Tonga: Requirements for obtaining Tongan citizenship and passport; can the Tongan government revoke a fraudulent passport and deport the bearer?
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | TON2798 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Tonga: Requirements for obtaining Tongan citizenship and passport; can the Tongan government revoke a fraudulent passport and deport the bearer?, 1 November 1989, TON2798, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab9d3c.html [accessed 21 May 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. |
In the Constitution of Tonga, [ Constitutions of the Countries of the World: Tonga, (New York: Oceana Publications, Inc., 1982), p. 11.] the following reference to nationality is made:
"Naturalization [Article] 29. Any foreigner after he has resided in the Kingdom for the space of five years or more may with the consent of the King take the oath of allegiance and he may be granted Letters of Naturalization and all naturalized subjects shall have the same rights and privileges as nativeborn subjects of Tonga with the exception that they shall not be entitled to the rights of hereditary tax allotments."
Further information on the requested subjects could not be obtained from the sources currently available to the IRBDC. According to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, (Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989), p. 948, all Tonga citizens are free to leave and re-enter the country, and there is no exile. However, there is no clarification on whether this statement on exile refers only to Tonga nationals.
