the foreign husband, and does so at her own request. This approach upholds two key principles from international law—first, that no one should lose their nationality until they have already acquired another nationality, and second, that a woman’s nationality should not be changed or lost without her full and explicit consent.64 The laws of Bahrain also feature similar protections, noting that a Bahraini woman cannot lose her nationality in connection with marriage to a foreign national until and unless she acquires his citizenship.65 Naturalization on the basis of residence Provision 1. A foreign national who has lived in State X for at least 5 years with a valid residence permit, may apply to become a national of State X. Comments Naturalization due to long residence is the voluntary acquisition of citizenship by a foreign person, based on prolonged residence. The law with respect to naturalization due to long residence remains largely at the domestic discretion of States. As a result, naturalization laws vary widely. Each State may determine the length of time that a person must live in their territory before they are eligible for citizenship through naturalization, and they may also determine whether that length of residency must be continuous. States may also choose to impose other conditions under which they will grant citizenship. Ideally, any conditions imposed by the State should not be excessively onerous for the applicant, and that exceptions be available for those who may not be able to meet the requirements due to disability or other reasons. In terms of procedure, so long as an individual fulfils the requirements of naturalization, it would be preferable that they be automatically naturalized upon application, rather than upon a decision of the responsible State authorities. 30