Citizenship of Vyvland
Citizenship of Vyvland (Vyvlander: byrgeerzeb Vyvluds) is a status given to those who were born in or have a significant connection with Vyvland. It can be acquired via birth, ancestry or naturalisation. Citizenship allows its holders certain special rights, such as protection and assistance by Vyvlander embassies and consulates abroad and full medical cover in Vyvland.
Citizenship by birth
Citizenship of Vyvland was, until 2000, acquired automatically merely by being born on Vyvlander territory. However, stricter citizenship laws were enacted by the government at the time, requiring at least one grandparent to have held Vyvlander citizenship in addition to the child being born in Vyvland in order to be able to obtain it automatically at birth. A quirk in the law meant, however, that if a baby is born in Vyvlander airspace, it is still a Vyvlander citizen even if none of its grandparents or parents are or were Vyvlander citizens.
Citizenship by ancestry
Those born outside Vyvland with one or more grandparents from Vyvland, or in Vyvland with one or more great-grandparents from Vyvland, qualify for byrgeerzeb fruj kynzeb (citizenship by ancestry). This is obtained by applying to the Domestic Ministry at age eighteen or over, and is automatically given to those without an extensive criminal history under Vyvlander law. It can also be applied for by a parent of a child who fulfills the criteria, but this requires the explicit consent of the child, who therefore must be over 10 years of age. Eighteen percent of those gaining Vyvlander citizenship after birth each year fall under the citizenship by ancestry category.
Citizenship by naturalisation
Vyvlander citizenship can also be obtained by naturalisation, known in Vyvlander as byrgeerzebblieng. It is most common among foreign permanent residents, especially asylum seekers. Since 2000, the naturalisation process involves living in the country for four years in total, of which at least two years must have been consecutive, and then applying to the Domestic Ministry for a test about basic Vyvlander governance and culture, as well as the ability to understand written and spoken Vyvlander or Helish. Upon passage of this test, criminal records checks are run, and should these return positive results, citizenship is bestowed upon the applicant via a certificate of naturalisation. Forty-seven percent of those gaining Vyvlander citizenship after birth each year fall under the citizenship by naturalisation category.
Citizenship by marriage
Citizenship by marriage (byrgeerzeb fruj gebendzeb) can be applied for by those who have been married to an existing Vyvlander citizen for five years or more. It is granted immediately upon application provided the applicant is not wanted by a foreign or domestic police force. Thirty percent of those gaining Vyvlander citizenship after birth each year fall under the citizenship by marriage category.
Other methods of citizenship
In a few special cases, the gaining of Vyvlander citizenship does not fall into an above category. These occasions include when an orphan or abandoned child has been living in Vyvland for a period of six months, and is revoked upon the child's reuniting with its parents. Honorary citizenship can also be bestowed upon foreign nationals with no ancestral connection to Vyvland by the Vyvlander Parliament; usually, this is a way of recognising outstanding contributions to peace, development or civil rights in other countries or Vyvland.
Losing Vyvlander citizenship
Vyvlander citizenship can also be revoked by the Vyvlander government; this occasionally happens when foreign nationals also holding Vyvlander citizenship have committed a string of serious crimes in Vyvland. It has also been used as a tool to officially condemn historical figures, such as the South Vyvlander leader Amiral Jueves for his brutality and expulsion of the Swedish Vyvlander community from the country in the 1940s. Vyvlander citizenship can also be renounced through notifying the Vyvlander government. Template:Vyvland topics