In an effort to simplify the process of obtaining citizenship, the Government of Grenada, one of the Caribbean islands, is seeking to make the application and follow-up process in two phases instead of one stage only. Therefore, the new procedure will significantly reduce the time taken for transactions.

Grenada’s second citizenship was obtained by submitting bundles of documents, which usually took many months to compile, authenticate and translate, let alone submit.

Therefore, to expedite the processing timeline, the Grenada CIU Citizenship Unit is adopting a mechanism of receiving the initial documents required for conducting the necessary due diligence procedures, subsequently, the submitting of final applications.

Agents will be able to pre-submit, on behalf of their clients, the necessary documents for due diligence, including:

• Current passport
• Birth certificate
• Second form picture ID
• Fill out some of the application papers.
• Police clearance certificate
• Education certificate
• Proof of Address
• Marriage/divorce certificate
• Bank reference
• Proof of source of funds

While the formal transaction procedure does not commence until after the application is completed in its entirety, the two-step process ensures that once the above papers are submitted to the due diligence, the procedure can be initiated immediately in conjunction with the process of completing the rest of the required documents and the remaining procedure can be completed in a relatively much shorter period.

The government also simplifies the documents according to the specificity of some customers in terms of culture and customs. In certain jurisdictions, you simply can’t get certain documents, as required from Grenada, so alternatives have been suggested in these cases.

A practical example is the CIU’s acceptance of Family Books (common in Arab countries) as a viable alternative to birth and marriage certificates.

Software-assisted processing;

The CIU Unit is also preparing to automate most of its work through the use of the application processing program. Program improvements are expected to be completed to deal with the entire process electronically. Within the next month, digitization is almost complete, and the system is expected to be online and fully functional by January.