Kyrgyzstan updates rules on citizenship procedures

AKIPRESS.COM – President Sadyr Japarov has amended a decree regulating the procedure for handling citizenship issues in Kyrgyzstan.

The updated rules expand the use of digital systems: citizenship-related documents can now be processed through an automated information system in both electronic and paper form.

Applications for acquiring or renouncing citizenship must be confirmed with an electronic signature generated via a graphic tablet for identity verification in the system.

To apply for Kyrgyz citizenship, applicants must have a registered place of stay in Kyrgyzstan and one of the following documents: a residence permit, stateless person ID, refugee status document, or a “Meken Card.”

These requirements do not apply to ethnic Kyrgyz who have relocated to the country, or to stateless persons documented in Kyrgyzstan. For minors, only registration of residence is required.

For citizenship renunciation, notarized consent from parents and children aged 14–18 is required if not already available in the system.

Children born in Kyrgyzstan to foreign parents who are ethnic Kyrgyz are automatically recognized as citizens, regardless of the parents’ citizenship or place of residence.

The decree also specifies that citizenship withdrawal or termination may occur in cases such as acquisition of another nationality, voluntary renunciation, or actions threatening national security.

Citizenship may also be revoked if a naturalized person joins foreign military, law enforcement, or security agencies, or engages in activities threatening national security.

The decree will come into force 10 days after official publication.