Bahamian nationality law is regulated by the 1973 Constitution of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, as amended; The Bahamas Nationality Act; The Bahamas Immigration Act; and various British Nationality laws.[1][2][3] These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of The Bahamas. Bahamian nationality is typically obtained either on the principle of jus soli, i.e. by birth in The Bahamas; or under the rules of jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth abroad to a father with Bahamian nationality. It can also be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalisation.[4] There is currently no program in The Bahamas for citizenship by investment.[5] Nationality establishes one's international identity as a member of a sovereign nation.[6] Though it is not synonymous with citizenship, rights granted under domestic law for domestic purposes, the United Kingdom, and thus the commonwealth, has traditionally used the words interchangeably.[7]
- ^ Fransman 2011, p. 837.
- ^ Belton 2020, p. 1.
- ^ Craton & Saunders 2000, p. 435.
- ^ Belton 2020, pp. 2–3, 5.
- ^ Walkine 2020.
- ^ Fransman 2011, p. 3.
- ^ Fransman 2011, p. 4.