Stateless person

Equivalents

osoba bez státní příslušnosti — Staatenlose, Staatenloser — apolide — bezpaństwowiec

Related terms

(is eligible to apply for) subsidiary protection or refugee status
(may apply for) asylum

Definition

The international legal definition of a stateless person in the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons is "a person who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law".

Source: https://www.fmreview.org/

Encyclopaedic information

A person can become stateless due to a variety of reasons, including sovereign, legal, technical or administrative decisions or oversights.

Source: https://www.unrefugees.org/

It is illegal under international law to strip someone of their citizenship if it would render them stateless.

Source: https://www.arabnews.com/

Synonyms and variants

stateless people

Collocations

to render someone stateless
to become stateless

Examples

European immigration officers can face the particular yet confusing case of stateless people seeking asylum in Europe, with the result that stateless people regularly face long periods of immigration detention waiting to be identified in need of international protection as stateless persons.