Sudan

Last Updated: 2026-04-02

Official Portal: Government of Sudan

Embassy Finder: Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Quick Facts

Category	Details
Residency for naturalization	10 years of continuous lawful residence (5 years for citizens of Arab or African states)
Language requirement	No formal language test; knowledge of Arabic is expected
Civics test	None
Processing time	Variable; institutional capacity severely disrupted by civil conflict since April 2023
Naturalization fee	Nominal; not consistently published
Dual citizenship	Technically conditional — Sudan does not explicitly require renunciation for naturalization but has stripped citizenship in specific cases
Citizenship by birth	Jus sanguinis through the father (historically patrilineal; 2005 reforms expanded maternal rights)
Citizenship by descent	Primarily patrilineal under statutory law; constitutional provisions support maternal transmission
Governing law	Sudanese Nationality Act 1994 (as amended 2011), Interim National Constitution of 2005, Constitutional Declaration of 2019

Dual Citizenship

Sudan’s approach to dual citizenship is ambiguous and politically charged. The law does not explicitly prohibit dual citizenship in all cases, but neither does it broadly welcome it. The practical reality depends heavily on the political context and the individual’s background.

Key developments in chronological order:

1994 Nationality Act: Did not explicitly address dual citizenship but was generally interpreted as permitting it in practice, particularly for Sudanese living abroad in the Gulf States, Western Europe, and North America. The Bashir government tolerated dual nationality for the diaspora as a pragmatic measure.
2005 Interim National Constitution (following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement with the SPLM/A): Recognized the right to nationality and prohibited arbitrary deprivation. Included provisions for citizenship through either parent, advancing gender equality in theory.
2011 — South Sudan’s independence: Sudan amended its Nationality Act to strip Sudanese nationality from persons who acquired South Sudanese citizenship. This was arguably the most consequential mass denationalization in modern African history, affecting an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 people living in Sudan of South Sudanese origin. Many had lived in Khartoum and other northern cities for decades. The amendment was widely condemned by UNHCR, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and international human rights organizations as discriminatory and contrary to international law on the reduction of statelessness.
2019 Constitutional Declaration (following the fall of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019): Introduced broader human rights protections and was part of the power-sharing agreement between the military and civilian opposition. However, implementing legislation on dual citizenship has not been enacted, and the civil conflict that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has effectively frozen all legislative processes.

In practice: Many Sudanese in the diaspora hold dual citizenship without facing enforcement action. The government has generally tolerated dual nationality for Sudanese living abroad, particularly those holding citizenship of Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar), the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Australia. The primary risk of involuntary loss remains concentrated on persons of South Sudanese origin.

Acquisition of Nationality

By Birth (Jus Sanguinis — Historically Patrilineal)

Under the 1994 Nationality Act, Sudanese nationality is acquired at birth primarily through the father. A person born to a Sudanese father acquires citizenship automatically, regardless of place of birth. This patrilineal rule is deeply embedded in Sudanese statutory law.

The 2005 Interim Constitution included a provision for citizenship transmission through either parent, and the 2019 Constitutional Declaration also affirms gender equality in principle. However, implementing legislation was never fully enacted. In practice, claims through the maternal line remain more difficult to document and process. Women’s rights organizations have consistently campaigned for legislative reform to codify equal transmission.

Birth on Sudanese territory to non-Sudanese parents does not confer citizenship. Sudan follows a pure jus sanguinis model with no jus soli component.

By Descent

Citizenship passes through the father automatically with no generational limit. Claims through the maternal line are legally supported by constitutional provisions but face persistent practical obstacles.

Registration at a Sudanese mission abroad is important for documentary purposes but is not a condition of the citizenship itself — it is acquired by operation of law.

By Adoption

Sudan’s legal system, based on Islamic law (Sharia), does not recognize formal adoption in the Western or civil law sense. The Islamic guardianship system (kafalah) provides for the care and protection of children but does not create a legal parent-child relationship that would confer citizenship. A child under kafalah retains their birth nationality.

By Marriage

A foreign woman who marries a Sudanese man may apply for Sudanese nationality after 2 years of marriage. The application is made to the competent authority and requires the husband’s consent (a requirement that has been criticized as patriarchal).

Foreign men married to Sudanese women do not have an equivalent expedited pathway under the statutory framework. They must naturalize through the standard 10-year process. The constitutional equality provisions theoretically support equal treatment, but the statutory gap persists.

By Naturalization

Requirement	Details
Lawful residence	10 years continuous (5 years for citizens of Arab or African states — a pan-Arab/pan-African preference)
Good character	No criminal convictions
Language	Knowledge of Arabic expected but not formally tested
Financial means	Ability to support oneself and dependents
Health	Must be free of contagious diseases (statutory requirement)
Renunciation	Not explicitly required
Oath of allegiance	Required
Approval	By the Council of Ministers on recommendation of the competent minister

The reduced 5-year residency for Arab and African nationals reflects Sudan’s ideological orientation toward Arab and African solidarity — a policy stance that has been consistent across multiple Sudanese governments.

Current conflict impact (April 2023—): The civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that erupted on 15 April 2023 has devastated government institutions. The Ministry of Interior, the Civil Registry, and immigration offices in Khartoum and other conflict zones have been destroyed, looted, or rendered inaccessible. Processing of citizenship applications has effectively ceased in areas under active conflict. Sudanese missions abroad continue to provide limited consular services, including passport renewals, but naturalization applications are not being processed under current conditions.

Sudanese diaspora: The conflict has created a new wave of emigration — approximately 2 million Sudanese have fled the country since April 2023, joining an existing diaspora of 1 to 2 million. Many will eventually seek citizenship in their host countries, making the dual citizenship question increasingly relevant.

Loss and Renunciation

Voluntary renunciation: A Sudanese citizen who holds another nationality may renounce Sudanese citizenship. The process requires approval from the competent authority.

Mass denationalization (2011): The most significant involuntary loss provision was the 2011 amendment that stripped Sudanese nationality from persons who acquired South Sudanese citizenship. This was applied broadly and resulted in:

Persons in Khartoum and other northern cities losing jobs, property rights, and access to services.
Children born in Sudan to South Sudanese parents being rendered effectively stateless.
Deportation or threat of deportation for some affected individuals.
A humanitarian crisis documented extensively by UNHCR and human rights organizations.

Other grounds for loss: Voluntary service in a foreign military without authorization, acts deemed contrary to the state’s interests, and naturalization fraud. The Nationality Act grants the government broad discretionary powers to revoke citizenship — a feature that has been criticized as susceptible to political abuse, particularly during the Bashir era and the current conflict.

Restoration of Nationality

A person who lost Sudanese nationality may apply for restoration. The process is discretionary and handled by the competent ministry. Given the civil conflict since April 2023, institutional capacity for processing such applications is severely limited. Government offices in Khartoum and other conflict zones have been destroyed, displaced, or rendered inoperative.

Persons of South Sudanese origin who were stripped of Sudanese nationality in 2011 face particular difficulties in seeking restoration, as the denationalization was a deliberate policy decision rather than an administrative error.

Stateless Persons and Foundlings

A child found in Sudan whose parents are unknown is presumed to be Sudanese. However, Sudan is not a party to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

The 2011 nationality stripping provisions created one of the largest statelessness situations in Africa. UNHCR has documented tens of thousands of people at risk of statelessness, particularly:

South Sudanese in Khartoum who could not prove South Sudanese citizenship.
Children of mixed Sudanese-South Sudanese parentage.
Nomadic and pastoralist communities along the border.

Document Checklist

Application form (obtained from Civil Registry, Ministry of Interior, or Sudanese mission abroad)

Birth certificate or equivalent documentation (with Arabic translation if needed)

Father’s nationality certificate or proof of Sudanese descent

Marriage certificate (if applying through marriage)

Police clearance certificate

Medical certificate (health clearance for contagious diseases)

Proof of residence for the required period (for naturalization applicants)

Passport-sized photographs

Payment of prescribed fees

Critical note: Sudan’s civil registration infrastructure has been severely disrupted by the conflict that began in April 2023. Many government offices in Khartoum and other cities have been destroyed or are inaccessible. Obtaining documentation may require working through Sudanese missions abroad (where operational) or UNHCR-facilitated processes for persons at risk of statelessness.

Sources

Sudanese Nationality Act, 1994 (as amended 2011) — Principal legislation governing nationality.
Interim National Constitution of Sudan, 2005 — Citizenship provisions, Chapter II.
Constitutional Declaration, 2019 — Transitional governance framework following the fall of the Bashir regime.
UNHCR — Nationality, statelessness, and the impact of South Sudan’s secession. https://www.unhcr.org/sudan
Government of Sudan — https://www.sudan.gov.sd/
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights — Opinions on the 2011 denationalization. https://www.achpr.org/

Sudan.sd

Country Snapshot