Although the procedure for obtaining citizenship varies from country to country, most countries adhere to the two basic principles of Jus Soli and Jus Sanguinis. Find out what is the difference between them and what are the features of each of the procedures

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Citizenship is a legal relationship between a person and a certain state, which determines their rights and obligations. A person who has the citizenship of a certain country receives most of the rights on its territory - the right to education, housing, health care, voting, employment opportunities, etc. In general, if someone has the citizenship of a country, it is easier for this person to make a productive contribution to this society.

In general, several ways of acquiring citizenship are approved - naturalization, repatriation, by investment, etc. Regardless of the reasons for which a person wants to obtain citizenship, the methods of obtaining it differ depending on the country. However, most states adhere to the two main principles of Jus Soli and Jus Sanguinis.

What is the difference between Jus Soli and Jus Sanguinis? We tell.

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Jus Soli citizenship

Jus soli is the principle of acquiring citizenship, according to which citizenship is determined by the place of birth and is not related to the citizenship of the parents.

For example, if your parents immigrated to a certain country that follows jus soli law, and then you were born in that country, you would automatically be entitled to citizenship. However, this citizenship law is not as popular as others, only 33 countries follow this provision, and the only developed countries in the world that follow Jus Soli are Canada and the USA.

The benefit to a country in using this system is that it allows generations of immigrant families to become citizens over time. Because the naturalization process is usually long and expensive, most immigrants never become citizens. Thus, Jus Soli provides an immigrant family with an easier and more affordable opportunity to obtain citizenship.

However, some families specifically go to a certain country only to have children in those places so that their children automatically become citizens, but never live there or become a member of society. Therefore, foreigners often use this principle to bypass the current immigration systems.

Find a list of countries that offer citizenship by "birthright" in this article.

Citizenship according to the principle of Jus Sanguinis

Jus Sanguinis means "Right of blood" in Latin. The law states that citizenship according to this principle is acquired through parents or other ancestors. According to the Jus Sanguinis principle, it does not matter what country a person is born in, as long as their ancestry comes from a country that adheres to the Jus Sanguinis principle, they will receive citizenship.

For example, children born, for example, to German or French citizens, even if they are, study, work or live outside Germany or France, are also German or French citizens. Accordingly, their children's children and all their descendants will also be German or French citizens, even if they have never been to their homeland, provided that one of them has not acquired the citizenship of the state in which he resides or of any other country .

This method of acquiring citizenship is common in the vast majority of countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, such as Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc., and with some exceptions in Germany, France and Great Britain, it also applies in the countries of Eastern Europe.

Jus Sanguinis does not necessarily mean that you can only acquire citizenship from your parents. In some countries, people can claim citizenship if their bloodline comes from previous generations.

In general, the procedure for acquiring citizenship is individual in each country. To learn the basic rules for obtaining a passport of another country, visit the VisitWorld.Today portal. Current procedures for obtaining citizenship and major changes in the migration legislation of various countries are collected in the “country card” and “news” sections.

We will remind you! Dual citizenship is widely popular among foreigners all over the world. Currently, 49% of countries recognize bipatris. We have already told what kind of countries these are, as well as which countries' citizens do not have the right to register dual citizenship.

Igor Usyk - Head of Migration department at VisitWorld

To ensure a safe move to a new country, I advise you to consult a specialist. My colleagues, qualified specialists with a legal education, will help you avoid unpleasant situations during migration.

Products from Visit World for a comfortable trip:

Travel guide for 200 countries;

Legal advice from a local specialist on visa and migration issues;

Travel insurance around the world (please select the country of interest and citizenship to receive services);

Medical insurance all over the world.

We monitor the accuracy and relevance of our information. Therefore, if you see any error or discrepancy, please write to our hotline.