Many countries of the world do not recognize the institution of dual citizenship, therefore, upon naturalization, foreigners are required to renounce their former citizenship. In the Republic of Azerbaijan, the process of canceling a passport of the Republic of Azerbaijan is carried out in accordance with the legislation, which establishes the grounds for terminating legal ties with the state. One of the grounds is the voluntary renunciation of Azerbaijani citizenship. The procedure takes a long time and requires the fulfillment of certain conditions.
Why change citizenship
The legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan does not contain a standard list of reasons why one can renounce citizenship. Withdrawal from the citizenship of Azerbaijan will be required due to the following circumstances:
- leaving for permanent residence in another country and obtaining foreign citizenship;
- carrying out entrepreneurial activity or investing in the economy of another country, in connection with which it is necessary to naturalize;
- an option as a result of a change in the borders of a state (in a situation where a country breaks up into several, a new state separates from an existing one, or a part of a territory passes under another jurisdiction, a person has the right to choose which state to belong to);
- marriage with a foreigner and the associated process of obtaining a passport of another state, during the registration of which the question arises of how to lose Azerbaijani citizenship.
Can Azerbaijanis and Russians have a foreign passport
Russian citizens can obtain a passport of a foreign state. The right to dual citizenship is enshrined in Article 62 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. However, in accordance with the Federal Law of 31.05.2002 N 62-FZ "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation", two civil statuses are recognized in the presence of interstate agreements.
The treaty, which regulates the issues of dual legal status, is valid for the Russian Federation only with Tajikistan. The belonging of Russians to other states in Russia does not have legal force. If a Russian has issued a foreign passport, he is obliged to report this to the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Persons who are interested in whether dual citizenship is allowed in Azerbaijan, it is necessary to know that there is the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated May 30, 2021 No. 973-IVQD "On Amendments to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan" On Citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan ", according to which the citizenship of an Azerbaijani to a foreign is not recognized by the state: an Azerbaijani who has issued a passport of another country is obliged to report this fact to the State Migration Service of the Azerbaijan Republic within a month. Actually, these requirements of the law of the republic are similar to those in Russia.
How does the renunciation of civil status take place?
The Regulations on the Rules for Consideration of Issues of Citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Their Resolution, approved by Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 189 of August 30, 1999, stipulates the procedure for renouncing the citizenship of Azerbaijan. It consists of several stages.
- First, you need to check if there are any reasons why they can renounce the citizenship of the Azerbaijan Republic. To do this, you must obtain all certificates from the relevant authorities.
- Preparation of the application and documents is the next stage.
- Then you need to decide where to submit your application (on the territory of Azerbaijan or outside the country).
- Submission of all the necessary papers to the state body, obtaining a certificate containing information that the application has been accepted for production is the next step.
- Then the petition is sent to the National Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
- After verification, the documents, along with a reasoned opinion, go to the Administration of the President of the country, where the Citizenship Commission considers the materials.
- The final stage of such a process as renouncing Azerbaijani citizenship in 2021 is waiting for a decision to be made, after which a notification is sent to the citizen, a certificate of renunciation of citizenship is issued, and an Azerbaijani passport is handed over.
Which authorities to apply to
On the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, an application for renunciation of citizenship, along with documents, is submitted to the State Migration Service, which is located in Baku.
To renounce Azerbaijani citizenship in Russia, you need to contact the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow or the Consulate General in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg. On the websites of representative offices, you can see the addresses, contact numbers, opening hours.
Persons who live on the territory of other foreign states submit an application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the territory of these countries.
What help will be needed
A complete list of documents for renouncing Azerbaijani citizenship is posted on the website of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan. You will need:
- Application form addressed to the President of Azerbaijan (the form can be downloaded on the portal page).
- Autobiography.
- 4 photographs (size 3x4 cm).
- Family composition certificate (issued at the place of residence).
- Receipt for payment of the state fee.
- Documents confirming that the applicant has no debts to the state, complaints and claims against him from legal entities and individuals.
The list of documents that are required to formalize the renunciation of citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan is approved by the Commission on Citizenship Issues under the Head of State. The list includes:
- certificate of payment of alimony (issued by the Ministry of Justice);
- a paper that indicates whether the citizen took out loans or credits (issued by the National Bank);
- a document confirming the absence of debt for the use of housing and communal services (it is necessary to obtain it from the department of housing and communal services);
- certificate of absence of debts for the use of telephone communications (issued by a long-distance telephone exchange);
- a document confirming the payment of taxes (issued by the district tax office);
- certificate confirming exemption from military service (you need to contact the district military commissariat).
Before submitting documents, it is advisable to contact the State Migration Service and clarify how to fill out the application form correctly, see a sample application for renouncing Azerbaijani citizenship.
State duty and the period during which citizenship is terminated
The process of considering documents on renouncing Azerbaijani citizenship is long. The term is calculated from the moment of submission of the application form. Each state body involved will review the application within a month. If all the certificates are provided and the application is drawn up in accordance with the requirements of the law, the total period takes no more than one year.
The Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated December 4, 2001 No. 223-IIQ "On State Duty" defines how much it costs to renounce Azerbaijani citizenship. For accepting an application, you must pay a state fee in the amount of 110 manats (about 4,300 rubles).
What document confirms the lack of citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan
The executive office of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan sends a written notification to the citizen, upon whose petition a positive decision was made. At the same time, the decision is reported to the authorities that issue the relevant documents: a personal file is started, which is subject to permanent storage, information about the termination of citizenship is stored in a single information base.
At any time, a person who needs a certificate of absence of Azerbaijani citizenship can apply to a diplomatic institution of the Republic of Azerbaijan with a request. To complete an application for the issuance of such a certificate, you must present a valid identity document and pay a state fee.
Embassy employees must send an official request to the competent authorities of Azerbaijan: after a response is received, a certificate of lack of citizenship is issued.
In what cases does an Azerbaijani lose a legal connection with the country?
The Azerbaijani legislation specifies the reasons for the deprivation of Azerbaijani citizenship. An Azerbaijani automatically loses civil status if:
- when accepting citizenship, the AR provided falsified data or fake documents;
- serves in government agencies, military units of a foreign state;
- poses a threat to the security of the country and its citizens;
- voluntarily accepted an indigenous person of another country.
If a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan does not report within a month about receiving a passport of a foreign state to the appropriate state body, he is threatened with the loss of Azerbaijani citizenship, as well as punishment in the form of a fine, the amount of which can range from 3 to 5 thousand manats, or performing free public works from 360 to 480 hours.
Finally
The Republic of Azerbaijan does not recognize dual citizenship, but at the same time does not create obstacles to the realization of the right of citizens to change their citizenship. Anyone who wondered whether it is possible to renounce Azerbaijani citizenship needs to know the legislative norms for such a procedure: collect and provide a package of documents, wait for the president's decision. When applying for renunciation of citizenship on the territory of a foreign state, problems for migrants can be caused by the collection of certificates that are issued in Azerbaijan.
