Lao laws on
Lao nationality essentially state that dual citizenship is not allowable.
For example in Article 8 it states that a Lao national can apply
for naturalization to other countries but must first give up their
Lao nationality. Similarly a foreigner who wishes to become a Lao
citizen must relinquish their foreign nationality (Article 14).
Article 14 and
15 describe the acquisition of Lao nationality by both foreign citizens
and those of Lao ancestry, respectively. Article 16 goes on further
regarding the long list of steps for the application. Some of the
requirements are understandable. However the ones of interest to
you might be that a foreigner must have resided in Laos for at least
10 years before applying. A Laotian ex-patriate must have resided
for at least 5 years or 3 years if no nationality.
There are separate
articles for every scenario including issues regarding children.
Chapter 3 goes on to discuss the forfeiture and re-acquisition of
Lao nationality.
The legal ramifications
can be great especially if one holds a lot of assets in either Laos
or their foreign country of origin. Moreover, in Laos, if you relinquish
your citizenship, such as leaving the country without authorization
for 7 years and not communicating with the Lao government for 10
years, then it assumed that you also relinquish any rights to former
property or assets in the country. (Editor's Note: There are cases however where people who have left, still retain certain rights such as family property rights which were maintained by those family members/relatives who remained in Laos.)
The rules are
quite specific and strict. Source is listed for your information:
President's Office (PO) Decree No. 35
of the Promulgation of the Law on Lao Nationality (amended
version) dated May 17, 2004.
Keep in mind that the Column is answered by the
LCW Team as a whole.
It should be
said that having too much pride or being ashamed of asking for help
is not good. Everyone should be humbled in knowing that no single
person knows everything and that it is ok if you are unsure or do
not know something.
At LCW we do
not necessarily know it all. Although we know a lot, we certainly
do not know everything. All of us make it a point to learn new things
about Lao culture all the time. In answering in the Advice Column,
we do a lot of the research ourselves. We also have some very knowledgeable
colleagues who we can call on to help us answer certain questions
or give ideas, when we need their assistance.
The point of
all this: It is ok to ask for assistance.
