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Ethiopia: Whether a child born abroad of Ethiopian parents would be considered an Ethiopian citizen

Article 6.1 of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, stipulates that "[a]ny person of either sex shall be an Ethiopian national where both or either parent is Ethiopian" (21 Aug. 1995). In addition, the Ethiopian Nationality Law of 1930 specifies in section 1 that "[a]ny person born in Ethiopia or abroad, whose father or mother is Ethiopian, is an Ethiopian subject" (22 July 1930).

However, a consular official at the Embassy of Ethiopia, in Ottawa, said that whether the child in question becomes an Ethiopian citizen depends on the citizenship laws of the country in which the child was born (30 Sept. 2003). Since Ethiopian nationality laws prohibit dual citizenship (see Nationality Law, section 11a), the Consular Official said that the child could not be considered an Ethiopian citizen if the foreign country confirms the child's citizenship (ibid.). In that case, the child could acquire Ethiopian citizenship by applying for naturalization (see Nationality Law, sections 13-16) and being accepted (ibid.) In the meantime, the child would require a visa to enter Ethiopia with her or his parents (2 Oct. 2003).

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.

References

Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ottawa. 2 October 2003. Telephone interview with a consular official.
_____. 30 September 2003. Telephone interview with a consular official.

Ethiopia. 21 August 1995. Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Official text as published in the Federal Negarit Gazeta. (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) <http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rsd/print.html?CATEGORY=RSDLEGAL&id=3ae6b5a84> [Accessed 30 Sept. 2003]
_____. 22 July 1930. Ethiopian Nationality Law of 1930. (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) <http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rsd/print.html?CATEGORY=RSDLEGAL&id=3ae6b52ac> [Accessed 30 Sept. 2003]