Mauritania: Mauritanian citizenship
| Publisher | United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services |
| Author | Resource Information Center |
| Publication Date | 7 September 1999 |
| Cite as | United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Mauritania: Mauritanian citizenship, 7 September 1999, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a6a24.html [accessed 5 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Query:
Would a person born in Mauritania (2/6/71) to Togolese parents be eligible for Mauritanian citizenship?
Response:
No. According to Refworld's section on Mauritanian citizenship, a child born in Mauritania of non-Mauritanian parents is eligible for Mauritanian citizenship only if the parents had resided in Mauritania for the prior five years. Furthermore, even if the individual in question met those criteria he or she would have been required to declare Mauritanian citizenship before they attained the Mauritanian majority age of 21 (sometime around 1992). Finally, if the individual now wishes to acquire Mauritanian citizenship through naturalization they must reside for a minimum of five years in Mauritania and meet other requirements.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RIC within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Code de la Nationalite Mauritanienne, Official Journal of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (Nouakchott: 20 July 1991) as reported on UNHCR/CDR REFWORLD CD-ROM.
