Guinea-Bissau Nationality Law: Article 9 and the Status of the Programme

In this guide I look only at the law. The question is simple: on what basis can a foreigner receive Guinea-Bissau citizenship without living in the country? I read the Law No. 6/2010 published in the Boletim Oficial No. 25 of 21 June 2010, which amends and republishes the Nationality Law No. 2/92, and the original 1992 text on the website of the National People’s Assembly.

Article 9: naturalisation

Article 9(1) allows the Government, by decree and on the proposal of the Minister of Justice, to grant citizenship to foreigners who:

• are adults under Guinean law and under the law of their country;
• have a minimal knowledge of Guinean culture and identify with it;
• have lived habitually and legally in Guinea-Bissau for at least six years.

The two waivers

Article 9(2) allows the Government, when it considers it fair and opportune, to waive the residence condition for people who rendered relevant services to the Guinean people during or after the Liberation Struggle. This concerns history, not investors.

Article 9(3) is the important one. The Government may waive both the culture and the residence conditions for people who render, or are called to render, relevant services to the State in the national development process. The law does not define these services and does not mention money. An investment route can only be built on this paragraph, and it remains a discretionary decision of the Government in each case.

What changed in 2010

The preamble of Law No. 6/2010 explains the reform: it admits dual nationality without restrictions and shortens the residence period. Compared with the 1992 text, the residence requirement went from ten years to six, and the rule that a foreign spouse had to renounce their nationality disappeared. Article 23 now says that if Guinean citizenship is one of several, only it counts under Guinean law.

What the law does not contain

• no investment option and no amount;
• no list of approved projects or funds;
• no deadline for the decision.

I also did not find any published decree or regulation that creates a citizenship by investment programme. Some private websites describe one, but they are not official and I do not use them as sources.

The status of the BRIDGES direction

The BRIDGES programme page says that BRIDGES is preparing the launch of the Guinea-Bissau direction and that the page published in August 2026 is preliminary. The $90,000 contribution, the stages and the budget are fixed in the agreement. I therefore describe it as an announced direction, not as a statutory programme with a public tariff.

The political context

Any decree under Article 9 is signed by the Government. According to the BBC, the military took power in November 2025 and the transitional authorities set elections for 6 December 2026. DW reported in October 2026 that the elections were postponed indefinitely. A discretionary procedure depends on the people in office, so I count this as a real risk.

What I conclude

The legal door exists: Article 9(3) allows citizenship without residence. But it is a door that the Government opens case by case. Before paying more than stage 1, I would want to see in writing which legal ground your decree will cite and who signs it. For the effects of the decree on the family and on your current passport, see the family and dual citizenship guide.