Registration of a Commonwealth citizen

I came to Jamaica eight years ago from Nigeria with my family. My father is employed here and we accompanied him to the island. I attended high school and university and now I wish to remain in Jamaica and become a citizen. What is the procedure?

In applying for Jamaican citizenship, one typically does so in a particular category. Categories may include citizenship by descent, citizenship in cases of doubt, citizenship by virtue of marriage, registration of minors, naturalisation of aliens (non-Commonwealth) and registration of Commonwealth citizens.

A Commonwealth national who has resided legitimately in Jamaica for at least five consecutive years, and is of good character, may make an application on the relevant form for registration as a Jamaican citizen.

The application should be made, in duplicate, on the Registration Form, R3, which is obtainable at the Jamaica Printing Services located at 77¹/² Duke Street, Kingston. It may also be down-loaded from the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) website, www.pica.gov.jm. The form should be read carefully then completed before a justice of the peace, notary public or by someone authorised to administer oaths.

The completed application must then be sub-mitted to PICA supported by the following documents:

Applicant's original birth certificate.

Passport on which the applicant originally entered Jamaica and current passport, if different.

Work permit or exemption certificate or contract.

Evidence of community activities in which the applicant is involved, for example, service club, etc

Tax Compliance Certificate.

Two passport-size photographs certified by a justice of the peace, a notary public or someone authorised to administer oaths.

Verification of income.

Recent bank statements.

Once all documents are submitted in good order, the application process begins. Where an application is approved, the applicant will be required to pay a fee of $7,000 to complete the process.

Registration of a minor (persons under 18 years)

An application for Jamaican citizenship may be tendered on behalf of a minor, whose parent(s)/ legal guardian(s) is/are registered or naturalised Jamaican(s) or whose parent(s) or legal guardian (s) is/are making an application for Jamaican citizenship.

The application should be made, in duplicate, on the Registration Form, R4, which is obtainable at the Jamaica Printing Services located at 771/2 Duke Street, Kingston. It may also be downloaded from the PICA website, www.pica.gov.jm.

The form should be read carefully then completed before a justice of the peace, notary public or by someone authorised to administer oaths by the parent or legal guardian of the minor. In addition, two references are required to sponsor the application. These persons should be Jamaicans by birth and should not be a civil servant, a relative, a lawyer or an agent of the applicant.

Having satisfied the above-mentioned requirements the completed application should be submitted to PICA supported by the following documents:

Minor's original birth certificate.

Minor's passport.

Parents' marriage certificate.

Parents' passports.

Evidence of parents' Jamaican nationality (if a citizen of Jamaica).

Parents' work permit (if not a citizen of Jamaica).

Parents' Tax Compliance Certificate (if not a citizen of Jamaica).

Two passport-size photographs of the minor certified by a justice of the peace, a notary public or someone authorised to administer oaths.

Once all documents submitted are compliant, the application process begins. Where an application is approved, a fee of $2,500 is required to complete the process. The process ends with the issuance of a Jamaican citizenship certificate which may be used thereafter to obtain a Jamaican passport.