Every child born to a Lebanese father shall be considered Lebanese in accordance with the nationality of the father at the time of birth, regardless of the place of birth. Everyone born to a Lebanese father is Lebanese even if the father renounces his Lebanese nationality or relinquishes it at a later time after the birth of his child and is administratively written off.13 There is no regard or consideration for whether the mother is Lebanese, foreign or even stateless.14 Natural or illegitimate filiation Natural or illegitimate filiation results from the physical contact between a man and a woman outside wedlock. A child born as a result of this relationship is called a natural or illegitimate child.15 An illegitimate child may be granted Lebanese citizenship if the father is Lebanese in two cases: • When paternal filiation is established to a minor child prior to maternal affiliation. • When the proof of paternity and maternity is established at the same time. • Recognition by both parents at the same time, or by one without the other. • A court ruling following a lawsuit by the child requesting his or her filiation with one or both parents. It is noteworthy that the recognition of natural filiation, whether consensual or judicial, is a declaration and not a creation of the affiliation of the child. Accordingly, the child acquires the nationality of his or her Lebanese parents from birth and not from the date of recognition of filiation or the date of the court ruling on it.16 The Lebanese Court of Cassation held that if the filiation of the illegitimate child is recognized after reaching the age of majority, the case for registering him or her on the Personal Status Record of his or her Lebanese mother can be considered a claim for nationality and is outside the jurisdiction of a single judge.17 Therefore an illegitimate child’s acquisition of Lebanese nationality does not result from his or her registration because registration is a subsequent process of acquiring nationality after fulfilling the provisions of Article 2 of Law No. 15 of 1925.18 Third: The mechanism for recognizing an illegitimate child Second: Transmission of Lebanese nationality through the maternal line The legislator invokes jus sanguinis on the mother’s side to establish Lebanese status of a natural child (illegitimate) when: 1. The mother is the first to recognize the filiation. 2. She holds Lebanese nationality at the time she recognizes the child. If the father, regardless of his nationality, acknowledges the birth of the natural child after the mother recognises the child, the child retains his or her Lebanese nationality even if the father’s country grants the child its nationality. It should be noted that the recognition of filiation of a natural child may come from one or both parents and is carried out in the following two ways: Article 15 of the Personal Status Records Registration Law promulgated on 7 December 1951 stipulates that if a child is born illegitimately, the birth certificate must be prepared by the person who sponsors the child, the doctor or midwife. In this case, no mention is made to his or her father’s name unless the latter personally recognizes paternity or through another person, he has delegated for this purpose. If the father does not acknowledge the child, the illegitimate child is given a name by the person preparing the birth certificate. In addition, the preparer of the birth certificate is not allowed to mention the name of the mother unless she acknowledges that she is the mother of the child or through a court ruling. Section II Lebanese nationality by jus soli ground ‘soil-bond’ The second and third paragraphs of Article 1 of Law No. 15 of 1925 state that every person is considered Lebanese if her or she was born in the Greater Lebanon territory, and it was established that he or she did not acquire foreign nationality, upon birth, by affiliation,19 and every person born in the Greater Lebanon territory to unknown parents or parents of unknown nationality.20 Therefore, two basic prerequisites must be in place for passing Lebanese citizenship. • • 8 Born on Lebanese territory — based on a certificate issued by the mayor and the parish priest.21 Does not have any foreign nationality at birth — proven by referring to the records of the Directorate-General of General Security.22 Article 10 of Law No. 15 of 1925 also states that every person is considered Lebanese if born on the Greater Lebanon territory to a father also born in the said territory was of 1 November 1914 as an Ottoman subject. Three main requirements must meet the provisions stipulated in this Article: • Person must be born in Lebanon. • Father is also born in the said territory. • Father was on 1 November 1914 an Ottoman subject.