Court: Egyptian newborns have their father's nationality

The administrative court in Alexandria affirmed the validity of a decision issued by the Department of Travel, Emigration and Nationality Documents in the Egyptian Ministry of Interior on a child's citizenship.

The court said it was proved that the child's father is Iraqi and his mother is Egyptian and that he was born in Alexandria, but the law dealing with nationality says that newborns are given their fathers' nationality, thus the nationality of the child should be Iraqi.

The court said this was especially true because no evidence was presented to prove that his father or his grandfather had acquired the Egyptian citizenship.

There has been discussions in Egypt's People's Assembly about changing the law so that children born to Egyptian mothers can gain Egyptian citizenship.