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Yemen

Yemen

Women and men can confer nationality to children on an equal basis. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

Women married to foreign nationals cannot pass their nationality to their children. Women may confer nationality to children if the fathers are unknown, stateless, or do not establish filiation. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Tunisia

Tunisia

Tunisia uphold's citizens equal right to confer nationality on children. Tunisian women and men may confer nationality to a noncitizen spouse, however under different parameters. Tunisian men may automatically pass nationality to a foreign wife if her country revokes her nationality due to marriage with a foreign man or if the couple resides in Tunisia for two years. The spouse of a Tunisian woman must file an application to acquire nationality and must meet certain requirements including knowledge of the Arabic language, good character, and mental and physical health.

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Syria

Syria

Mothers can only confer nationality if the child was born in Syria and the father does not establish filiation in relation to the child. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Women married to foreign nationals cannot pass their nationality to their children. Women may confer nationality to children if the fathers are unknown, stateless, or do not establish filiation. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Qatar

Qatar

Mothers cannot confer nationality to children, without exception, even if this would result in statelessness. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Oman

Oman

Women can only confer nationality to children if the father was Omani but subsequently became stateless or if the father is unknown. Women cannot confer nationality spouses.

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Morocco

Morocco

Women and men can confer nationality to children on an equal basis. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Libya

Libya

Women married to foreign nationals cannot pass their nationality to their children. Women may confer nationality to children if the fathers are unknown, stateless, or do not establish filiation. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Lebanon

Lebanon

Women can only confer their citizenship if the child is born out of wedlock and recognized, while a minor, by the mother. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Kuwait

Kuwait

Mothers do not have the right to confer nationality to children, without exception. if the father is unknown or if his paternity has not been established, the individual concerned may apply for Kuwaiti citizenship at majority. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Jordan

Jordan

Women married to foreign nationals cannot pass their nationality to their children. Women may confer nationality to children if the father is unknown, stateless, or do not establish filiation. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Israel

Israel

West Bank

West Bank

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Iraq

Iraq

Women can confer nationality to children born in Iraq. Children born abroad to an Iraqi mother may apply for nationality, if the father is unknown or stateless and the child is residing in Iraq. Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

Iran

Iran

Iranian women may apply for their children under eighteen years old the acquire citizenship, which may be granted if the government's intelligence organizations approve the application. After reaching eighteen years of age, children of Iranian women may apply for their citizenship, subject to approval of the government's intelligence organizations. Iranian men automatically confer citizenship of their children. Iranian women cannot confer nationality on a non-national spouse, a right reserved for Iranian men.

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Egypt

Egypt

Women cannot confer nationality to spouses.

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Bahrain

Bahrain

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Algeria

Algeria

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Middle East & North Africa

Where we work

GLOBAL OVERVIEW

AMERICAS

ASIA PACIFIC

MIDDLE EAST
& NORTH AFRICA

SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA

Middle East & North Africa

The Middle East-North Africa region is the region with the highest concentration of gender discriminatory nationality laws. Roughly half of the 25 countries that deny women equal rights to pass nationality to their own children are in the MENA region.

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Algeria is the only country in the region with nationality laws that uphold conprehensive gender equality, including women’s right to confer nationality on their children and noncitizen spouse on an equal basis with men.* While upholding women’s equal right to confer nationality on children, Tunisia also permits women to confer nationality on spouses, though the requirements slightly differ for female and male citizens to confer nationality on a noncitizen spouse. Since 2000, there has been a number of significant reforms in several MENA countries, including Egypt, Iraq, Mauritania, Morocco, and Yemen. Nationality laws in these countries, with the exception of Iraq, grant women the equal rights to confer nationality to children, though continue to deny women equal rights with men to confer nationality to foreign spouses. Iraqi women may confer natioanlity to children born in the territory though are limited in their ability to confer nationality to children born outside Iraq and are also prevented from confering nationality on a noncitizen spouse. 

Gender discrimination in nationality laws is one of the primary causes of statelessness in the region, in addition to causing a number of other human rights violations.

Lebanon, Kuwait, and Qatar deny women the right to confer nationality to their children and spouses in all circumstances. Other States, including Bahrain, Jordan, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates deny women the right to confer their nationality to children in most circumstances, but maintain some exceptions, such as when the father is stateless or unknown. Nationality may be granted to the children of female citizens of these countries in some circumstances by application, however, nationality is granted by the state on a case by case basis and women’s ability to confer nationality on their children is not considered a right. 

Syrian women’s inabilty to confer nationality on their children combined with the massive displacement resulting from the conflict, has increased the risk that children born to displaced Syrian women may be rendered stateless — a risk compounded by lost civil documents and family separation which is common in displacement contexts.  

Women’s rights organizations across the region have been campaigning for equal citizenship rights for decades and have advocated for this right as part of broader efforts to achieve gender equality and equal citizenship. 

 

 

* Algerian Muslim women are banned from marrying and therefore confering nationality to men of other religions, a restriction not imposed on Algerian Muslim men. 

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