Effect of acquisition of nationality by declaration 27.03.2014 Interministerial Circular No. 06 MJDHLP/MEMIS of 27 March 2014 Beneficiaries Procedures 01.09.2014 Interministerial Order No. 189/ MJDHLP/MEMIS 15.12.2014 Interministerial Order No. 612/ MEMIS/MJDHLP Interministerial Order No. 322/ MEMIS/MJDHLP Interministerial Order No. 724/ MEMIS/MJDHLP 25.06.2015 01.12.2014 proposed declarant in Côte d’Ivoire (for the second category of beneficiaries), and parental authorization, should the applicant be a minor.  The prefectures and sub-prefectures are to transfer files of those requesting to acquire nationality by declaration to their local courts, who then transfer them to the closest Court of First Instance to forward to the Ministry of Justice for treatment.  Article 8 confirms that those who acquire nationality by declaration pursuant to this procedure acquire all rights that attach to Ivorian nationality from the date the nationality certificate is registered with the Ministry of Justice. “Chapter I – By virtue of Article 2 [of Law No. 2013653] the persons benefitting from nationality by declaration are as follows: - Persons born in Côte d’Ivoire to foreign parents aged less than 21 years on the date of 20 December 1961; - Persons having had habitual residence without interruption in Côte d’Ivoire prior to 7 August 1960; - Persons born in Côte d’Ivoire to foreign parents between 20 December 1961 and 25 January 1973. Additionally, descendants of persons identified in the first category also benefit from the provisions of the law [citing Article 1, Line 2 of Decree No. 2013-848]. Note that only children born in Côte d’Ivoire are concerned by the above-mentioned provisions. Right-holders [ayants-droit] of deceased persons also enter into the abovementioned categories.”  Same as above.  Modified Interministerial Circular No. 06. Established the first open period for submitting applications to acquire nationality by declaration from 1 April to 30 September 2014.  Modified prior circulars. Established the second open period for submitting applications from 1 December 2014 to 30 April 2015.  Modified prior circulars. Established the third open period for submitting applications from 1 July to 30 October 2015.  Modified prior circulars. Established the fourth (and final) open period for submitting applications from 1 December 2015 to 24 January 2016. By January 2016, 123,810 people had applied to acquire nationality by declaration, with 11,762 administrative nationality certificates issued by 30 November 2016, and the remaining files pending review or delivery of their nationality certificate. These figures demonstrate that this program has been more successful than the Linas-Marcoussis naturalization program. However, it has not progressed without challenges. First, the above table shows that Law No. 2013-653; Decree No. 2013-848, and Interministerial Circular No. 06 MJDHLP/MEMIS of March 2014 each adopted a different definition of which legal descendants of beneficiaries fall within this program. This has produced a dampening effect in light of the confusion it has sowed. Observational field visits as the declaration program was underway in 2014 also revealed numerous ambiguities and inconsistencies with respect to documentary proof required by courts, prefectures, and sub- 72