Beninese nationality law

Beninese nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Benin, as amended; the Beninese (formerly Dahomean) Nationality Code, and its revisions; the Family Code; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Benin. 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. Beninese nationality is typically obtained under the principle of jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth in Benin or abroad to parents with Beninese nationality. 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.

In September of 2024, a law was passed extending the right to Beninese nationality to descendants of Africans who were enslaved and forcibly removed from the continent during the Atlantic slave trade. The Bight of Benin was a major port used by European merchants to deport enslaved people to the Americas. The country views the extension of nationality to "Afro-descendants" as a form of reconciliation in which Benin formerly recognizes its role in the slave trade:

“By legally recognizing these children of Africa, Benin is healing a historical wound. It is an act of justice, but also one of belonging and hope." — Yvon Detchenou, Benin Minister of Justice and Legislation

The Afro-descendant law went into effect in July of 2025.