Guinea-Bissau Citizenship for the Family: Dual Citizenship and Loss

The family is where the question “what is included in $90,000” really matters. Here is what the BRIDGES programme page says and what the Nationality Law as amended in 2010 provides.

Who BRIDGES includes in the application

• Main applicant: 18 or older, no criminal record, no sanctions, a confirmed legal source of funds.
• Spouse: with a registered marriage.
• Children: together with the parents; the age limits are confirmed when the budget is calculated.
• Other dependants: the right to include them is confirmed before filing.

The rates for the spouse and children are not published. They are confirmed in writing.

What the law says about children

Article 6 of the Nationality Law allows the minor children of a person who acquired Guinean citizenship to receive it on request. When they come of age, they may opt for another nationality. Article 7 covers children adopted with full adoption.

What the law says about spouses

Article 8 allows a foreign spouse of a Guinean citizen to acquire citizenship after three years of marriage and one year of residence. In an investment file, the spouse is usually included directly, as BRIDGES describes, so this article is more relevant if the marriage happens later.

Dual citizenship

The preamble of Law No. 6/2010 says that the reform admits dual nationality without restrictions, and the BRIDGES Passport Index also marks dual citizenship as allowed. Article 23 adds a practical rule: if you are Guinean and hold other nationalities, Guinean law only takes your Guinean citizenship into account.

The second half of the question is your own country. Some countries do not allow dual citizenship or require you to report a second one. I always check this before the agreement.

Giving up the citizenship

Under Article 10(1), a person who is also a national of another state can lose Guinean citizenship by declaring that they no longer want to be Guinean.

Losing the citizenship

Article 10(2) lists the cases in which a naturalised citizen loses Guinean citizenship:

• a final conviction for an intentional crime against the external security of the State;
• acting against the interests of Guinea-Bissau in favour of a foreign state or its agents;
• citizenship obtained by fraudulent means.

Separately, under Articles 12 and 13 the Public Prosecutor can oppose an acquisition within one year before the Supreme Court of Justice. This is why I take the honesty of every document in the file very seriously: an error can matter even after the decree.

My practical advice

Write down the whole family before the first consultation: ages of the children, marriage documents, any adult dependants. Then ask for a written calculation for each person. For the costs see the cost guide.