Termination of Citizenship of Uzbekistan

The institution of citizenship is a fundamental element of the legal status of an individual and expresses a stable political and legal connection between a person and the state. In the Republic of Uzbekistan, issues of acquisition and termination of citizenship are regulated by the Law “On Citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan” (ZRU-610 of March 13, 2020, as amended). Termination of citizenship, as the opposite process of its acquisition, has special legal and social significance, as it is associated with a change in the constitutional status of the individual and affects their rights and obligations.

According to Article 23 of the Law, termination of citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan is possible in two forms:

• Renunciation of citizenship – voluntary expression of will by the individual.
• Loss of citizenship – objective termination of the legal connection of citizenship upon the occurrence of certain circumstances provided by law.

Thus, the law distinguishes between voluntary and involuntary (mandatory) termination of citizenship.

Renunciation of Citizenship

Renunciation of citizenship is carried out at the personal request of the citizen. The procedure is strictly regulated:

• The request is submitted personally by the citizen to the internal affairs bodies (if residing in Uzbekistan) or to consular institutions (if residing abroad).
• The request must be accompanied by an application form, passport, marriage or children's birth certificates, proof of payment of state duty, and relatives’ statements confirming the absence of property claims (Art. 39).
• The decision on termination of citizenship is made by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the form of a decree.

Thus, renunciation is entirely voluntary; however, it is possible only in the absence of obligations to the state or private individuals (taxes, debts, criminal prosecution, etc., Art. 42).

Grounds for Loss of Citizenship

Article 25 of the Law contains an exhaustive list of cases of loss of citizenship:

• Entering military service or public service of a foreign state.
• Failure to register for permanent consular registration without valid reasons for seven years.
• Obtaining citizenship of Uzbekistan by providing false information or forged documents (established by a court).
• Causing significant harm to the interests of society and the state, including crimes against peace and security (confirmed by a court verdict).
• Voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship.
• Retention of foreign citizenship upon reaching 21 years of age, if it was acquired by birth or from a foreign parent.

It is of particular importance that loss of citizenship does not extend to the spouses and children of the person who has lost citizenship.

Procedural Features

The law provides for a clear procedure for establishing facts of loss of citizenship:

• Consular institutions and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) conduct checks, collect information from ministries, departments, and individuals (Arts. 26–31).
• Judicial authorities play a key role in confirming the fact of providing false information or committing a crime.
• After establishing the fact, the relevant bodies submit their conclusions to the Commission on Citizenship Issues under the President, which makes proposals to the President.
• The decision is finally approved by the President’s decree and enters into force from the moment of signing.

Relation to International Law

Termination of citizenship in Uzbekistan must comply with international standards excluding arbitrary deprivation of citizenship (Art. 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness). Uzbek legislation expressly establishes the inadmissibility of deprivation of citizenship other than in cases provided by law (Art. 4).

Termination of citizenship in the Republic of Uzbekistan is a legally complex process that includes both voluntary (renunciation) and involuntary (loss) grounds. The legislation provides a system of guarantees against arbitrary deprivation of citizenship, including judicial control and the mandatory participation of the President in decision-making. This ensures a balance between the sovereign interests of the state and individual rights.

Grounds and Procedures for Termination of Citizenship of Uzbekistan

Form of Termination	Grounds	Nature	Competent Authorities	Procedural Features
Renunciation	Citizen’s application for renunciation of citizenship	Voluntary	MIA (if residing in Uzbekistan), consular office (abroad), Commission under the President, President of RU	Submission of application form, passport, family documents, proof of fee payment, relatives’ statements confirming no property claims; decision made by President
Loss	Entering military service or public service of a foreign state	Involuntary	Consular institutions, MFA, MIA, Commission, President	Fact identified through consular checks, confirmed by documents
Loss	Failure to register for permanent consular registration within 7 years without valid reasons	Involuntary	Consular institutions, MFA, President	Citizen is informed of rights, valid reasons considered (illness, absence of consulate, etc.)
Loss	Obtaining citizenship based on false information or forged documents	Involuntary	MIA, MFA, court, Commission, President	Fact established by a final court decision; materials submitted to Commission
Loss	Causing significant harm to society and the state, crimes against peace and security	Involuntary	Court, MIA, Commission, President	Fact confirmed by a court verdict; conclusion submitted to Commission
Loss	Voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship	Involuntary	MIA, consular institutions, Commission, President	Information verified by ministries, agencies, and citizen reports
Loss	Retention of foreign citizenship after age 21, if obtained by birth or from a foreign parent	Involuntary	MIA, consular institutions, Commission, President	Verification of information and notification of individual; if no confirmation of renunciation of foreign citizenship, conclusion is prepared

 

Procedure for Termination of Citizenship of Uzbekistan

Stage	Description	Participants	Timeframe	Documents / Result
1. Submission of application	Citizen applies for renunciation of citizenship (or authority records circumstances of loss)	Applicant / MIA / consulate	On the day of application	Application + document package (form, passport/ID, certificates, state duty, relatives’ consent)
2. Preliminary review	Verification of completeness and correctness of documents	MIA / consular office	3 working days	Opinion on correct completion
3. Registration	Entering data into Interdepartmental Citizenship Database	MIA / consulate	Within 3 days after acceptance	Electronic registration in database
4. Additional checks	Verification of debts, criminal cases, wanted status, false documents	MIA / MFA / prosecutor’s office / court	Up to 1 month (may be extended by 1 month)	Certificates, conclusions of state bodies
5. Consideration by Commission	Citizenship Issues Commission under the President considers materials and prepares a conclusion	Commission under the President	According to meeting schedule (at least twice a month)	Commission protocol and conclusion
6. Decision-making	President makes final decision (decree)	President of the Republic of Uzbekistan	From date of signing	Presidential decree on termination of citizenship
7. Execution of decision	MIA (for residents of Uzbekistan) or MFA/consulate (for those abroad) implement decision	MIA / MFA / consulates	15 days from entry into force of decree	- Certificate of termination of citizenship; - Residence permit (if remaining in Uzbekistan); - Stateless person’s travel document (if leaving the country)
8. Completion of procedure	Applicant receives documents confirming termination of citizenship	MIA / consulate / applicant	Up to 1 year — total duration	Official confirmation of termination of citizenship

This table reflects both voluntary renunciation and loss by law — the difference is that renunciation is initiated by the citizen, whereas loss is initiated by state authorities.