Armenia/Israel: Whether an Israeli citizen has the right to Armenian citizenship if they were born in Armenia and previously held Soviet citizenship; citizenship application procedures; availability of dual citizenship in Armenia
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 23 January 2003 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZZZ40326.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Armenia/Israel: Whether an Israeli citizen has the right to Armenian citizenship if they were born in Armenia and previously held Soviet citizenship; citizenship application procedures; availability of dual citizenship in Armenia, 23 January 2003, ZZZ40326.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4e4523.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| 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. |
Article 1 of the Armenian law on citizenship states that individuals of Armenian ethnicity have the right to acquire, and may request, Armenian citizenship, including, according to Article 14, those that renounced Armenian citizenship in favour of naturalization in another state (Armenia 6 Feb. 1995a; ibid. n.d.). Armenian law also stipulates that an Armenian may not hold concurrent citizenship in another country (ibid. Armenia 6 Feb. 1995a). Dual citizenship is not recognised (Asbarez 4 Oct. 2002; Armenia This Week 11 Oct. 2002; US July 2001); therefore, to obtain or reacquire Armenian naturalization, it would be necessary for a person to renounce their current citizenship (Golos Armenii 19 June 2001).
As per Article 14, individuals seeking to regain a renounced Armenian citizenship need only request to have it restored (Armenia 6 Feb. 1995a; ibid. n.d.), except those who were deprived of their Armenian citizenship as punishment for actions that violated the security of the state or society (ibid.; ibid. 6 Feb. 1995a). In addition, those who avoided military service by moving abroad would be denied citizenship because they would lack the necessary military certification of service (Ayots Ashkhar 28 June 2001).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate 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. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Armenia. 6 February 2002. "Law of the Republic of Armenia on the Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia." Unofficial translation hosted on the Website of the Caucasus Refugee/IDPs NGO (CRINGO). _____. n.d. "Armenian Republic Citizenship Act." Unofficial translation hosted on the Website of the Ministère du culture et communication du France. Armenia This Week [Washington]. 11 October 2002. "Opposition Politicians Debate Dual Citizenship." Asbarez [Los Angeles]. 4 October 2002. "Dual Citizenship Law Under Consideration." Ayots Ashkhar [Yerevan, in Armenian]. 28 June 2001. Vaan Vardanyan. "Armenian MP Says Draft Dodgers to Buy Themselves Out." (BBC Worldwide Monitoring 28 June 2001/NEXIS)
Golos Armenii [Yerevan, in Russian]. 19 June 2001. "French Consul in Armenia Says 50 Per Cent of Applicants Refused Tourist Visas." (BBC Monitoring 19 June 2001/Eurasianet.org) United States (US). July 2001. Department of Defense. "Armenia." In Adjudicative Desk Reference. Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
Internet sites, including:
ACCORD 8th European Country of Origin Information Seminar
Caucasus Refugee/IDPs NGO (CRINGO)
Legislation Online
Ministère du culture et communication du France
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Armenia Report
Suffrage Universel
United States Committee for Refugees, Worldwide Refugee Information Country Reports for 2001 and 2002
World News Connection
