According to a spokesperson of the consulate of Estonia in Toronto, the citizenship law of Estonia, amended in March 1993, stipulates that Estonian citizenship is transmitted through both parents provided that at least one of them is a citizen of Estonia (25 Nov. 1994). Hence, if the mother is a citizen of Estonia the child is automatically considered an Estonian citizen (ibid.). For further information on this subject, please refer to the attached 5 December 1994 letter from the director general of the State Citizenship and Immigration Board in Tallin. Please note that the March 1993 amendment to the citizenship law of Estonia was faxed to the DIRB in Estonian. A translation of this document will be forwarded to you as soon as it becomes available.

For information on naturalization procedures and requirements, please refer to the resolution on the application of the Law on Citizenship of 26 February 1992 and the Law on Citizenship of 1938, which are available at your Regional Documentation Centre. In addition, please find attached an excerpt from the July 1993 UNHCR document Nationality Laws in Former USSR Republics.

Please note that because of the number of variables involved, the DIRB cannot provide information on the application to specific cases of citizenship laws of former Soviet republics. 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.

Consulate General of Estonia, Toronto. 25 nov. 1994. Telephone interview with spokesperson.

State Citizenship and Immigration Board, Tallin. 5 December 1994. Fax forwarded to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in response to questions from the DIRB.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). July 1993. Nationality Laws in Former USSR Republics. Geneva: UNHCR, pp. 26-32.