As you saw from my previous post about citizenship in Brazil, I am continuing on in my look at citizenships in other countries. It was fun gathering the information and getting the chance to see which countries are better than others on citizenship. I am hoping to complete this list in short order so that the information is out there and it can be used. Next up is Bolivia.
BOLIVIA CITIZENSHIP
BY BIRTH: Children born within the territory of Bolivia, regardless of the nationality of the parents. The only exception to this rule are children born to parents in the service of their own governments.
BY DESCENT: Child born abroad to either a Bolivian mother or father are granted citizenship either by returning to live in Bolivia, or by being registered at a consulate.
BY NATURALIZATION: Bolivian citizenship may be acquired upon fulfillment of various conditions:
- Persons with no ties to Bolivia may obtain citizenship after residing in the country for at least two years.
- Foreign woman, married to a Bolivian citizen, acquires her husband’s citizenship as long as she lives in the country and expresses her agreement. This nationality is not lost even through widowhood or divorce.
- Persons who have Bolivian spouses or had children born in Bolivia need only to reside in country for one year.
DUAL CITIZENSHIP: NOT RECOGNIZED.
Exception: Bolivian woman, married to a foreigner is not required to relinquish her Bolivian citizenship even if she acquires her husband’s citizenship through their marriage.
Former citizens of Spain and other Latin American countries, who become naturalized Bolivians, are not required to relinquish their previous citizenship as long as Bolivia has a reciprocal agreement with their former countries. NO AGREEMENT WITH UNITED STATES.
LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP:
VOLUNTARY: Letters of voluntary renunciation of Bolivian citizenship may be sent to the nearest Bolivian embassy.
INVOLUNTARY: The following are grounds for involuntary loss of Bolivian citizenship:
- Person aids the enemy of Bolivia during time of war.
- Person accepts a foreign government job without Senate approval.
- Person acquires the citizenship of a foreign county that does not have a reciprocal dual citizenship agreement with Bolivia.
ANY QUESTIONS concerning citizenship, or requests for renunciation of citizenship, should be sent to the address below:
Embassy of Bolivia
Consular Section
3014 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008
Embassy Telephone: 202-483-4410/11/12
Consular Telephone: 202-232-4828
Fax: 202-328-3712
