The determination of Somali citizenship is complicated by the fact that Somalia has lacked functioning governing institutions for the past decades.
However, citizenship in Somalia is nominally regulated by the country’s 1962 citizenship law, which provides that citizenship can be provided to anyone whose father is Somali or who is ethnically Somali and who renounces claim to any other nationality. In practice, Somalis may in some cases be considered stateless as a result of the lack of capacity of the Somali state to offer protection. (See De Jure Statelessness in the Real World: Applying the Prato Summary Conclusions). While the 1962 law does not permit dual nationality, the provisional constitution of 2012 does allow Somalis to hold another nationality.
In addition, the region of Somaliland adopted legislation relating to citizenship in 2002. This legislation confers citizenship on persons whose father was a descendent of a person resident on the territory in 1960. However, the effectiveness of this law depends in part on the extent to which Somaliland is recognized as a state, or not.
3 August 2026 – Somalia’s Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji has formally renounced his Kenyan citizenship and surrendered his Kenyan passport, becoming the first senior government official to comply with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s directive requiring ministers holding […]
Mogadishu, (SONNA) – Somalia today joined the rest of the continent in marking the 8th Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day, under the theme “Civil Registration as the Foundation of Africa’s Legal Identity Infrastructure and Digital Systems.” […]
The Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, H.E. Hamza Abdi Barre, today chaired a high-level meeting on the implementation of the National ID system and the integration of the National ID platform with various services provided by government […]
Since 2012, UNHCR has issued an annual background note on gender equality in nationality laws related to the conferral of nationality on children. Nationality laws that do not grant women equal rights with men to confer nationality on their children […]
By Ayang Macdonald Somalia is certainly on the right path in the pursuit of its digital transformation ambitions, thanks in large part to foundational identity infrastructure built with support from Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). After the putting […]
Extracts relevant to Africa: Action 1: Resolve existing major situations of statelessness In February 2024, in Kenya, UNHCR is reviewed and provided technical feedback on a proposed amendment of the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, aiming to establish a registration […]
Nationality laws which do not grant women equality with men in conferring nationality on their children are a cause of statelessness and a concern for UNHCR.1 Since 2012, UNHCR has issued an annual background note on gender equality in provisions […]
Extracts relevant to Africa: Kenya recognized 7,000 Pemba individuals as citizens, granting them official documents. This ensures their rights and access to public services and opportunities. In Malawi, the Ministry of Home Affairs, officially adopted a National Action Plan (NAP) […]
By Ayang Macdonald Somalia’s Cabinet Ministers have approved a draft civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) legislation, a major step forward in the country’s quest to modernize its citizen identification system after many years of political turmoil. The document, submitted […]
By Masha Barak Somalia has launched its own biometric identity card system with the head of the government expressing hope it will help its citizens overcome a “myriad socioeconomic challenges” as the country struggles with terrorist groups. During the launch […]
Extracts relevant to Africa: Action 1: Resolve existing major situations of statelessness The Government of Kenya formally recognized the Pemba as an ethnic community and therefore citizens of Kenya through a Gazette Notice on 30 January. It instructs authorities to […]
Advances in technology and improvements in connectivity have given governments new capabilities, such as digitizing records, capturing biometrics, and automating processes. These improvements have enabled new concepts such as digital identity that allow human data to be converted into a […]