A stateless person is not uncommon at present. The number of such people, according to statistics, currently stands at about 15 million. In terms of numbers, this is the population of a country. Therefore, questions arise about this status: are there any advantages for stateless people, in what cases can one obtain citizenship, etc. It is worth noting that a stateless person is endowed with all social rights, but is deprived of the privileges of a citizen of the state.
What does this mean?
Each person must have an affiliation to a country, be a citizen. However, there are exceptions. According to the law on citizenship of the Russian Federation, a stateless person is a person who does not have the citizenship of any state and does not belong to any country by document. Now there are a lot of such people in the world, and this issue is often discussed. The heads of state are trying to solve this problem, but not so simple.
There is also the concept of bipatrid. This is a person who has citizenship in two countries at once.
Advantages and disadvantages of a stateless person
It would seem what advantages are in question, because only shortcomings come to mind. A stateless person cannot officially get a job, he does not have the possibility of treatment in state institutions, training in higher educational institutions. In addition, stateless people cannot travel freely around the world. People who are not documented by any state cannot be considered foreigners and enjoy their privileges. Stateless people do not have the rights that citizens of a country have.
However, there is an advantage: this status makes it easier to obtain citizenship. In a number of countries, a stateless person can easily become a citizen, if he has grounds for it. For example, in China, which is very demanding of people trying to obtain their citizenship, it is much easier for stateless people to become citizens of the country. People who do not belong to any state may not go through lengthy and expensive procedures for renouncing their first citizenship in order to obtain a second one.
Circumstances in which you can become stateless
A person may not acquire citizenship at birth, but may lose it at a conscious age. Moreover, this procedure is carried out both against the will and voluntarily.
Therefore, it is necessary to consider the main circumstances that may affect the lack of citizenship:
- If the child was born from parents who do not belong to any state (with the exception of cases when the law of the soil applies in the country).
- If a stateless person voluntarily refused it. In this case, the passport and birth certificate are seized. This usually happens if a person wishes to become a citizen of another country.
- Deprivation of citizenship due to the fact that a person poses a threat to national security.
- If the state itself has disappeared. An example is the USSR, after the collapse of which all countries hastened to issue all regulatory documents in order to provide their citizens with passports.
Rights of people not belonging to any country
Foreigners and stateless persons are two completely different concepts that should not be confused. A person who does not belong to the state is usually not severely infringed on his rights, with the exception of the restriction of certain opportunities: to take part in elections, hold public office and serve in the army.
According to the law on citizenship of the Russian Federation, stateless persons can use free medical services in the country and cross the border for a certain period of time. In our country, the attitude towards stateless people is quite loyal, unlike other states. It is worth noting that if a stateless person has a diploma of education in a rare specialty, this gives him an advantage over a resident who does not have this document.
Stateless persons cannot participate in political parties and associations. Sometimes local authorities restrict their freedom of movement around the country.
How is a stateless person verified?
Consider this situation on the example of our country. The status of a stateless person does not allow obtaining an identity document - a passport. How to be? There is a list of official papers that can help in this case. The role of the certifying document may be:
- passport of another country (if available);
- temporary residence permit in the country;
- residence;
- other official papers that are recognized by the legislation of the Russian Federation.
Types of Citizenship
At present, it is customary to divide citizenship into 4 varieties, each of which has its own significant differences. Knowing the differences, a person can understand for himself what kind of citizenship he has, what he wants to get.
So, the types of citizenship:
- Inner. The most common type means citizenship of the country in which the person lives. He can enjoy all the privileges on the territory of the state.
- Other In other words, foreigners who live in the country, but have not yet managed to get a local passport. They can be both legally located in the country, and illegally.
- Double. The case when a person is a citizen of two states at the same time. An amicable agreement must be concluded between them that foreign citizenship is recognized in order to enjoy all the privileges.
- Lack of affiliation to any country.
Identification in the Russian Federation
What should a stateless person do? There are several stages that he must go through before full legalization. The first step is documentary identification. In order to go through this stage, a person must submit an application to the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the established form, in which it is necessary to indicate personal data and the purpose of arrival in the country.
In addition to this official paper, you should attach:
- pensioner's ID;
- driver's license;
- Invalid passport
- Marriage certificate;
- registration certificate;
- receipt of state duty.
Do not be surprised if the Ministry of Internal Affairs requests additional information. It is recommended to submit documents with two acquaintances who are citizens of Russia and can confirm all the evidence.
Within three months, if all the documents are in order, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will issue a special certificate with a photograph - this will be a temporary identification card.
Temporary residence permit (RVP) and residence permit (residence permit)
Foreigners and stateless persons must obtain these two documents for residence in the country. Why is this needed? RVP and residence permit allows you to use almost all the privileges: to take out insurance, cross the border, etc.
In more detail, a temporary residence permit is a separate document. Each year, a quota is established that controls the number of people who received a permit. This means that there is a certain number of quotas, for example 130,000 pieces. Only those people who managed to get into this amount can get RVP. Moreover, the seats are distributed to foreigners and stateless persons.
This status makes it easier to obtain citizenship and a temporary residence permit. However, there are several conditions:
- birth in the territory of the Russian Federation;
- spouse, spouse or child who are citizens of Russia;
- disabled parents with citizenship.
A residence permit provides even more benefits, but getting it is much more difficult. Stateless persons and foreigners strive to become the owner of this particular document, because thanks to it one can carry out military service, freely cross the country's borders, work in law enforcement agencies.
How can a stateless person become a citizen of Russia?
According to the law, a person who has lived in the country for five years or more has the right to receive the status of a filed. There is a simplified procedure for native speakers of the Russian language and people who were born and studied in the USSR.
The world community annually raises the issue of this problem and is trying to provide stateless people with normal living conditions. However, a stateless person still does not have a number of rights and obligations. People who do not have state affiliation should fight for their rights. In order for them to legalize their status and further improve the quality of life, all conditions have been created. To learn more about how to act in a particular situation, you need to contact the lawyers in person or to representatives of state bodies at the place of residence. You can obtain citizenship, you only need to competently approach the issue.