Document #1109624
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
According to an official at the consular
section of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Washington,
DC, a new Azerbaijani law on citizenship is currently before the
country's parliament and might possibly be adopted by September or
October 1994 (23 June 1994). The official stated that for the time
being, the country's citizenship law of 1 January 1991 is still in
force (ibid.).
According to information sent to the DIRB
in Ottawa by the embassy, under the January 1991 citizenship law,
citizenship can be acquired by birth if a child is born within the
country and at least one parent is a citizen of Azerbaijan, by
descent if a child was born outside the county of a father who is a
citizen and the mother does not object, or by registration in the
case of a women who marries a citizen and annuls her previous
citizenship (1 Nov. 1993). Dual citizenship is not recognized
(ibid.).
The official in Washington stated that
technically anyone may apply for Azerbaijani citizenship and added
that an individual currently living in Canada would be required to
do so in person at the embassy in Washington (23 June 1994). The
official stated that for the interim, embassy staff forward all
citizenship applications to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which
sends them to the country's Commission on Citizenship (ibid.). He
stated that final approval of citizenship requests is granted by
the office of the president, and that the process can take several
months (ibid.).
The official added that since a new law on
citizenship is being drafted, the existing stock of citizenship
application forms and list of required documentation have become
outdated (ibid.). He also added that embassy personnel in
Washington have yet to receive updated instructions concerning any
new citizenship application procedures (ibid.).
For additional information on the
acquisition of Azerbaijani citizenship, please refer to the
attached documents.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB 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.
Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
Washington, DC. 23 June 1994. Telephone interview with
official.
. 1 November 1993. Fax received by the
DIRB.
Azerbaijan. 1 January 1991. Law of
the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic on Citizenship of
Azerbaijan SSR.
Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
Washington, DC. 1 November 1993. Fax received by the DIRB.
United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Bureau for Europe . July 1993.
Nationality Laws in the Former USSR Republics. Geneva:
UNHCR, pp. 15-20.