Over a century ago, Fadila Barhoumi’s grandfather and his relatives left Algeria to live in Siliana Governorate, 200 kilometers northwest of Tunis.

Having settled in that agricultural area, he did not think it necessary to apply for the nationality of his new country since he was not inclined to do more than to reclaim the land he bought and start a family. At the time, the geographical border was trivial and getting a new ID was insignificant. Time however has changed and what was insignificant has today become essential.

Over a century ago, Fadila Barhoumi’s grandfather and his relatives left Algeria to live in Siliana Governorate, 200 kilometers northwest of Tunis.

Having settled in that agricultural area, he did not think it necessary to apply for the nationality of his new country since he was not inclined to do more than to reclaim the land he bought and start a family. At the time, the geographical border was trivial and getting a new ID was insignificant. Time however has changed and what was insignificant has today become essential.

Inherited statelessness

Approaching her eighties, Barhoumi now pays the bill of her grandfather’s and father’s negligence to apply for citizenship although they spent decades in Tunisia.

Barhoumi was born in Tunisia but has no citizenship. “I am old and sick and I am sick of vainly seeking my Tunisian nationality,” she says.

Her Algerian husband died a few years ago and left her with no health insurance due to her status. He also left her land which she cannot sell and use the money for medical expenses because Tunisian law is complicated and does not allow foreigners such privileges.

“I only know this territory, my feet have only touched this soil, my lungs have only breathed its air and my tongue has only spoken its language, yet I am not a Tunisian on paper,” she says.

More than ten years ago, Barhoumi approached the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for citizenship but her application was denied several times even though she met all the conditions.

“Why do they deprive me of the nationality of the land to which I belong in blood and soul?”

Inappropriate naturalization laws

Barhoumi is not a unique case in Tunisia. Many people have been born and raised here yet have no Tunisian citizenship. Pursuant to Tunisian law, only the president may naturalize people.

This problem is common among those born in Tunisia to Algerians who settled in the western Tunisian governorates during the joint resistance against the French occupation in the 1950s. Nearly 30,000 Algerians live in Tunisia and the fathers of some of them lived in Tunisia tens of years ago.

 Head of the MoJ Citizenship and Civil Status Department (CCSD) Muneer Sedani argues that the Tunisian legal provisions on citizenship are based on an eternal bond. “This is why it is difficult to naturalize and denaturalize people,” he says.

Sedani believes that the Tuniaisn Citizienship Law is advanced compared to a number of other Arab countries and has been amended more than once to include women’s right to grant their nationality to their children.

Travel restrictions

Maymoun, 70, too approached the MoJ for citizenship years ago. Although she and her husband and children were born in Tunisia, she still does not have Tunisian citizenship.

“My only dream at this age is to go on the Hajj (pilgrimage), but I cannot because I am stateless,” she says. “I do not have anyone back in Algeria and I do not know how to get any ID from there.” Maymoun also could not vote in the legislative and presidential elections that took place late 2014.

Algerians and people from other countries who have been living in Tunisia for tens of years suffer major social issues, especially in the labor market due to their lack of IDs.

Head of the Association of Algerians Living in Tunisia Muhammad Wakli says such Algerians are not eligible for scholarships and may not become civil servants.

Cloudy measures

The CCSD provides no justification for non-naturalization. “The adopted measures are indistinct and the CCSD denies many applications, though meeting the required conditions,” says Wakli.

Sedani maintains that Tunisia differentiates between applications for citizenship by law, “which cannot be denied” and applications for naturalization, which are only approved by the president following security procedures.

According to him, over 15000 applications have been submitted since independence; more than 7000 have been approved, while the rest have been denied.

Naturalization requires many conditions, including residing in the country for more than five years, being previously naturalized, marrying and living with a Tunisian woman, or being a foreigner with valuable services for the country or whose naturalization would greatly benefit Tunisia.

Former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali approved the naturalization of foreign footballers so that they could join the national team participating in the FIFA World Cup, to the resentment of some circles.

Before the revolution, Ben Ali also naturalized the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s wife, Suha, and daughter before he denaturalized them due to their disagreement with his wife Leila and her family. That incident greatly stirred the Tunisian opposition’s anger.

Tunisia has a community of Palestinians who settled here when the Palestine Liberation Organization moved to Tunisia. They too face difficulties with residency renewal and naturalization.

“The Palestinians do not apply for naturalization because they know their applications will be denied,” says a Palestinian who spoke under the condition of anonymity. “They prefer not to go there for fear of deportation.”