Gabon - Apply for Citizenship

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Procedure

Obtain application form "For Citizenship And Issuance Of Identification Certificate (IC)" from your nearest Gabon consulate office (either in person or it can be downloaded from their website).

• Gabon Birth Certificate;
• Passport for that children;
• Marriage Contract indicating the Gabon citizenship of the applicant;
• Voter's affidavit or voter's identification card; or
• Such other documents that would show that the applicant is a former natural born citizen of the Gabon as may be acceptable to the evaluating officer.

Present the original copy and submit a photocopy of your Certificate of Naturalization. For each of your minor unmarried children below eighteen (18) years of age, present the original copy and submit a photocopy of the following:

• The child's birth certificate; and
• The child's foreign passport
• Attach to the application form two (2) recent and identical 2" x 2" photographs showing the front view. The beneficiary children are required to submit photographs.

If the application is found to be in order, pay a processing fee of US$50.00 for the principal application and $25.00 for each child-beneficiary. The payment may be in cash, bank draft or money order payable to the Rwandan Consulate General.

After payment, be sure to sign the Oath of Allegiance and Identification Certificate (IC) prepared by the Consulate and receive a notice of the date and time for taking the Oath of Allegiance before a Consular Officer. Also, affix thumbprints in the spaces provided in the Identification Certificate.

After the oath-taking, you will receive the original copy of your notarized Oath of Allegiance, Order of Approval and (IC) issued by the Consulate. All approved/completed applications and supporting documents, including oath of allegiance, order of approval, if any, are forwarded to the department of documentation and immigration in Gabon. At this time, you can then make application for a new Gabon passport and the obtain your legal status of dual citizenship.

You should remember that Gabon dual citizenship in Gabon is not recognized.

Gabonese citizenship may be acquired in less than 5 years mentioned if the applicant has a Good physical and mental health; should have invested in the country; decree of head of state required; period can be reduced if the person has provided exceptional services.

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Required Documents

1. The applicant's birth certificate (original & copy).
2. The applicant's foreign passport (original & copy).
3. Four photos of the applicant.
4. Criminal record of the applicant who is 16 years or older.
5. The applicant's education certificates.
6. The Gabon mother's birth certificate (original & copy).
7. The birth certificate of the Gabon mother's father (original & copy).
8. The marriage contract of the Gabon mother to the foreign father.

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of Foreign affairs,

Cooperation, Francophonie & Regional Integration

Bote Postale 2245,

Libreville

Telephone :+241 (1) 727-600/

Telephone :+241 1 742-370

Fax : 241(1) 742-375

Department of Documentation and Immigration.

Dr. Gerard Valeri

B.P. 6349 Quartier saint Benoit

81 Rue du Senateur Anguilet

Libreville

Tel: 241-76-66-58 Libreville

Eligibility

• People who have permanent resident status in the Gabon can be eligible for citizenship in Gabon. People born by Gabonese parents or born in the Gabon by parents of different origin. .
• Person who can prove relinquishment of former citizenship are Eligible for Gabon Citizenship.
• A Person who have resided within Gabon for at least 10 years is eligible for Gabon Citizenship.

Fees

pay a processing fee of US$50.00 for the principal application and $25.00 for each child-beneficiary.

Validity

The document is valid for 10 years and renewal is required for more two times and the rest of years you don't need any more renewal.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

The processing takes 12 to 36 months

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

The application Should be submitted by an adult or by his mother if he is a minor. The following documents should be attached :

• Spouses, widows and widowers of Gabon citizens (if the applicant is married for at least 5 years.)
• Lawful residents (those who have been ordinarily resident in Gabon for a period of five years)
• Children and persons with disabilities (made for the biological or legally adopted children of Gabon citizens)
• Stateless and migrant persons (persons who voluntarily migrated to Gabon and/or have continuously lived in Gabon for 10 years)
• Descendants of stateless and migrant persons (persons who have attained the age of eighteen years and whose parents had voluntarily migrated to Gabon and or has continuously lived in Gabon

Required Information

• Should be a national born abroad ;
• Both or one of the parents should hold A Gabon citizenship;
• Below the age of eighteen (eighteen) years;
• Has an obligation to choose one citizenship when he / she makes eighteen (18)

Need for the Document

Citizenship is a term commonly used to refer a legal relationship between an individual and a state, in which the state recognizes and guarantees the individuals rights or to indicate different types of belonging to a political community and the rights that such belonging brings with it. This is where the legal bond between the state and the individual is at the core of its meaning. This bond provides the basis for other rights,including the right to diplomatic protection by the state concerned.

BY Birth

Birth within the territory of Gabon does not automatically confer citizenship. The exception is a child born to unknown parents within Gabon. The citizenship that an individual has acquired by right from birth is not recognized in Gabon rather than acquired

BY Descent

Child,At least one of whose parents is a citizen of Gabon, is considered a citizen regardless of the childs country of birth. When an individual obtains citizenship on the basis of his or her fathers and/or mothers citizenship must be a Gabonese Citizenship.

BY Naturalization

Citizenship by acquisition

Citizenship that has been acquired by an administrative process after birth such as by naturalisation, registration, option, or marriage is termed generically citizenship by acquisition.Gabonese citizenship may be acquired upon fulfillment of the following conditions: Person must prove relinquishment of former citizenship and have resided within the country for at least 10 years.

BY Statelessness

Gabon recognizes a person who is not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law.But an individual or statelessness must respect the national laws of Gabon,national law can be arbitrary; an individual may thus have a right to citizenship of a state under international law even if the state itself does not recognize it.

Information which might help

• The citizenship laws of Gabon discriminate against women. Women like in most African countries are unable to pass on their citizenship to their foreign spouses or to their children if the father is not a citizen.
• There is a failure by Gabon as a states to provide effective naturalisation procedures, especially for refugees. In practice, even where the law is unproblematic, like most of African countries procedures are available in theory only.

• There is also widespread lack of due process protections, especially when the government wishes to revoke citizenship.

The laws in Gabon like in many African countries give almost unfettered discretion to the executive, allowing for incumbent governments to abuse the law in order to silence critics and exclude political opponents from public office.

The record of African countries in granting citizenship to long-term refugee populations varies greatly, and many countries do not have laws that establish procedures for refugees to acquire permanent residence and citizenship.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

http://www.mysecondpassport.com/citizenship-laws/gabon-citizenship

http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4cc037d22.pdf

http://www.multiplecitizenship.com/wscl/ws_GABON.html

http://www.gabon.alloexpat.com/gabon_information/ministries_ministry_gabon.php

http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4cc037d22.pdf

Others

Gabons 1998 Nationality Code states that children born in the border zones of countries neighbouring Gabon or raised by Gabonese citizens who have lived in Gabon for 10 years can claim Gabonese nationality by origin when they reach the age of majority.