The Estonian Government regularly organizes ceremonies including for formerly stateless persons and children who have been successfully naturalized and granted Estonian citizenship. © Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, March 2016. Act,54 which retained the prior rules on acquisition of citizenship and established additional55 requirements for naturalization.56 From 1996, those of undetermined nationality who had previously held Soviet passports could obtain an identity document, known as an “alien’s passport,” which served as official identification within Estonia, provided access to most state services, and allowed its holder to travel abroad. It did not allow the holder to vote in national elections57, stand for or be appointed to public office, or to serve in the armed forces. The 1995 Citizenship Act, as originally adopted, contained no safeguards against statelessness for children born in Estonia. In 1998, amendments to the law gave children born in Estonia after 26 February 1992 to parents who were “persons with undetermined citizenship” the right to acquire Estonian citizenship in some circumstances through a simplified naturalization procedure, as long as certain conditions were met. The conditions were that the child was under 15 years of age at the time of application, his or her parents had resided legally in Estonia for at least five years at the time the application was submitted, and the parents were not nationals of another State. The main provisions of the citizenship law continued to provide a pure jus sanguinis regime for children, with the exception only of children of unknown parents, and provided no rights based on birth in the territory. 54 Kodakondsuse seadus, RT I 1995, 12, 122, available at: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/28732. 55 In addition to Estonian language test, the applicants had to pass an exam on the knowledge of Constitution and Citizenship Act. 56 Priit Järve and Vadim Poleshchuk, Country Report: Estonia, EUDO Citizenship Observatory Report (2013), page 1. 57 Persons with undetermined citizenship holding the long-term residence permit are eligible to vote in local government elections. 14 CAMPAIGN TO END STATELESSNESS WITHIN 10 YE ARS