VisaForeign spouses applying for citizenship in Saint Lucia need tax and police records
A current-rule guide to preparing the marriage application, checking fee categories and keeping existing immigration permission up to date.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Confirm the marriage route and obtain the correct form
Foreign spouses of Saint Lucian citizens by birth preparing a citizenship application need a file that covers tax compliance and character checks as well as the marriage. This current-rule guide follows that category in the embassy’s published checklist. Section 6 of the Citizenship Act provides registration routes for spouses, with different statutory provisions for women and men; it should not be reduced to a promise of automatic citizenship on marriage.
The Department of External Affairs’ Miami resource specifies two copies of Form 3 for citizenship by marriage. Washington’s consular-services directory also links the marriage application as Form 3 and provides a separate marriage checklist. Use those named resources to locate the packet, rather than selecting a descent or naturalisation form because it also asks about a spouse.
Collect both partners’ civil documents and character evidence
The Washington embassy’s linked checklist identifies the applicant’s birth certificate, the Saint Lucian spouse’s birth certificate and the applicant’s marriage certificate. It also asks for three passport photographs certified by one of the listed officials, a passport, a home-country character certificate, an income-tax certificate and a work permit where applicable. Check whether the names across these records agree before sending originals for assessment.
Miami’s instructions additionally describe a passport showing updated immigration status and police clearance from Saint Lucia and/or the other nationality. That wording does not identify every country or period of residence for which an individual applicant will need a police record. Ask the Citizenship Unit which jurisdictions must be covered and how recent the records must be. Neither checklist establishes a universal validity period for all police certificates, so do not assume an old certificate remains acceptable simply because the name is unchanged.
Arrange the income-tax compliance letter before filing
The government’s Tax Clearance Letter service explains the preparatory work behind the tax evidence. Requesters should bring proper identification, submit outstanding income-tax returns and settle outstanding taxes. Where arrears cannot be cleared, the service says the requester is referred to a collections officer to arrange satisfactory payment. This is a reason to check the tax file early, rather than discovering a missing return when the citizenship documents are otherwise ready.
The service lists no fee and a processing time of one to three business days. That is the published tax-letter service time, not a citizenship-decision timetable. A representative requesting a letter for another individual needs authorisation and the individual’s identity card; requests for someone overseas require a copy of the power of attorney. Confirm with Inland Revenue that the letter issued addresses the compliance evidence requested for this citizenship file.
Separate the grant charge, handling charge and stamp duty
Schedule 2 of the Citizenship Regulations in the Attorney General’s 2023 Revised Laws lists section 6 registration-certificate charges of EC$2,000 for CARICOM nationals, EC$3,000 for Commonwealth citizens and EC$5,000 for other foreign nationals, payable to the Accountant General. It separately lists a EC$50 non-refundable application charge and EC$25 stamp duty. Obtain the current assessment for the applicant’s category before payment.
Miami’s checklist instead labels the stamp as USD 10. Do not add or substitute those differently expressed stamp amounts without confirmation from the Citizenship Unit. Washington’s linked checklist also specifies an EC$25 local-post-office stamp. These published instructions need reconciliation on the current denomination and payment route; they do not support quoting a single confirmed all-inclusive price.
| Category or item | Published charge |
|---|---|
| CARICOM national: certificate | EC$2,000 |
| Commonwealth citizen: certificate | EC$3,000 |
| Other foreign national: certificate | EC$5,000 |
| Non-refundable application charge | EC$50 |
| Stamp duty | EC$25 |
Confirm submission arrangements and maintain immigration permission
Miami’s resource says applications are submitted personally to the Citizenship Unit at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Saint Lucia. The Washington embassy directory offers information and forms, which should not be read as proof that mailing the marriage file to Washington completes the domestic application. Ask the Citizenship Unit about the appointment, interview arrangements and any additional evidence before booking travel. The publicly examined material does not establish a current end-to-end decision time.
For applicants already in Saint Lucia, keep the citizenship file separate from permission to remain. Washington’s consular page provides distinct visitor-extension instructions for a person married to a Saint Lucian, including marriage evidence and the spouse’s birth certificate and valid identification. If existing stay permission is approaching expiry, use that extension resource and the Immigration Department to establish the necessary action. A citizenship application checklist requiring updated status is not evidence that submitting citizenship papers automatically extends a visitor’s stay.
