Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
an
nationality law
Nationality law is the law of a sovereign state, and of each of its jurisdictions, that defines the legal manner in which a national identity is acquired and how it may be lost. In international law, the legal means to acquire nationality and for ...
is regulated by the
Constitution of Mali
The 1992 Constitution of Mali was approved by a referendum on 12 January 1992 after being drawn up by a national conference in August 1991. The constitution provides for multi party democracy within a semi-presidential system.
It was briefly su ...
, as amended; the Personal and Family Code, and its revisions; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Mali. The legal means to acquire
nationality
Nationality is a legal identification of a person in international law, establishing the person as a subject, a ''national'', of a sovereign state. It affords the state jurisdiction over the person and affords the person the protection of the ...
, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
. 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. Malian nationality is typically obtained under the
jus sanguinis
( , , ; 'right of blood') is a principle of nationality law by which citizenship is determined or acquired by the nationality or ethnicity of one or both parents. Children at birth may be citizens of a particular state if either or both of t ...
, i.e. by birth in Mali or abroad to parents with Malian 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 naturalization.
Acquisition of nationality
Nationality can be acquired in Mali at birth or later in life through naturalization.
By birth
Malian law makes distinction of whether a child is born in or out of wedlock. Children born
legitimately within a marriage automatically acquire nationality at birth; whereas, children born illegitimately must follow an administrative procedure during their
minority
Minority may refer to:
Politics
* Minority government, formed when a political party does not have a majority of overall seats in parliament
* Minority leader, in American politics, the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative b ...
to confirm their
filiation
Filiation is the legal term for the recognized legal status of the relationship between family members, or more specifically the legal relationship between parent and child. As described by the Government of Quebec:
Filiation is the relationship ...
to their parent. Upon attaining majority, children may repudiate nationality bestowed at birth. Those who acquire nationality at birth include:
* Children born in Mali to at least one parent also born in Mali, who had original nationality from an African state;
* Children born abroad to at least one parent who was born in Mali and has Malian nationality; or
* Children or newborn
foundlings
Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring in an illegal way, with the intent of never resuming or reasserting guardianship. The phrase is typically used to describe the physical abandonment of a ...
born in the country whose parents are unknown.
By naturalization
Naturalization can be granted to persons who have resided in the territory for a sufficient period of time to confirm they understand the customs and traditions of Mali and are integrated into the society. General provisions are that applicants have good character and conduct; are in good mental health; and have no criminal record which resulted in a sentence exceeding one year. Applicants must typically have resided in the country for ten years. Besides foreigners meeting the criteria, other persons who may be naturalized include:
* Children legally adopted by a Malian parent, at the time of completion of a legal adoption automatically derive Malian nationality;
* Minor children may automatically naturalize when their parent acquires nationality;
* Children born in the territory to foreign nationals may naturalize within six months prior to reaching the age of majority after a five-year residency; or
* The foreign or stateless spouse of a Malian national;
* Foreign parents (but not those who are stateless), provided they have resided in the country for one year, may acquire nationality if they have a child who has Malian nationality; or
* Persons who have performed exceptional service to the nation may naturalize after a five-year residency period.
Loss of nationality
Malian nationals can