of both UNHCR and the Kurdistan Regional Government, who do not register information about statelessness when providing services to Syrian refugees. As a result, there is limited information on the number of ajanib and maktoumeen Syrians among the estimated 250,000 Syrian refugees in KRI, and how their experiences differ from those of Syrian Kurdish citizens in displacement5. While these polices have positive effect of treating all Syrian Kurds equally and offering ajanib and maktoumeen Syrian Kurds the first legal residency that many have ever received, it may also disguise long term vulnerabilities. In August 2022, NRC conducted a representative sample of household surveys and key informant interviews with ajanib and maktoumeen Syrian Kurds currently residing in the Dohuk governorate of KRI in Domiz I, II and Bardarash camps and outside of camps in Dohuk city to gauge the number of stateless Syrian Kurds in Dohuk, as well as the impact of statelessness on quality of life and future intentions. - Ajanib: “Foreigner” in Arabic - Ajnabi (singular), ajnaba (singular feminine), ajanib (plural) Syrian Kurds who are included in the Syrian Civil Registry but who were unable to present evidence of family presence in Syria back to 1945, and therefore are registered as foreigners. Individuals born to ajanib parents have inherited this status. They have significantly limited access to public services and restricted inheritance rights under Syrian law. Ajanib are eligible for citizenship under law 49 of 2011, but they must be physically present in Government of Syria-controlled areas to apply. Note: This report considers both ajanib who obtained citizenship through the 2011 law, and ajanib who did not. Ajanib who obtained citizenship are referred to here as “naturalised ajanib” to distinguish them from ajanib who did not obtain citizenship and remain stateless. Maktoum (singular) Maktoumeen (plural), maktouma (singular feminine) maktoumi al-qaid (formal, “concealed from the registry”) Maktoumeen are Syrian Kurds excluded from the Syrian Civil Registry because they were not recorded during the 1962 census. Their stay in Syria is considered illegal and they have no pathway to claim Syrian nationality. Prior to the Syrian conflict and the advent of the Syrian Self-Administration in northeast Syria (who do not distinguish between citizens and non-citizens), maktoumeen could not access public services and needed security permission to travel between cities in Syria. While some maktoumeen report paying an intermediary to obtain ajanib registration with the intention to convert this into citizenship, there are no formal legal provisions to convert maktoum status to citizen. Background Background 6 9