[12] Persons who acquire nationality by registration include: Ordinary naturalisation in Trinidad and Tobago can be obtained by adult persons of legal capacity, who in the 12 months prior to submitting an application resided in the territory, are of good character, and intend to be a resident of Trinidad and Tobago.

[17] Nationals may voluntarily renounce their affiliation with Trinidad and Tobago, if the declarant is a legal adult and of full capacity.

[23] That year, Sedeño landed on Trinidad and built a small fort on the Paria Peninsula of Venezuela, but left it to secure reinforcements.

[33] The first provisions for foreigners to be allowed to operate in Spanish territories were known as Carta de naturaleza, established by royal decree in 1567.

[36] In colonial Spanish America, as had been established by the Siete Partidas (Seven-Part Code) enacted by Alfonso X of Castile in the 13th century, families were organized with a male head of household, who controlled the power, required obedience, and provided support and protection.

[42] They were repelled by the Kalinago people, rebuilt their colony, but were driven off by the Spanish in 1636, leading them to settle on the northern coast of Trinidad.

[44] Kettler had first attempted to establish a colony on Tobago in 1639, but it failed after repeated attacks by the indigenous Kalina people and Kalinago from neighboring islands.

[46] Shortly thereafter, Adrian and Cornelius Lampsins from Middelburg and Vlissingen in the southwestern Netherlands, established a colony in Tobago, agreeing to recognize the Duke of Courland and pay him an annual tribute.

[47] As both the Dutch and Courlander settlements were primarily founded as commercial enterprises, nationality did not play a large role in the governance.

[46][52] During the civil war in Courland, Kettler was imprisoned in Sweden, and the Dutch took over Tobago in 1660, transporting the remaining Corlanders back to Europe and promising to return the settlement to the duke if he regained his freedom.

[53] French settlement had been increasing on the island and they had settled primarily in the Courlander territory[47] and in 1662 Louis XIV of France granted his patronage and the Barony of Tobago to Cornelius Lampsins.

[56] Under the terms of the 1667 Treaty of Breda all colonies returned to their previous owners, restoring Tobago to the Dutch, without mention of the Courlander or French claims to the island.

[61] The Ancien Régime of France developed a system of feudal allegiance in which subjects were bound together by a scheme of protection and service tied to land ownership.

[62] Possession of land was typically tied to military and court service and omitted women because they could not perform those obligations.

[67] Though it did not prohibit the marriage of blacks and whites, the Code carried substantial fines and penalties for owners who produced illegitimate children with slaves.

[72] Under terms of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Tobago was awarded to Britain and was reportedly uninhabited, though in 1757, 300 indigenous and 8 or 9 French families had been living there.

[88] That year, the British captured Trinidad during the French Revolutionary Wars and was formally awarded the island in 1802 by the Treaty of Amiens.

[74][89] At its acquisition, Trinidad became a crown colony, but with the proviso that Spanish law be retained until a free election could be held to determine its governance.

Tobago was restored to British control in 1814 under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Napoleonic Wars, with similar provisions to retain French law.

[111] In 1833, Tobago, along with Barbados, Grenada, and Saint Vincent were joined in the British Windward Islands colony, though each territory had its own Legislative Assembly.

[115] The uniform law, which went into effect on 1 January 1915, required a married woman to derive her nationality from her spouse, meaning if he was British, she was also, and if he was foreign, so was she.

[118] The statute reiterated common law provisions for natural-born persons born within the realm on or after the effective date.

[119] For those born abroad on or after the effective date, legitimacy was still required, and could only be derived by a child from a British father (one generation), who was natural-born or naturalised.

[122] Because of a rise in statelessness, a woman who did not automatically acquire her husband's nationality upon marriage or upon his naturalisation in another country, did not lose their British status after 1933.

[123] The 1943 revision allowed a child born abroad at any time to be a British national by descent if the Secretary of State agreed to register the birth.

The federation was unable to develop a unified nationality scheme, as member states tended to identify with their specific island, rather than by region.

[126] As soon as it became evident that the federal structure had failed, Trinidad and Tobago began to pursue independence, which was attained that same year.

[128] Subsequently, Trinidad and Tobago passed the 1976 Citizenship Act, which removed gender disparities, and provided for nationality by adoption.