Yugoslavia/Macedonia: Rights to citizenship for a person born in Macedonia when it was part of Yugoslavia (follow-up to YUG35490.E of 16 October 2000)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 24 November 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZZZ36120.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Yugoslavia/Macedonia: Rights to citizenship for a person born in Macedonia when it was part of Yugoslavia (follow-up to YUG35490.E of 16 October 2000), 24 November 2000, ZZZ36120.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4bed34.html [accessed 2 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. |
On 7 November 2000 an official at the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in Ottawa stated, in reply to a query as to whether a person born in Macedonia before it became a sovereign state had an automatic right to Macedonian citizenship, that "Macedonian law does not recognize the term automatic right" regarding matters related to citizenship.
The official added that Macedonia's Citizenship Act accords Macedonian citizens the right to be citizens of other states as well. The official also stated that:
A child who is born on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia can acquire the citizenship in cases when:
a) Both parents are Macedonian nationals at the time of birth of the child;
b) One of the parents is a Macedonian national at the time of birth of the child, unless the parents mutually agree that the child acquires citizenship of the other parent;
c) One of the parents is a citizen of the Republic of Macedonia while the other parent is of unknown nationality, i.e. stateless.
The text of the Citizenship Act of the Republic of Macedonia of 1992 can be found in English in REFLEG, accessible through the REFWORLD database. It is also available in Regional Documentation Centres, and attached to Responses MCD16997.E, MCD17286.E and MCD17287.E of 8 June 1994; MCD18136.E of 10 August 1994, MCD18938.E of 16 November 1994 and MCD18137.E of 12 August 1994 (the latter, Art. 30 only).
Regarding the question of the retroactivity of Macedonia's 1992 citizenship law, information can be found in Response MCD18137.E of 12 August 1994.
This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia, Ottawa. 7 November 2000. Correspondence with official.
