Who
is a citizen?
A citizen is person who has full rights as a member of a country either by birth or by
being given such rights.
Dual citizenship
A person holds dual citizenship when one of his parents is not Zambian. A person born
in Zambia of a Zambian parent and a non-Zambian parent is a Zambian by birth and Zambian
by descent in the sense that one of his parents is Zambian and a foreigner by descent
because the other parent is a foreigner.
However, when one attains the age of 21, the Citizenship Act which is chapter 124 of
the Laws of Zambia requires such a person to renounce one of the two nationalities if he
is to be a Zambian citizen. If one does not renounce the other citizenship, he ceases to
be a Zambian citizen. However, such, a person may apply to the Citizenship Board for his
citizenship of Zambia to be restored.
Citizenship by Adoption
If a child is adopted under the provisions of the Adoption Act, that child will become
a citizen if the adopter at that particular date of the adoption is a citizen. In the case
of a joint adoption, if one of the adopters is a citizen, at that date, then the child
will become a citizen.
Citizenship by Registration
One can become a citizen of Zambia by registering with the Citizenship Board of Zambia.
The Board may grant the application for registration if it is satisfied that the
applicant:
(a) is ordinarily resident in Zambia
(b) has at the date of application been ordinarily resident in Zambia for the period of
ten years immediately preceding the date of application
(c) is of good character
(d) has an adequate knowledge of the English language or any language commonly used by
the indigenous inhabitants of Zambia
(e) intends (i) to continue to reside in Zambia (ii) enter or continue in the service
of the government
(f) is willing to renounce any citizenship which he may possess
(g) has not been refused registration as a citizen within the period of five years
immediately preceding his application.
Registration of minors
(1) the Board may require that any person who is a child of a citizen be registered as
a citizen upon application by the parent or guardian.
(2) any person, who has associations by way of descent or residence with Zambia which
would justify his registration as a citizen may be registered as a citizen.
Presidents power to cause some one to be registered
(1) The president may cause one to be registered as a citizen as a token of honour who
in his opinion has done signal honour or rendered distinguished service to Zambia
(2) He may also cause someone to be registered as a citizen who is not entitled to or
eligible for citizenship of Zambia with respect to whom special circumstances exist and in
the opnion of the president warrant such registration.
Other persons to be registered as citizens
Any person born in Zambia before the commencement of the constitution whose father was
not a citizen at the time of such person’s birth and who has ceased to be a citizen
by reason of his failure to renounce his citizenship by descent may make an application to
the Board for registration as a citizen and the Board may grant such application upon the
condition that the applicant shall produce a certificate of renunciation of his original
citizenship within three months from the date on which he is notified that his application
for registration as a citizen has been granted.
