arbitrary,16 although the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness does allow for this to happen under a few exceptional circumstances.17 ADMINISTRATIVE BARRIERS Another factor that may put people at risk of statelessness is the lack of documentation confirming nationality and the complex and lengthy administrative procedures to obtain such documents. The obstacles often start at the registration of birth. Indeed, the importance of birth registration cannot be overlooked as it is proof of a person’s descent and place of birth. Without registration at birth, citizenship can be difficult to prove, especially in a global, mobile world. 1.2.3 Consequences of statelessness Nationality is an important part of one’s identity and provides a sense of belonging. Even more importantly, the bond that a person has with his or her citizenship is often taken for granted. However, it is also a key for the effective protection and enjoyment of basic human rights. Being stateless means not having a country of your own, a country where you can live and come back to, being considered a foreigner everywhere and living in a legal limbo. Being treated as foreigners, stateless persons may not be able to take on legal, gainful employment or access social security and health care. They may be exposed to repeated and prolonged administrative detention. They may not be able to obtain a travel document and travel abroad. Due to their lack of recognition by the state, stateless persons usually do not hold any identity documents which are typically required in a wide array of daily matters ranging from opening a bank account, getting married, having the right to freedom of movement and signing a lease contract to basic personal identification when contacting schools, hospitals, local government offices and the police. All these issues and problems that stateless persons encounter, irrespective of their will, abilities or initiative, contribute to a state of vulnerability, at times leading to social exclusion and destitution. 16 T. Molnar, The Prohibition of Arbitrary Deprivation of Nationality under International Law and EU Law: New Perspectives, 2015, available at: https://bit.ly/2kNd1kQ 17 UNHCR, Expert Meeting – Interpreting the 1961 Statelessness Convention and Avoiding Statelessness resulting from Loss and Deprivation of Nationality ("Tunis Conclusions"), March 2014, para. 23, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/533a754b4.html UNHCR POLAND, SEPTEMBER 2019 13