Shafaq News-Baghdad
Iraq grantedcitizenship to 2,557 foreigners between 2006 and 2026, the Interior Ministryannounced Tuesday, offering the first comprehensive public accounting ofnaturalization figures spanning two decades.
Major GeneralMiqdad Miri, head of the ministry's Relations and Media Department, said thatall naturalization cases proceeded under applicable legal standards and currentadministrative instructions, with each grant subject to security and proceduralclearances before approval.
Citizenship inIraq rests on Law No. 26 of 2006, which sets strict conditions designed topreserve what the law describes as "sovereign integrity." The lawrecognizes several pathways to citizenship. Birth to an Iraqi father or motherqualifies automatically, a significant change introduced by the 2006 law toextend equal rights to children of Iraqi mothers. Foreign nationals married toIraqi citizens may apply after five years of continuous legal residence,provided the marriage remains intact. Unmarried foreigners who have livedlegally in Iraq for at least ten years may also apply, subject to a cleancriminal record, no conviction for a dishonorable offense, and proof of avisible means of livelihood.
Meeting theseconditions, however, does not guarantee citizenship. The law grants noautomatic entitlement: each application goes before senior state authoritiesand intelligence agencies for a final discretionary security review, andapproval can be withheld even where all formal requirements are satisfied.
