- How can you get the citizenship of Turkmenistan?
- Citizenship by birth
- Naturalization in Turkmenistan
- Other issues of restoration, admission and refusal of citizenship
Immigration is a serious matter, not everyone will decide to leave their native land forever and go to a foreign country in search of a better life. Even less common are cases when they seek shelter in a country located on the other side of the world from their homeland. Therefore, for example, the question of how to obtain the citizenship of Turkmenistan is more relevant to residents of neighboring states, such as Afghanistan and Iran, than to Europe.
In this article, we will highlight the issue of admission to the citizenship of Turkmenistan, we will tell you what methods are offered by local legislation, what documents must be provided, what requirements are put forward for potential applicants for Turkmen citizenship.
How can you get the citizenship of Turkmenistan?
First of all, an immigrant who dreams of obtaining a passport of a citizen of Turkmenistan should turn to the Law on Citizenship. The main point is that there is no institution of dual citizenship in this state, so the applicant must be prepared for the fact that the list of conditions will include an item on renouncing the citizenship of the previous place of residence.
Chapter 10 of the above law spells out the main grounds for admission to citizenship, if you compare them with world practice, then there are no differences, the grounds are well known and are applied in almost all countries: by birth; admission to citizenship; restoration of civil rights; other grounds. The last point is understood as the grounds that are spelled out in the law of Turkmenistan "On Citizenship", as well as in various international treaties concluded with other states.
Citizenship by birth
There are some peculiarities of admission to citizenship by birth in Turkmenistan, the simplest case is if the child's mother and father are Turkmen citizens, then upon reaching the age of majority he will receive a passport similar to his parents. It will also be easy to obtain Turkmen citizenship if one of the parents has it, and the other is unknown or is a stateless person. In both cases, the place of birth of the child does not matter.
It is a little more difficult to become a citizen, for a child whose one of the parents is a foreign citizen, in this case the place of birth becomes decisive: if it is Turkmenistan, then the child automatically receives the citizenship of this country.
Naturalization in Turkmenistan
For foreigners who do not have ethnic roots, the only way to obtain a passport of a Turkmen citizen is naturalization. You can get a document after reaching the age of majority (in Turkmenistan it comes at the age of eighteen), subject to certain conditions:
- respect for the Constitution, the obligation to comply with the laws of the country;
- language level sufficient for communication;
- residency qualification - at least five years (the period most often found in the world practice of obtaining citizenship);
- regular income earned legally.
In practice, each case is individual, therefore, changes are possible in certain requirements for a potential applicant for Turkmen citizenship. For example, the residency requirement may be reduced for ethnic Turkmens, not only themselves, but also their descendants - children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.
Former residents of the Soviet Union who have moved to Turkmenistan and have a close relative in this country have the right to take advantage of the reduction in the period of permanent residence in the country. The next category of persons for whom the residence time is also reduced are those who have made a significant contribution to various sectors of the national economy or culture, as well as high-level professionals in areas that are important for the development of the economy of the Turkmen state.
Special attention is paid to persons who have lost their citizenship and plan to return it, refugees who have asked for asylum in the country, forcibly evicted at one time for various reasons (primarily, for religious and political).
Other issues of restoration, admission and refusal of citizenship
A person who has lost the rights of a citizen of Turkmenistan can apply to the relevant authorities for restoration of citizenship. It is important that a person resides in the country and fulfills the requirements for applicants. The cost of living for him will be reduced.
Not all applications for admission to the citizenship of Turkmenistan will be satisfied; in practice, there are cases when potential applicants are refused. This occurs most often when the immigration authorities become aware of a crime against humanity committed by the person applying for citizenship. Also on the list of "refuseniks" are persons who carry out terrorist activities and pose a threat to the political system of Turkmenistan and the country's economy.
