Erbonian nationality law

Erbonian nationality law is the mixture of customary law principles of liegeance based on jus sanguinis and jus soli, regular law and statute law which govern nationality in Great Nortend. It formalised in the 19th and 20th centuries with international recognition of modern statehood, which altered the predominant mediaeval principles of liegeance.

Classes

There are four types of person recognised by the nationality law of Great Nortend :— subject, citizen, alien and outlaw.

Subjects

A subject is a full member of the Erbonian body politic requires the swearing of the oath of liegeance to the King, which is traditionally a part of the confirmation rite of the Church of Nortend. Only a subject over the age of majority may be enfranchised to vote.

No subject may hold a dual nationality or be a subject, citizen or national of any other country, princely state, nation or foreign power, except by permission of the Privy Council. A limited list of friendly states for which dual nationality is permitted has been issued by the Privy Council.

A natural-born subject is any subject born within the King's dominions to a father who is a subject or a citizen. The majority of Erbonian subjects are considered natural-born subjects. A natural-born subject under the age of majority holds the status of a natural-born subject usque. This status lasts until either the person takes the oath of liegeance, in which case he becomes a standard natural-born subject, or he attains his age of majority, in which case he loses this status and becomes a citizen.

The wife of a subject husband automatically gains subjectship, but not vice versa. A wife of a non-subject husband automatically loses the status of subject and becomes a citizen.

Naturalised subjects

A naturalised subject is a subject who has taken the oath of liegeance and Subjectship Examination as a citizen, and is the only type of subjectship available to those who were not a natural-born subject at birth.

Citizens

Citizenship, also sometimes known as petit subjectship, is a lower grade of nationality than subjectship. Citizens are still required to bear allegiance towards the King; however, they are permitted to hold dual nationality. A citizen may renounce his status as a citizen.

Citizenship may be obtained by any alien who applies for it, and has dwelt in Great Nortend for a “sufficiently long time” considered to be over four years. A citizen holds indefinite leave to dwell in Great Nortend; however, such a citizen may lose his citizenship and be deported upon the conviction of any felony (or more than one misdemeanour within six years), provided that he has an other nationality. A citizen may also loses his status if he dwells in another country for more than a year and a day consecutively.

A citizen also may be someone who was erstwhile a natural-born subject usque but failed to swear the required oath of lieageance by the age of majority. A person also may become a citizen if he is born to a subject father outside of the King's dominions.

Aliens

An alien is any non-subject or non-citizen under bond of liegance to a foreign power. Aliens require a charta visa for leave to enter to enter the country, and a charta visa for leave to dwell to reside in Great Nortend. An alien may be deported upon the conviction for any misdemeanour or felony.

Outlaws

Outlaws, or stateless persons, are persons who are under no bond of liegance to any power. Outlawry as a legal process akin to exile is mostly obsolete; however, with the growth of refugees and asylum seekers, the term is once again in use. Under customary law, an outlaw had no protection under Erbonian law. By statute, outlawry no longer results in loss of all protection from the state. For example, it is manslaughter to kill an outlaw (but not murder or forstal). However, outlaws still may not hold real property.

Oath of Liegeance

The oath of liegeance must be sworn to entitle a person to the status of subject. The oath is, as follows :—

I, A. B., shall faith and troth bear unto our Sovereign Lord the King, his heirs and successours. So help me God.