St Lucia citizenship: is it possible to obtain it if there are issues with documents?

Kelechi and Adola are a family from Nigeria. They found it challenging to obtain Schengen visas. The spouses were rarely issued multiple-entry visas and had to collect a lot of documents each time they applied. Moreover, some of their acquaintances had their visa applications denied, and the couple feared finding themselves in the same situation.

The spouses decided to take matters into their own hands and acquire second passports, eliminating the need for Schengen visas. Kelechi’s friend got St Lucia citizenship with the help of Immigrant Invest a couple of years ago and advised the spouses to do the same.

St Lucia passport holders can visit the Schengen Area visa-free, as well as more than a hundred other countries, including the UK, Ireland and Cyprus. Getting second citizenship in St Lucia would actually help Kelechi and Adola achieve their goal.

When the family contacted us, we conducted an internal Due Diligence check. This is a necessary procedure for all applicants, as the check shows whether they are eligible for the investment program.

We found that Kelechi and Adola qualified for the St Lucia citizenship program. But they had several issues with their documents that must be resolved before applying:

1. Kelechi did not have a birth certificate, which all applicants must provide.

2. Adola had different names stated on her identification documents.

3. The spouses did not have a marriage certificate, which must be presented if a family applies.

Let us show you how these issues were fixed.

When Kelechi was born, they did not issue birth certificates in Nigeria. The country had recently undergone a military coup, and the situation was unstable. Thus the National Population Commission (NPC) responsible for issuing birth certificates was suspended.

Kelechi could not apply for St Lucia citizenship without providing a birth certificate. Yet, the investor would not be able to obtain one, as it is issued only to newborn children.

The good news is Kelechi could acquire the attestation letter of the birth certificate with the same legal effect. The NPC can issue this document to anyone born in Nigeria before 1992.

The investor visited the NPC office and requested the attestation letter, for which he filled in a birth certificate form. Then Kelechi obtained an age declaration affidavit from the state’s High court and provided it to the NPC with a copy of his national ID card and a passport-sized photograph.

Kelechi was issued an attestation letter for the fee of NGN 2,600. The issue was resolved.

Adola found herself in the following situation. Recently, she had to renew her national ID card, which was to expire, and she decided it was a good time to change her name. So, she received a new ID card with the new name and also requested the attestation letter of birth certificate for her new name.

Yet, in Adola’s passport for international travel, the old name remained. Thus, she had identification documents with different names.

To prove the validity of her documents when applying for St Lucia citizenship, Adola did three things:

1. Signed an affidavit on the reconciliation of names at the High Court of Justice.

2. Asked her mother also to sign an affidavit of her daughter’s key facts of life, such as birth and the name change.

3. Provided a newspaper, which contained a notice of her changing her name.

Those were enough proof. The affidavit signed by Adola’s mother was optional to provide: we prepared it to be safe. But the newspaper publication was obligatory to present, and it was great Adola kept a copy. All the name change cases in Nigeria are reported in the press, so the St Lucia CBI unit requires such announcements to be included in the package of documents.

Adola and Kelechi considered themselves spouses and lived together for several years. However, they were not officially married.

St Lucia requires spouses to have their marriage registered by law and provide a marriage certificate if they file a joint application. The couple could get married before applying, but they refused to do it.

Adola and Kelechi,

Spouses from Nigeria

In Nigeria, marriages and divorces are regulated by strict laws. The spouses cannot get divorced at their will; they must obtain permission from the High Court.

The judicial process is tiresome and takes lots of time and money. Lawyers are obliged to make attempts to reconcile the spouses. And the Court divorces the couple only after they have proved their marriage broke down irretrievably. So, spouses may be denied a divorce.

We do not wish to put ourselves in that outdated and bureaucratic system.

On the advice of Immigrant Invest lawyers, the spouses decided to file two separate applications.

As two single applicants, Adola and Kelechi had to invest more money than a married couple. Thus, they chose the least expensive investment option under the St Lucia program: contribution to the state fund. This option requires $100,000 of investment, so Adola and Kelechi would spend $200,000, which fits their budget.

The couple wanted to make two contributions using the same source of funds: Adola’s account in the UAE bank. But Adola could not just take money from her account and pay for Kelechi’s participation in the Investment program with it. In such a case, Adola needed to become Kelechi’s official sponsor under the program.

Sponsorship under the St Lucia CBI Program is allowed at the following conditions:

• it is necessary to confirm the relationship between the sponsor and the sponsored person with an affidavit;

• both the sponsor and the sponsored person must pass the paid Due Diligence check.

Adola and Kelechi signed another affidavit stating how long they had been together and why they had not got married. The last issue was resolved.

On their St Lucia passports, Adola and Kelechi can now visit exactly a hundred more countries without visas. The Schengen states are on this list, so Adola and Kelechi are not worried about the high refusal rate of Schengen visas among Nigerian citizens.

Before and After

• 46 visa-free destinations on a Nigerian passport → 146 visa-free destinations on a St Lucia passport

• Visa to Schengen is required → Access to Schengen without visas

• Visa to the US is issued for 5 years → Visa to the US is issued for 10 years.

The spouses have already taken their first trip on St Lucia passports. They visited France without any questions at the border and enjoyed the journey a lot.

Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent for government programs in the European Union and the Caribbean.