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Citizenship by Descent: Document and Task Tracker

Every document and every task for a citizenship by descent application under Benin's Law No. 2024-31, in the order they actually need to happen.

Use it now
Open the tracker
Works in your browser. Tick things off and it saves your progress.
Or print it
Download the PDF
10 pages with real checkboxes. Fill it in or print it.
NO EMAIL REQUIRED  ·  NOTHING TO BUY  ·  NOTHING TRACKED

I built this while going through the process myself, because I could not find a single place that laid out what you actually need and in what order.

26
documents, grouped by category
63
tasks across 8 phases
2
formats, both free

Please read this before you use the labels

I marked things Required, Recommended, and Optional based on my own application, and I want to be upfront that those labels are my best read, not the official word.

A lot of this is situational. Depending on your lineage, the records that exist for your family, and what the platform actually asks you for, things I marked Required may not apply to you at all. Some of the translations and apostilles listed may never come up in your case.

So treat it as a list of everything that could come up rather than a list of things you must produce. Honestly, its main use for me was keeping track of what I had already done, and that is probably what it will be best for you too.

What is in it

1 Order & Request 2 Build & Draft 3 Notarize 4 Apostille 5 Translate 6 Organize & Scan 7 Submit 8 Travel Prep

The thing that cost me the most time

Apostilles and certified French translations may not be required to upload. The portal can accept your documents without them.

They are still required when you petition in person in Benin. Documents that cleared the upload can be rejected at the counter, and these are the two steps with the longest lead times. Do not read the upload accepting you as permission to skip them.

This process is still changing

Law No. 2024-31 is new and the application process is being actively refined. This tracker carries a version number, and updated versions are free.

Always confirm current requirements at myafroorigins.bj. This organizes the process. It does not replace the official source.

Who made this, and why it is free

I made it. I am a systems engineer, and organizing complicated multi-step processes is literally my job. I was going through this application anyway, so I built the tracker as I went.

It is free because it should be. There is no email signup, no upsell inside it, and nothing to buy. If it saves you the reverse-engineering it saved me, that is the whole point.

If you spot something wrong or the process changes on you, tell me and I will update it.

A note on what this is not

This is an educational organizing tool, not legal or immigration advice. I am not a lawyer and I am not affiliated with the Beninese government or with myafroorigins.bj. Your situation may need documents this does not list.

Take it and use it

Both versions are the same content. Pick whichever suits how you work.

Use it now
Open the tracker
Or print it
Download the PDF