Bahamas: The Certificate of Identity and the rights it confers to the bearer; whether a person who was born in the Bahamas to Haitian parents, lived there for several years before reaching the age of 18, and was issued four Certificate of Identity documents in the 1980s and 1990s could return to the Bahamas to live
The website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Bahamas indicates that Certificates of Identity (COI) are issued to people who were born in the Bahamas after 10 July 1973 to non-Bahamian parents (Bahamas n.d.). They are issued until the bearers are old enough to apply for citizenship (ibid.). The COI, although not a passport, is a form of identification that enables non-citizens living in the Bahamas to travel to other countries more easily (ibid.). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate on 4 November 2010, an official at the High Commission of the Bahamas in Ottawa stated that a COI does not give the person any citizenship or other additional rights in the Bahamas, and is meant for identification purposes only.
A 2010 article by the government's information agency, the Bahamas Information Services, describes the COI as a "black, 32-page booklet," while noting that the Passport office no longer issues it as a 2-page document (Bahamas 7 May 2010). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs likewise explains that the COI is an "electronic book" similar to a passport rather than the previously issued "paper document" (Bahamas n.d.). The requirements to obtain a COI include submission of a completed application form, three recent photographs, the applicant's original birth certificate or affidavit of birth, and the "immunization card of Baptismal certificate, if available" (ibid.). Minors up to the age of 18, are required to submit either the mother's or the father's passport; if the father's passport is submitted, a copy of the registered marriage certificate is also necessary (ibid.).
In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate on 1 November 2010, an official of the Consul General of the Bahamas in New York stated that if a person-one who had been born in the Bahamas to Haitian parents, had lived there for several years before turning 18, and had expired COI documents from the 1980s and 1990s-had not applied for citizenship between the ages of 17 and 18, he or she would not have a right to return to the Bahamas with an expired COI document (Bahamas 1 Nov. 2010).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Bahamas. 4 November 2010. High Commission of the Bahamas in Ottawa. Telephone interview with the Deputy High Commissioner.
_____. 1 November 2010. Office of the Consul General in New York. Telephone interview with an official.
_____. 7 May 2010. Bahamas Information Services. Lindsay Thompson. "Passport Office Continuing Its Thrust to Better Serve the Public." <http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/bahamasweb2/home.nsf/vPrint/127CE7A5A907A3D48525 77200041DA3A> [Accessed 4 Nov. 2010]
_____. N.d. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Passport Application Requirements." <http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/bahamasweb2/home.nsf/vContentW/AFEDC3A134FC7E7 D852577AE005FA1D5> [Accessed 4 Nov. 2010]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Attempts to contact officials at the Immigration Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office in Nassau were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response.
Internet sites, including: Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Refworld.