Law No. 81-002 of 29 June 1981 on Zairian Nationality does not permit dual citizenship (Zaire 29 June 1981). Article 1 of this Law states that "Zairian nationality is unique and exclusive. It may not be held concurrently with another nationality" (ibid.).

The legislation also states that a person who holds another nationality and wishes to acquire Zairian citizenship must renounce that other nationality (Zaire 29 June 1981, arts. 11, 19). Article 26 of the same legislation states that "Zairian nationality is lost by the acquisition of a foreign nationality or by revocation" (ibid., art. 26).

No information indicating whether amendments have been made to Law No. 81-002 of 29 June 1981 could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. For additional information, including information on the acquisition of Congolese citizenship, please consult the attached English translation of Law No. 1981-002, whose original French version was attached to ZAR24618.E of 23 July 1996.

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.

Reference

Zaire. 29 June 1981. Law No. 81-002 of 29 June 1981 on Zairian Nationality. (Translated by the Multilingual Translation Directorate of the Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada).

Attachment

Zaire. 29 June 1981. Law No. 81-002 of 29 June 1981 on Zairian Nationality. (Translated by the Multilingual Translation Directorate of the Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada).

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB Databases

The Congolese Embassy in Ottawa did not respond to an information request within time constraints.

The Congolese Embassy in Washington did not respond to an information request within time constraints.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees did not respond to an information request within time constraints.

Internet sites, including:

Africa South of the Sahara

European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI)

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF)

International Human Rights Law Group

Norwegian Refugee Council, IDP Project

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

World News Connection (WNC)

Search engines, including:

Google

Yahoo