SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA granted naturalized citizenship.3037 No simplified or expedited process of either citizenship by registration or by naturalization is available for stateless persons or refugees.3038 mother) is a foreign diplomat or enemy alien (and the birth occurred during the occupation from that enemy state) are not considered citizens by birth even if their mother is a citizen of Singapore.3030 Singaporean citizenship law further limits the ability of married women to confer their nationality onto foreign spouses on the same basis as men.3031 Dual citizenship Whilst Singaporean citizens also enjoy the status of citizens of the Commonwealth3039, Singapore does not recognise or accept dual citizenship for its citizens. A child born of Singaporean parents outside of Singapore must renounce any jus soli rights to citizenship in the country of their birth if they want to become a citizen by descent.3040 Any citizen of 21 years or more may renounce their citizenship if they are also citizens of another state or are about to become so.3041 Further, the government may deprive a Singaporean citizen of their citizenship upon their acquisition of foreign citizenship or on their exercise of certain rights as foreign citizens, such as the use of a foreign passport or the exercise of their voting rights.3042 Naturalized citizenship Foreigners or stateless persons may gain Singaporean citizenship by registration, which is different from the process of naturalization.3032 Any foreigner of 21 years or more may apply and be registered as Singaporean citizen if the government is satisfied of their good character, of their meeting certain past residence requirements (in practice, having been a Permanent Resident of Singapore for at least two years3033), of their intention to reside permanently in Singapore, and of their elementary knowledge of one of the country’s four official languages.3034 There is a simplified procedure for the acquisition of citizenship by registration for foreign women married to a Singaporean citizen.3035 Treaty ratification status To date, Singapore has ratified ICERD, CRC, and CEDAW. Singapore is not party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. In addition, Singapore is one of 13 UN states which have not signed or ratified either the ICCPR, or ICESCR. Singapore has signed the non-binding ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, as one of the ten countries that drafted and adopted it in 2012. Foreigners and stateless persons are able to apply for citizenship by naturalization through a more stringent process than that afforded to citizens by registration. If the government is satisfied that the applicant is of good character, they meet more stringent past residence requirements3036, they intend to reside permanently in Singapore, and they have adequate knowledge of the national language (Malay), the applicant will be TABLE 78 Status of Accession of International Human Rights Treaties in Southeast Asia Country Singapore ✅ ⛔ 262 Stateless 1 ⛔ Stateless 2 ⛔ Refugee Signifies that the country is a party to the convention Signifies that the country is not a party to the convention ⛔ ICCPR ⛔ ICESCR ⛔ ICERD ✅ CRC ✅ CEDAW ✅ Stateless 1 - 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons Stateless 2 - 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC (DETAILED VERSION) The effect of this reservation can be seen in the fact that one’s nationality can directly affect one’s eligibility for specific forms of immigration to Singapore. One of Singapore’s notable reservations on the ICERD is that it reserves the right to “apply its policies concerning the admission and regulation of foreign work pass holders, with a view to promoting integration and maintaining cohesion within its racially diverse society”.3043 The effect of this reservation can be seen in the fact that one’s nationality can directly affect one’s eligibility for specific forms of immigration to Singapore.3044 In 2022, the CEDAW Committee in its concluding observations raised concerns which stated that “insufficient measures have been taken to reduce wage discrimination based on nationality”.3045 It was recommended that Singapore ensure that employment restrictions on workers’ countries of origin do not constitute discrimination based on nationality as well as work “to eliminate wage discrimination based on nationality”.3046 The Committee also urged Singapore to ensure comprehensive data collection for ethnic groups, including non-citizens such as migrants, refugees and stateless persons.3047 By ratifying the ICERD, Singapore has committed to ensuring nondiscrimination on the basis of nationality and the right to a nationality.3048 Further concerns were expressed regarding lack of legal safeguards against childhood statelessness to which Singapore was recommended to amend its citizenship legislation to ensure that children who would otherwise be stateless are granted Singaporean nationality.3049 These concerns were echoed by the CRC Committee in 2019, which recommended that Singapore amend Article 122 of the Constitution in order to ensure no child is or becomes stateless.3050 As a party to CRC, Singapore is obligated to ensure that no child is left stateless.3051 However, one relevant reservation Singapore made in its ratification of CRC argues that Singapore’s national law sufficiently protects children’s rights, meaning that Singapore will not accept any obligations beyond those prescribed in its Constitution.3052 This has been criticised by other State parties as well as the CRC Committee. The Committee added that in order to eliminate discrimination towards children without Singaporean citizenship, Singapore should adopt a comprehensive strategy to end discrimination towards children, including by collaborating with mass media, social networks, and community leaders to change dominating discriminatory attitudes.3053 In 2017, the CEDAW Committee recommended that Singapore publish updated statistics on the number of stateless persons in the country as well as to ensure that children born in the territory who would otherwise be stateless be granted citizenship, echoing concerns expressed in concluding observations made by the CRC Committee and the CERD Committee.3054 Although Singapore reduced the number of reservations made to CEDAW in 2011, reservations remain in relation to Article 2.3055 Crucially, Article 2 commits states to take steps to eliminate all discrimination against women through antidiscrimination laws, public institutions and tribunals, and repeal all discriminatory provisions FIGURE 12 Classification of stateless individuals, 2016 41% 59% Source: ReImagining Singaporeans, ‘Handbook on Statelessness in Singapore’ REPORT 2024 263