States where mothers cannot confer
nationality to their children on an equal
basis as fathers
The table below uses a color scheme to divide the laws of the 24 States into three categories.
The laws of the first group of countries red have nationality laws which do not allow mothers
to confer their nationality on their children with no, or very limited, exceptions – these laws
create the greatest risk of statelessness. The laws of the second group of countries orange
allow women to confer nationality in some circumstances. For example, some make exceptions
for mothers to confer nationality if the father is unknown or stateless and some establish a
discretionary procedure for conferral of nationality upon application. The laws of the third group
of countries yellow also limit the conferral of nationality by women but additional guarantees
ensure that statelessness will rarely arise.
The Bahamas
Burundi
Jordan
Libya
Oman
Sudan
Bahrain
Eswatini
Kiribati
Malaysia
Qatar
Syria
Barbados
Iran
Kuwait
Mauritania
Saudi Arabia
Togo
Brunei
Darussalam
Iraq
Lebanon
Nepal
Somalia
United Arab
Emirates
Out of these 24 countries, 21 are signatories to the Convention on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which in Article 9(2) requires States Parties to grant
women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children. Only Iran, Somalia,
and Sudan are not signatories. However, 12 of the signatory countries have made Reservations
against Article 9(2) or to the entirety of Article 9.13 The countries that are signatories to CEDAW
without a Reservation against Article 9(2) are: Barbados, Burundi, Eswatini, Iraq, Kiribati, Libya,
Mauritania, and Nepal.
13
These countries are: The Bahamas, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.
U N H C R > B A C K G R O U N D N O T E O N G E N D E R E Q U A L I T Y, N AT I O N A L I T Y L A W S A N D S TAT E L E S S N E S S 2 0 2 3
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