MIA official explains why Uzbekistan does not recognize dual citizenship

Dilshodbek Murodbekov, deputy head of the Main Directorate of Migration and Citizenship Registration, said that if an Uzbek citizen leaves the country without renouncing the citizenship and enters the country with a foreign passport, he will still be recognized as an Uzbek citizen.

He noted that if a person who has acquired the citizenship of another state does not renounce the citizenship of Uzbekistan, he can be issued an ID card confirming his citizenship if his passport is lost or expired.

According to the Law “On Citizenship of Uzbekistan”, if a person voluntarily acquires the citizenship of a foreign state, he loses the citizenship of Uzbekistan.

Following Dilshodbek Murodbekov’s statement, many people started to think that citizens of Uzbekistan can have foreign citizenship at the same time.

Kun.uz correspondent contacted the MIA official Dilshodbek Murodbekov to clarify the situation.

According to him, all the above statements are true and are reflected in the law “On Citizenship of Uzbekistan”. That is, if a citizen of Uzbekistan, who has gone abroad, enters the country with a foreign passport without renouncing the citizenship, only his Uzbek citizenship is recognized.

However, this does not mean that a person can be a citizen of both Uzbekistan and another country permanently. In other words, if the police hear that a person has acquired the citizenship of another state or see his foreign passport, they still do not consider the issue of automatic expulsion from the citizenship of Uzbekistan.

First, it is clarified with the help of relevant organizations that the person has indeed acquired the citizenship of another state. After that, the person will be issued a notification of deprivation of citizenship of Uzbekistan, if he does not renounce the citizenship of another state on time.

At the same time, the person will be explained in detail the legislation on citizenship and warned about the consequences of not renouncing foreign citizenship.

If a person does not renounce his foreign citizenship within the given period, his citizenship of Uzbekistan shall be terminated by a presidential decree. In this case, the person is not subject to any administrative or criminal liability.