Legislative Decree No. 276
Syrian Arab Nationality Law
Issuing Authority: Presidency of the State
Date: 24-11-1969
Effective: 24-11-1969
This is an unofficial translation and is provided for information purposes only. In the event of any inconsistency, the Arabic version shall prevail.
Head of State
Based on the provisions of the Interim Constitution,
And on the Council of Minister's Decision No. 276 dated 11/24/1969
Decrees as follows:
In the provisions of this Legislative Decree, the following words and phrases contained in its various articles shall have the meanings indicated opposite them unless otherwise stated:
A- Country: The Syrian Arab country.
B- Nationality: Nationality of the Syrian Arab Republic.
C- Ministry: Ministry of Interior.
D- Minister: Minister of Interior.
E- Fully competent: Every person who has reached the age of majority (eighteen complete Gregorian years), is in possession of his mental faculties, and is not under guardianship.
F- Syrian Arab: a person who has Syrian Arab nationality.
G- Expatriate citizen: anyone who originally belongs to an Arab country if he does not reside in an Arab country and does not hold the nationality of an Arab country.
H- Foreigner: Anyone who does not have the nationality of the Syrian Arab Republic or the nationality of any other Arab country.
I- Naturalised person: A person who obtained the citizenship of the Syrian Arab Republic in accordance with the provisions of this Legislative Decree or previous citizenship laws.
The citizenship of the Syrian Arab Republic is established for those who enjoy it in accordance with the provisions of Legislative Decree No. 67 issued on 10/31/1961.
The following shall be considered a Syrian Arab ipso facto:
A- Anyone born in or outside the country to a Syrian Arab father.
B- Anyone born in the country to a Syrian Arab mother, but whose lineage to his father has not been legally proven.
C- Whoever was born in the country to unknown parents, or parents of unknown nationality, or those who have no nationality, and the foundling in the country is considered to have been born in it and in the place where he was found unless proven otherwise.
D- Anyone born in the country who was not entitled at birth to acquire a foreign nationality through paternity.
E- Anyone who is originally from the Syrian Arab Republic and has not acquired another nationality and has not applied to choose Syrian nationality within the deadlines specified in the previous decisions and laws.
The provisions of this Article shall apply even if the birth occurred before the effective date of this Legislative Decree.
A foreigner may be granted citizenship by decree based on a proposal from the Minister and a written request submitted by the applicant, who must:
A- Be fully competent.
B- Be a resident in the country for a consecutive period of at least five years prior to submitting the application. Intermittent residence is considered consecutive if the period of absence of its owner does not exceed one full year, to be added to the five years.
C- Be free from contagious diseases, disabilities and ailments that prevent him from performing any work.
D- Be of good conduct and reputation, and has not been previously sentenced to a criminal penalty or a penalty restricting freedom for a shameful crime, unless his reputation has been restored.
E- Have a specialty or experience that can be used in the country, or he has a legitimate means of earning a living, or he owns what makes him independent of helping others.
F- Be proficient in reading and writing Arabic.
Citizenship is only granted individually, with the exception of members of the same family.
Citizenship may be granted by decree based on the proposal of the Minister without being bound by the conditions for granting citizenship stipulated in Article 4 to the following persons:
A- For those who hold an expatriate citizen certificate and apply for citizenship.
B- For those who have rendered great services to the state or the Arab nation.
C- For those who originally belonged to an Arab country, based on their request and for reasons that are at the discretion of the Minister.
Citizenship may be granted to the adult children of a father who has acquired this nationality if they request it, by decree based on the proposal of the Minister, and the period of residence stipulated in paragraph B of Article 4 shall be reduced to at least two years.
1- Citizenship is granted to the wife of a foreigner who has acquired citizenship under the following conditions:
A- An application in this regard must be submitted to the Ministry.
B- The marriage must continue for two years from the date of the application.
C- She should be a legal resident in the country during the period mentioned in the previous paragraph B.
D- The Minister must issue a decision to grant her a nationality.
2- Minor children enjoy citizenship unless their normal residence is abroad and they retain their father’s original citizenship in accordance with the legislation regulating it.
3- Minor children who have acquired nationality in accordance with the previous paragraph may choose their original nationality during the year following their reaching the age of majority, and they are permitted to do so by a decision from the Minister.
A foreign woman who marries a person who has nationality shall not acquire it except within the terms and conditions stipulated in paragraph 1 of Article 8.
1- A Syrian Arab loses his nationality if he acquires a foreign nationality, provided that a decree has been issued based on his request and the proposal of the Minister allowing him to renounce it after he has fulfilled all his duties and obligations towards the state.
2- Every Syrian Arab who has acquired a foreign nationality upon his request before being allowed to renounce his nationality shall continue to enjoy it in all its forms and in all circumstances unless he is deemed to be stripped of it in application of the provisions of paragraph 10 of Article 23. He shall be punished with imprisonment from one to three months and a fine from five hundred to two thousand liras or with one of these two penalties.
3- A public right lawsuit shall not be initiated in this regard except upon a written request from the Minister.
1- If a Syrian Arab acquires a foreign nationality, once he is authorised to do so, his wife will lose her nationality if she acquires her husband’s nationality in accordance with the law pertaining to it, unless she requests, within one year from the date of her husband’s naturalisation, to retain it.
2- Minor children lose their nationality if they acquire their father’s new nationality in accordance with their own law.
3- Children whose nationality has been determined in accordance with the previous paragraph may choose their father’s original nationality during the year following their reaching the age of majority if their normal residence is in the country or if they have returned to it with the intention of permanent residence in it, and they are permitted to do so by a decision from the Minister.
A Syrian Arab woman who marries a foreigner retains her nationality unless she requests to acquire her husband’s nationality and the law of that nationality allows her to acquire it.
If the marriage contract is invalid according to the provisions of Syrian law and valid according to the provisions of the law regulating the marriage contract, she will continue to enjoy her nationality.
If the wife acquires nationality in accordance with the provisions of Articles 8, 9, 18, and 19, she shall not lose it upon the termination of the marriage unless she marries a foreigner and acquires his nationality in accordance with the law pertaining to her or regains her original nationality.
A Syrian Arab woman who has lost her nationality in accordance with the provisions of Articles 11 and 12 may regain it upon the end of the marriage if she requests this and the Minister approves by a decision issued by him.
If a woman regains her nationality after the death of her husband, her minor children shall automatically follow their mother’s nationality, provided that they retain the right to revert to their father’s nationality within one year of reaching adulthood, and they shall be permitted to do so by a decision of the Minister.
Citizens of Arab countries may be granted citizenship by a decision of the Minister of Interior based on a written request submitted by the naturalisation applicant, who must:
A- Be fully competent.
B- Have the nationality of an Arab country.
C- Have his normal residence in the country when submitting the application.
D- Be free from contagious diseases and disabilities that prevent him from performing any work.
E- Be of good conduct, of good reputation, and has not been previously sentenced to a criminal penalty or a penalty restricting freedom for a shameful crime unless his reputation has been restored.
Minor children enjoy citizenship, even if their normal residence is outside the country.
The husband’s acquisition of nationality results in his wife enjoying it under the following conditions:
A- To express her desire to do so by signing the husband’s application or by a separate application.
B- To be of Arab nationality, of Syrian origin, or to have had Syrian Arab nationality.
A woman who holds the nationality of an Arab country or is of Syrian origin, or who previously held Syrian Arab nationality and marries a Syrian Arab citizen, becomes a Syrian Arab citizen by expressing her desire in writing and by a decision from the Minister.
Anyone proven to have acquired citizenship based on a false statement or through fraud shall be stripped of his nationality by a court ruling. This includes anyone who acquired it by dependency.
A citizen may be stripped of his citizenship by decree based on a reasoned proposal from the Minister in the following cases:
A- If he acquires a foreign nationality in violation of the provisions of Paragraph 1 of Article 10 of this Legislative Decree.
B- If he voluntarily enters military service in a foreign country without prior authorization issued by the Minister of Defence.
C- If he is employed by a foreign country in any capacity, whether inside or outside the country, and does not comply with the Minister’s request, he shall leave this service within a specific period.
D- If he showed activity or worked for the benefit of a country that is at war with the country.
E- If it is proven that he left Syrian Arab territories illegally to a country that is in a state of war with the country.
F- if his acceptance of citizenship is based on the provisions of Article 6 and the investigation proves that this deprivation is in the interest of the country’s security and safety.
G- If he leaves the country permanently with the intention of settling in a non-Arab country and his absence abroad exceeds three years and he is notified of his return and does not respond or responds with unconvincing reasons within three months from the date of notification, then if he refuses to receive it or his place of residence is unknown or it is impossible to notify him for any reason, then publication in the Official Gazette shall be considered as notification.
A decree may stipulate that whoever is stripped of citizenship in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs D and E of Article 21 shall have his movable and immovable property confiscated.
The deprivation of a person's nationality results in the loss of his nationality alone, unless otherwise expressly provided.
By decree, based on a reasoned proposal from the Minister, citizenship may be restored to a person who has been stripped of it. His confiscated movable and immovable property may also be restored to him, or he may be compensated in an amount not exceeding the value of these properties at the time of stripping.
The Minister shall issue a decision on the manner in which the expatriate citizen certificate, its benefits, and its registration shall be granted after consulting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The decrees and decisions regarding the acquisition, deprivation or recovery of nationality issued pursuant to the provisions of this Legislative Decree shall take effect from the date of their issuance and shall have no retrospective effect. They must be published in the Official Gazette. All of this shall not affect the rights of third parties of good faith.
Judgments issued in matters of nationality are considered evidence of sponsorship and their contents are published in the Official Gazette.
The Council of State, as an administrative judiciary body, is exclusively competent to adjudicate citizenship cases.
The burden of proof in matters of nationality falls on anyone who claims to have it or claims not to have it.
Except in the cases expressly provided for in this Legislative Decree, minor children shall follow the nationality of their father.
Without prejudice to any more severe penalty stipulated in other laws, anyone who provides false information or knowingly submits to the competent authorities (with the intent to prove his or her nationality or that of another, or with the intent to deny it to himself or another) shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or with a fine not exceeding one thousand Syrian pounds.
This Legislative Decree shall not affect the statuses acquired under previous nationality laws.
The Minister shall issue instructions on how to implement this legislative decree.
Legislative Decree No. 67 of 31/10/1961 and all previous texts relating to nationality are hereby repealed.
This legislative decree shall be published in the Official Gazette.