Côte d'Ivoire: Whether Côte d'Ivoire recognizes dual citizenship; whether a person born in Côte d'Ivoire to a Lebanese father and an Ivorian mother can obtain Ivorian citizenship at birth and retain the father's Lebanese citizenship
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 20 May 2004 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CIV42579.FE |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Côte d'Ivoire: Whether Côte d'Ivoire recognizes dual citizenship; whether a person born in Côte d'Ivoire to a Lebanese father and an Ivorian mother can obtain Ivorian citizenship at birth and retain the father's Lebanese citizenship, 20 May 2004, CIV42579.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/41501bfbe.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Under Article 6 of Act No. 61-415 of 14 December 1961, amended by Act No. 72-852 of 21 December 1972 regarding Ivorian nationality, a person is Ivorian if he or she is:
[translation]
1) A legitimate or legitimized child born in Côte d'Ivoire, unless both parents are foreigners;
2) A child born out of wedlock in Côte d'Ivoire, unless his or her filiation is legally established in respect of two foreign parents or only one foreign parent (Côte d'Ivoire 14 Dec. 1961).
According to a representative of the Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire in Ottawa, a person born in Côte d'Ivoire to a Lebanese father and an Ivorian mother may obtain Ivorian citizenship (Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire 6 May 2004). The representative said that Côte d'Ivoire accepts dual citizenship (ibid.).
According to a representative of the Embassy of Lebanon in Ottawa, since Lebanon accepts dual citizenship, a person born in another country to a Lebanese father can obtain or retain Lebanese citizenship (10 May 2004).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection.
References
Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire, Ottawa. 6 May 2004. Telephone interview with a representative.
Embassy of Lebanon, Ottawa. 10 May 2004. Telephone interview with a representative.
Côte d'Ivoire. 14 December 1961. Ministry of Justice. Code da la nationalité ivoirienne.