Honduras · Citizenship
Honduras citizenship by naturalization
Source-checked15 sources, 11 officialHow we checkIn brief
Apply after more than 3 years in a row of residence. You'll take an exam and must renounce US nationality first.
Becoming a Honduran citizen
- Timeline
- More than 3 years in a row of legal residence, then apply
- Dual citizenship
- No: you renounce US nationality first; no treaty with the US was found. Its effect is a US-law question.
What you need
- Exam: a written test on Honduran history, geography and constitution, plus reading, writing and speaking Spanish.
- Exam dates: held every 3 months, with one retake after 6 months.
- Other checks: good conduct, lawful income, and tax and city clearance certificates.
- Shorter clocks: 1 year for Central Americans by birth; 2 for Spaniards and Ibero-Americans by birth.
- Fee: $400 (2004 fee)
Good to know
- Keeping it: you lose it by naturalizing elsewhere; over 2 years in a row abroad without permission suspends citizen rights.
Not yet verifiedRead in the constitution (consolidated to 2004) and the 2004 regulation.
Not established yetWhether residence counts from the grant date, and how short absences count.
Sources (2)
Legal basis and exact figures
- Clock: Constitution art 24(3): more than three consecutive years for 'los demás extranjeros'; one year for Central Americans by birth, two for Spaniards and Ibero-Americans; marriage to a Honduran by birth is art 24(6). Lawful residence (Reglamento art 89); residence lost after 12 consecutive months abroad (art 80(3)).
- Requirements: exam (Reglamento art 89(4)); art 90 good conduct, means, tax and municipal solvency; tariff USD 400 for 'nacionalidades restantes' (art 126(10), 2004). The President grants naturalisation (art 89).
- Renunciation and loss: prior renunciation unless a dual-nationality treaty exists (Constitution art 24(7),(9)); loss by naturalising elsewhere (art 29); citizenship rights lost after more than two consecutive years abroad without authorisation (art 42(6)).
Every rule, with its legal basis
The rules
US nationals fall under 'los demás extranjeros': more than three consecutive years of residence (Constitution art 24(3)); one year for Central Americans by birth, two consecutive years for Spaniards and Ibero-Americans by birth; marriage to a Honduran by birth is a separate ground (art 24(6)). Which residence counts: lawful residence for the constitutional period (Reglamento art 89); the application cites the residence resolution or special-stay permit and the Registro Nacional de Extranjeros entry (art 90(7)-(8)); whether time as a tourist counts is not established (presumed not).
Absences: the constitutional test is 'consecutivos'; residence itself is lost after more than 12 consecutive months abroad without permission (art 80(3)); no finer absence rule found.
Tests: written exam on Honduran history, geography and Constitution, plus reading, writing and speaking Spanish (art 89(4)); exams quarterly, one retake after six months. Also good conduct, lawful means, tax and municipal solvency certificates (art 90).
Dual nationality: the applicant must first renounce the prior nationality unless a dual-nationality treaty exists (Constitution art 24(7),(9)); no US–Honduras dual-nationality treaty was found. Honduran naturalisation is lost by naturalising elsewhere (art 29), and naturalised citizens lose citizenship rights after more than two consecutive years abroad without authorisation (art 42(6)). Effect of the renunciation statement under US law needs separate US-law analysis. Tariff USD 400 for 'nacionalidades restantes' (Reglamento art 126(10), 2004). The President grants naturalisation (art 89).
Not yet verified Whether every part of this timeline is confirmed at the official source.
Links
Other Honduras guides
Every rule with its legal source.
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