Citizenship by descent for a Cuban citizen

Q: I am a Cuban citizen but my grandmother's mother was born in Jamaica in 1901. I want to apply for Jamaican citizenship. How can I apply for citizenship and how may I obtain my great grandmother's birth certificate to start the process?

A: To establish a claim for citizenship of Jamaica, you have to prove your Jamaican lineage and apply for Jamaican citizenship by descent.

Therefore, as you have rightly indicated, you would need to obtain a copy of your great grandmother's birth certificate from the Registrar General's Department in Jamaica.

You may make contact the office at: www.rgd.gov.jm or call 876-619-1260, 876-749-0550 to initiate the process of getting your great grandmother's birth certificate.

In addition to acquiring your great grandmother's birth certificate, you also need the birth certificate of successive generations, on your great grandmother's side, that is, your grandmother or grandfather (your great grandmother's child) and your mother or father (your great grandmother's grandchild). You would also need to submit your birth certificate.

Note that each birth document must contain the name of the parent connected to your great grandmother. This will prove (or connect) your lineage to her. After you have obtained these documents, you are free to apply for Jamaican citizenship.

To establish a claim to Jamaican citizenship by descent, you must complete a request form obtainable at the Jamaican Embassy in Havana or on our website, www.pica.gov.jm. The form should state your address, name, date and place of birth. You must also state the names and nationalities of your descendants with Jamaican lineage - your parent, grandparent and great grandparent.

You should then submit the form at the Jamaican Embassy in Havana, Cuba, along with all the birth certificates afore mentioned. Photocopies are accepted only if they are certified by a consular officer, notary public or a justice of the peace.

Additionally, you must submit two passport-size photographs of yourself. These must also be certified by a justice of the peace or notary public.

Citizenship requests, for which the supporting documents are in order, will be processed within 25 working days of receipt at the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency. The cost for this service is J$10,000.

At the end of the process, you will be issued with a letter of certification to confirm your status as a citizen of Jamaica and, as such, are entitled to enjoy the basic rights and opportunities as an ordinary Jamaican, including the right to bear a Jamaican passport.

Good luck!

For further information, visit our website at: www.pica.gov.jm. For enquiries please write to: info@pica.gov.jm. Like our Facebook page at: Facebook.com/PICAJamaica/