| Sierra Leone Citizenship Act | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parliament of Sierra Leone | |
| |
| Enacted by | Government of Sierra Leone |
| Status: Current legislation | |
Sierra Leonean nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Sierra Leone, as amended; the Citizenship Act, and its revisions; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory.[1][2] These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Sierra Leone.[3] The legal means to acquire nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. Nationality describes the relationship of an individual to the state under international law, whereas citizenship is the domestic relationship of an individual within the nation.[4][5] In Britain and thus the Commonwealth of Nations, though the terms are often used synonymously outside of law, they are governed by different statutes and regulated by different authorities.[4] Sierra Leonean nationality is based on descent from a person who is Negro-African,[6] regardless of whether they were born in Sierra Leone, jus soli, or abroad to a Sierra Leonean, jus sanguinis.[7][8][Notes 1] The Negro clause was inserted based upon the founding of the colony as a refuge for former slaves to prevent economically powerful communities from obtaining political power.[10] It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalisation.[3]
- ^ Manby 2016, pp. 45, 137.
- ^ Khan 2021, p. 16.
- ^ a b Manby 2016, pp. 6–7.
- ^ a b Fransman 2011, p. 4.
- ^ Rosas 1994, p. 34.
- ^ Manby 2018, p. 3.
- ^ Manby 2016, pp. 48, 56.
- ^ Khan 2021, p. 9.
- ^ Manby 2016, p. 56.
- ^ Manby 2018, p. 320.
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