49 - 52 (xiii) Voluntary renunciation of nationality Voluntary renunciation relates to an act of free will whereby an individual gives up his or her nationality status. This generally takes the form of an oral or written declaration. The subsequent withdrawal of nationality may be automatic or at the discretion of the authorities.34 In some States voluntary renunciation of nationality is treated as grounds for excluding an individual from the coverage of Article 1(1). However, this is not permitted by the 1954 Convention. The treaty’s object and purpose, of facilitating the enjoyment by stateless persons of their human rights, is equally relevant in cases of voluntary as well as involuntary withdrawal of nationality. Indeed, in many cases the renunciation may have pursued a legitimate objective, for example the fulfilment of conditions for acquiring another nationality, and the individual may only have expected a very short spell as stateless. The question of an individual’s free choice is not relevant when determining eligibility for recognition as stateless under Article 1(1); it may, however, be pertinent to the matter of the treatment received thereafter. Those who have renounced their nationality voluntarily might be able to reacquire such nationality, unlike other stateless persons. The availability of protection in another State may have an impact on the status to be awarded on recognition and, as such, this issue is explored in Part Three. PART ONE 51. (xiv) Concept of nationality 52. In assessing the nationality laws of a State it is important to bear in mind that the terminology used to describe a “national” varies from country to country. For example, other labels that might be applied to that status include “citizen”, “subject”, “national” in French, and “nacional” in Spanish. Moreover, within a State there may be various categories of nationality with differing names and associated rights. The 1954 Convention is concerned with ameliorating the negative effect, in terms of dignity and security, of an individual not satisfying a fundamental aspect of the system for human rights protection; the existence of a national-State relationship. As such, the definition of stateless person in Article 1(1) incorporates a concept of national which reflects a formal link, of a political and legal character, between the individual and a particular State. This is distinct from the concept of nationality which is concerned with membership of a religious, linguistic or ethnic group.35 As such, the treaty’s concept of national is consistent with the traditional understanding of this term under international law; that is persons over whom a State considers it has 34 Voluntary renunciation is to be distinguished from loss of nationality through failure to comply with formalities, including where the individual is aware of the relevant requirements and still chooses to ignore them. 35 This meaning of nationality can be found, for example, in the refugee definition in Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention in relation to the phrase “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality…” (emphasis added). 21