Tongan nationality law

Tongan Nationality Act
Parliament of Tonga
  • An Act Relating to Tongan Nationality and Nationalization
Enacted byGovernment of Tonga
Status: Current legislation

Tongan nationality law is regulated by the 1875 Constitution of Tonga, as amended; the Nationality Act, and its revisions; and international agreements entered into by the government of Tonga.[1][2] These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Tonga. The legal means to acquire nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship.[3][4] Tongan nationality is typically obtained either on the principle of jus soli, i.e. by birth in Tonga or under the rules of jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth abroad to parents with Tongan nationality.[5] It can be granted to persons who have lived in the country for a specific period of time, or who have an affiliation to the country through naturalisation.[6]

  1. ^ Dziedzic 2020, pp. 6, 16.
  2. ^ UN Human Rights Council 2013, p. 15.
  3. ^ Fransman 2011, p. 4.
  4. ^ Rosas 1994, p. 34.
  5. ^ Dziedzic 2020, p. 7.
  6. ^ Dziedzic 2020, pp. 12, 17.