EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM Denial of nationality The denial of nationality is the decision of a national authority not to grant its nationality to a person who has never been a national of that country. Deprivation of nationality Any form of involuntary loss of nationality whether automatic or non-automatic (including lapse, withdrawal, nullification) that is not initiated by the person or their legal representative. It is also referred to as ‘denationalisation’, ‘withdrawal’ or ‘revocation’ of nationality. Ex lege nationality A nationality is acquired ex lege when it is acquired by the sole effect of the law, automatically, without any intervention of the national authorities. The acquisition of the nationality does not require any specific legal, judicial or administrative step. Any such step may be needed not for the acquisition of the nationality (which is acquired) but for the recognition by the national authorities of the nationality and for the collection of evidence of it. Jus sanguinis Latin for ‘right of blood’. It describes the right of a person to be granted the nationality of (one of) their parents, based on their blood ties at birth, regardless of where they were born. Jus soli Latin for ‘right of the soil’. It describes the right of anyone born in the territory of a state to be granted the nationality of that state. Nationality Nationality denotes the legal bond between an individual and a state. A person can have single, dual or multiple nationality(ies). Nationality is generally synonymous with ‘citizenship’ (even though, in a few countries, there may be some minor differences between the two). Nationality, as defined here, is not to be confused with the much wider concept of nationality as a reason for persecution (see below). (in ‘country of nationality’) Nationality (as a ground for persecution) Nationality, as a reason for persecution, has a broader sociological meaning than nationality as understood in ‘country of nationality’. Under reasons of persecution, the QD (recast) and the QR define that nationality is: not [to] be confined to citizenship or lack thereof but shall, in particular, include membership of a group determined by its cultural, ethnic, or linguistic identity, common geographical or political origins or its relationship with the population of another State ( 14). Naturalisation It is the legal act by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country. This non-automatic mode of acquiring a nationality usually requires that the individual applies for it and fulfils different conditions, depending on national law. (14) Article 10(1)(c) QR. This is the same wording as that used in Article 10(1)(c) QD (recast). 10