Gov’t to Simplify Procedures for Dual Citizenship
By Tea Mariamidze
Tuesday, May 29
Georgian government is working on the amendments to the Citizenship Law, which envisages simplified procedures for dual citizenships as well.
The draft amendments to the Law on Citizenship are ready for initiation. The project will be submitted to the Parliament at the next sitting of the Bureau.
The draft amendments were prepared by the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Issues.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili asked the parliament to set more liberal and simplified procedures in the law on granting dual citizenship.
Margvelashvili commented about the planned amendments to the Law on Citizenship at the Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi, where a forum dedicated to the Diaspora Day was held on May 27.
"I would like the law on dual citizenship to be adopted by the parliament as soon as possible. We already have dual citizenship procedures but they slow down the process. If there is a much more liberal approach to the issue, the dual citizenship will not require complex procedures. I would welcome a prompt adoption of the law," the President said.
Moreover, Georgian Parliament Speaker, Irakli Kobakhidze stated that specific procedures should be set which will define how Georgians living abroad will be able to get dual citizenships.
Kobakhidze explained that the record, which previously restricted dual citizenship, has been abolished, adding Georgians can keep their citizenship even if they have foreign citizenship as well.
"The Georgian Diaspora is significant to our country since they contribute greatly to our country’s economic development and what is more important, to peoples diplomacy,” the speaker stated at Diaspora Forum on Sunday.
According to the amendments, the term of living in Georgia for getting a citizenship may be increased from five-year living term to 10 years for getting an ordinary citizenship. As for the simplified citizenship, two-year living term may increase to five years.
A few exceptions will be included as well. A person may receive the citizenship of Georgia if he or she recognizes Georgia as his/hers home country, or he has a predecessor internally displaced from the occupied territories, or emigrated due to political or difficult social-economic conditions.
Other exceptions are: a person is born in Georgia but represents an ethnic minority, is a foreigner and makes a significant investment supporting the country’s economic development, or is a foreigner but successful in sports, science or art and wants to represent Georgia in their career.
Previously, the president of Georgia was entitled to grant dual citizenship to people, however, according to the changes, application for dual citizenship through the exceptional can be submitted to the Public Service Development Agency, related embassy or a consulate.
