Nationality and citizenship in the Kingdom of Tonga

Tonga

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...

are currently defined and regulated by the Nationality (Amendment) Act 2007.

Obtention of citizenship

Tonga's Constitution does not include a specific clause on nationality or citizenship. However, clause 29 pertains to naturalisation:

Any foreigner after he has resided in the Kingdom for the space of five years or more may with the consent of the King take the oath of allegiance and he may be granted Letters of Naturalization and all naturalized subjects shall have the same rights and privileges as native born subjects of Tonga with the exception that they shall not be entitled to the rights of hereditary tax allotments.

Specific legislation, therefore, defines nationality and citizenship. The most recent piece of legislation, in 2007, was the Nationality (Amendment) Act, designed to revoke the ban on dual citizenship.

At present, Tongan nationality may be obtained by birth in Tonga to a Tongan parent, by birth abroad to a Tongan parent, by marriage, and by naturalisation. A person born overseas to a Tongan parent automatically obtains Tongan nationality, even if he or she also has the nationality of his or her country of birth.

In February 2008, two former Tongan citizens who had lost their Tongan nationality by obtaining the nationality of other countries (one had become an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, the other an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n) were the first to re-obtain Tongan nationality through application on the basis of the 2007 Nationality (Amendment) Act. Re-obtaining citizenship in this way entails submitting an application to the King, having this application reviewed by the Minister for Immigration, and swearing an oath of allegiance.

Tongans and Commonwealth citizenship

Tongan citizens are also Commonwealth citizen

Commonwealth citizen

A Commonwealth citizen, which replaces the former category of British subject, is generally a person who is a national of any country within the Commonwealth of Nations....

s, and are thereby entitled to certain rights in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

- notably the right to vote and stand for election.