travel on the right one.
Which Grenadian mission should applicants contact?
Applicants in Britain usually contact the High Commission in London, those in the United States the embassy in Washington or the consulate general in New York, and those in Canada the consular office in Toronto. Confirm which handles citizenship files.
Does Grenada need foreign certificates to be apostilled?
It depends on the document and the current practice of the citizenship office. Ask before paying, because apostilles cost money and take time. Documents issued in Grenada, such as the ancestor's birth certificate, do not need one.
Can children apply at the same time as a parent?
Children's eligibility depends on their own position in the chain. If you are a citizen, minor children may have a registration route of their own. Ask the office whether family files can be lodged together to save courier costs.
Is a Grenadian passport useful for someone living in Britain or North America?
Its main value for diaspora families is usually the right to live, work and buy land in Grenada without permits, rather than travel. Visa-free access varies by destination and changes, so check for the trips you have in mind.
