Egyptian
nationality law
Nationality law is the law of a sovereign state, and of each of its jurisdictions, that defines the legal manner in which a national identity is acquired and how it may be lost. In international law, the legal means to acquire nationality and for ...
is regulated by the
Constitution of Egypt
The Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the fundamental law of Egypt.
The Egyptian Constitution of 2014 was passed in a referendum in January 2014. The constitution took effect after the results were announced on 18 January 2014. A ...
, as amended; the Egyptian Nationality Law, and its revisions; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Egypt. The legal means to acquire
nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
. Egyptian nationality is typically obtained under the principle of
jus soli, i.e. by birth in Egypt, or
jus sanguinis, born to parents with Egyptian nationality. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalization.
Acquisition of nationality
Nationality can be acquired in Egypt at birth or later in life through naturalization.
By birth
Those who acquire nationality at birth include:
* Children born anywhere who have at least one parent who is an Egyptian national by birth; or
*
Abandoned children
Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring in an illegal way, with the intent of never resuming or reasserting guardianship. The phrase is typically used to describe the physical abandonment of a ...
or
orphans
An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died.
In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...
discovered in the territory whose parents are unknown.
By naturalization
Naturalization can be granted to persons who have resided in the territory for a sufficient period of time to confirm they understand the Arabic language, customs and traditions of the society. General provisions are that applicants have good character and conduct; have no criminal convictions; have good mental and physical health; can economically be self-sufficient; and have resided in the country for ten years. Egyptian nationality law does not reference whether adoptees can acquire nationality. Besides foreigners meeting the criteria, other persons who may be naturalized include:
* The legal wife of an Egyptian national after two years of marriage, and upon making a declaration of a desire to acquire Egyptian nationality to the Minister of the Interior;
* Persons born in Egypt who have nationality from a Muslim country or one in which the majority of people speak Arabic and who have resided in Egypt for one year;
* Foreign persons born in Egypt who have been a regular resident of Egypt at the time of majority can naturalize with the residency period waived if they apply within one year of reaching majority;
* Persons born in Egypt whose father was also born in Egypt, and has Arabic or Muslim roots, after five years residency;
* Minor children can be automatically naturalized when their parent acquires nationality;
* Persons who have performed exceptional services to the nation, including as the head of a religious sect, can be naturalized without other requirements; or
* Persons who have invested specified monies toward the development of the nation may naturalize after a five-year residency.
Loss of nationality
Egyptian nationals can