Sierra Leone Citizenship Act No.4 of 1973
Published: 24/Mai/1973
Original unamended version.
In relation to citizenship attributed at birth, the law provides that:
2. Citizenship by birth
Every person who, having been born in Sierra Leone before the nineteenth day of April, 1971, or who was resident in Sierra Leone on the eighteenth day of April, 1971, and not the subject of any other State shall, on the nineteenth day of April, 1971, be deemed tobe a citizen of Sierra Leone by birth:
Provided that-
(a) his father or his grandfather was born in Sierra Leone; and
(b) he is a person of negro African descent;
3. Citizenship by birth in Sierra Leone
Every person born in Sierra Leone on or after the nineteenth day of April, 1971, in the circumstances set out in section 2, shall be deemed to be a citizen of Sierra Leone by birth.
4. Citizenship by birth outside Sierra Leone
Every person born or resident outside Sierra Leone on or before the eighteenth day of April, 1971, and who, but for such birth or
residence outside Sierra Leone would be a citizen of Sierra Leone by virtue of section 2, shall, on the nineteenth day of April 1971, be deemed to be a citizen of Sierra Leone by birth.
5. Citizenship by descent
Every person born outside Sierra Leone on or after the nineteenth day of April 1971, of a father who was or would but for his death have been a citizen of Sierra Leone by virtue of sections 2, 3 and 4, is a citizen of Sierra Leone by birth.
6. Other category of citizenship
Every person whose mother is or was a citizen of Sierra Leone by virtue of sections 2,3, 4 and 5 and who does not or did not acquire the citizenship of another State shall be deemed to be a citizen of Sierra Leone by birth.
Download: Sierra Leone Citizenship Act 1973 original
The naturalisation provisions were amended in 1976. Gender discrimination was removed in amendments made in 2006 and 2017.