Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
n
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 ...
( ar, مجلة الجنسية التونسية;
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
: ''Code de la nationalité tunisienne'') is regulated by the
Constitution of Tunisia
The Constitution of Tunisia is the supreme law of the Tunisian Republic. The constitution is the framework for the organization of the Tunisian government and for the relationship of the federal government with the governorates, citizens, and ...
, as amended; the Tunisian Nationality 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 Tunisia. 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. Tunisian nationality is typically obtained under the principal of
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 Tunisia or abroad to parents with Tunisian 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 Tunisia at birth or later in life through naturalization.
By birth
Those who acquire nationality at birth include:
* Children born in Tunisia who have a father and paternal grandfather also born in Tunisia;
* Children born anywhere to a Tunisian father or mother acquire nationality automatically;
* Children born in Tunisia with unknown nationality or who would be otherwise
stateless; or
*
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 ...
or
orphans
An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died.
In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...
, 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
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
, the customs and traditions of Tunisia, and are integrated into the society. General provisions are that applicants have good character and morals; have no criminal convictions which resulted in sentencing in excess of one year; are in sufficient mental and physical health to avoid becoming a dependent of the state; and have a principal interest in the development of Tunisia. Applicants must typically have resided in the country for five years. Besides foreigners meeting the criteria, other persons who may be naturalized include:
* Children legally adopted by a Tunisian parent automatically acquire nationality at the time of completion of a legal adoption;
* Children can be automatically naturalized when their father acquires nationality, or if their mother is a widow and becomes naturalized;
* Persons born in Tunisia may opt for nationality without completing a residency requirement;
* The wife of a Tunisian national upon marriage may acquire Tunisian nationality after a two-year residency, or immediately if she is or will become stateless because of the marriage; or
* Persons who have performed exceptional service to the nation may naturalize without a residency period.
Loss of nationality
Tunisian nationals may not