The Citizenship Bill in the new edition was signed on March 13 by the President of Uzbekistan. The document was published in the Xalq So’zi newspaper and will take effect six months later, with the exception of Articles 6 and 45 and paragraph 1 of Article 55, which will take effect on April 1.
In particular, Article 6 grants citizenship of Uzbekistan persons who arrived and have been permanently residing on the territory of Uzbekistan before January 1, 1995, who have not accepted the citizenship of a foreign state and who have lived in the country on the basis of a residence permit for a stateless person.
Thereby, nearly 50 thousand compatriots who have long lived in Uzbekistan will automatically obtain citizenship. This proposal was put forward by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in his January address to parliament.
In addition to the general procedure for admission to citizenship, simplified and exceptional orders are introduced. A simplified admission procedure applies to a compatriot if he:
- has at least one relative in a direct ascending line living in the territory of Uzbekistan and being a citizen of the republic;
- has a legitimate source of livelihood;
- undertakes to comply with the Constitution of Uzbekistan;
- speaks the state language to the extent necessary for communication.
The last requirement is a new one. During a discussion of the law in the Senate in February, the head of the Main Directorate of Migration and Citizenship of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ulugbek Mukhamedov, noted that the inclusion of this requirement is seen as showing respect for the state, nation and country of the person who wishes to obtain citizenship of Uzbekistan.
