Iraq: 1) Information on whether Iraq permits dual nationality for ethnic Arabs; 2) Information on the circumstances under which Iraqi nationals may lose their Iraqi nationality and whether formal renouncement of Iraqi nationality is a requirement under these circumstances; 3) Information on whether Iraqi nationality can be re-acquired
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRQ10726 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: 1) Information on whether Iraq permits dual nationality for ethnic Arabs; 2) Information on the circumstances under which Iraqi nationals may lose their Iraqi nationality and whether formal renouncement of Iraqi nationality is a requirement under these circumstances; 3) Information on whether Iraqi nationality can be re-acquired, 1 May 1992, IRQ10726, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aaec37.html [accessed 29 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. |
1) Attached please find the recent Response to Information Request IRQ10772 of 29 April 1992 on the issue of dual nationality in Iraq. According to this Response, the government of Iraq does not allow ethnic Arabs to hold dual nationality. An employee at the Embassy of Iraq in Ottawa re-affirms that the government of Iraq does not recognize dual nationality for ethnic Arabs (4 May 1992).
2) According to an employee at the Embassy of Iraq in Ottawa, Iraqis who acquire another passport (i.e., acquire another nationality) will lose their Iraqi nationality (4 May 1992). The employee was unaware of other circumstances under which Iraqis may lose their nationality. The employee did not know whether an official renouncement of Iraqi nationality is required for the loss of Iraqi nationality.
A representative of the Arab League in Ottawa holds that Iraqi nationals who acquire another nationality will lose their Iraqi nationality (4 May 1992). Moreover, Iraqi nationals who have been granted refugee status abroad will lose their Iraqi nationality if the Iraqi government is aware of their refugee status (Ibid.). The representative also adds that Iraqis of Iranian origin who fled to Iran before the Iran-Iraq War have lost their Iraqi nationality (Ibid.).
3) An employee at the Embassy of Iraq in Ottawa states that the government of Iraq has the power to decide whether Iraqis who have lost their Iraqi nationality may re-acquire their Iraqi nationality (4 May 1992). The employee maintains that there are written regulations on this issue which are not available to the Iraqi Embassy in Ottawa.
According to a representative of the Arab League in Ottawa, there is no known case of an Iraqi who has been successful in re-acquiring his/her lost Iraqi nationality (4 May 1992). The source states that in one case, the government of Iraq refused to re-establish the Iraqi nationality of an Iraqi woman, who had lost her nationality because of her marriage to a Jordanian, despite her subsequent divorce from her husband. The representative adds there may be exceptional cases in which people re-acquire Iraqi nationality, but these cases might involve the close relatives of high-ranking Iraqi officials.
Additional and/or corroborating information on the above subjects is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.
References
Arab League, Ottawa. 4 May 1992. Telephone Interview with Representative.
Embassy of Iraq, Ottawa. 4 May 1992. Telephone Interview with Representative.
Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation Centre (IRBDC), Ottawa. 29 April 1992. Response to Information Request IRQ10772.
Attachment
Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation Centre (IRBDC), Ottawa. 29 April 1992. Response to Information Request IRQ10772.
