Nationality Act of the Order of the Holy Lakes

The Nationality Act of the Order of the Holy Lakes is an act of the Senate of the Lakes regulating the nationality of the Order of the Holy Lakes. It was adopted on 11.XI.1747.

In short, the act codifies the patchwork of practices regarding Hurmu nationality since the Vesüha Accords.

Nationality Act of the Order of the Holy Lakes

Part I — Nationality of Members of the Order of the Holy Lakes

Section 1 — Status and Effect

1. Any person recognised as a Member of the Order of the Holy Lakes under the Charter for the Order of the Holy Lakes shall, by virtue of such membership, be a national of the Order.
2. The acquisition and loss of membership in the Order shall be determined solely in accordance with the Charter and laws made under it.

Section 2 — Loss of Membership and Nationality

1. Loss of membership in the Order, as determined under the Charter, entails the loss of nationality of the Order, except as provided in Section 3.
2. Loss of membership does not affect the nationality of persons who hold nationality by means other than membership.

Section 3 — Right to Ordinary Citizenship upon Loss of Membership

1. Any person who ceases to be a Member of the Order without moral failing of their own (that is, meaning they have not voluntarily renounced membership nor been named for expulsion under the provisions for expulsion in the Charter) shall have the right to be registered as an ordinary citizen of the Order.
2. Registration shall be automatic upon application to the Bureau of Nationality under the Secretariat of State.
3. Registration may only be denied in exceptional circumstances, namely where the applicant has committed crimes against the Order or the Hurmu nation comparable to those grounds for expulsion under the Charter.
4. Denials under paragraph (3) may be appealed to the ordinary administrative court of justice, with the Senate of the Lakes acting as the final court of appeal.

Part II — Ordinary Citizenship

Section 4 — Acquisition by Birth

1. A person is an ordinary citizen of the Order if:
   1. They are born in the territory of the Order to at least one parent who is a legal resident of the Order at the time of birth; or
   2. They are born anywhere in the world to at least one parent who is a national of the Order.
2. For the purposes of paragraph (1)(2), legal resident excludes persons present temporarily, such as foreigners present in the territory of the Order for purposes of tourism, studying, or short-term work, or without lawful immigration status.
3. Persons born in the territory of the Order who would otherwise be stateless shall be ordinary citizens if, at the time of birth, their parent or guardian is resident in the territory of the Order.

Section 5 — Acquisition by Naturalisation

1. A person may acquire ordinary citizenship by naturalisation upon application to the Bureau of Nationality after ten (10) years of permanent residency in the territory of the Order.
2. A realm of the Order may, by its own laws, adopt more liberal requirements for naturalisation of residents within that realm. The Bureau of Nationality shall apply such realm-specific requirements in respect of applicants resident there.
3. The Senate of the Lakes may, by resolution, extend naturalisation to any person or group of persons, including but not limited to the inhabitants of newly annexed territories or sovereign states admitted as realms of the Order.

Section 6 — Loss of Citizenship

1. Citizenship may be voluntarily renounced, provided that the person renouncing does not thereby become stateless.
2. Citizenship shall not be involuntarily deprived except by Act of the Senate in respect of the individual concerned, and only in exceptional circumstances.
3. Dual nationality is permitted. However, within the jurisdiction of the Order, nationals who are also nationals of another state shall be treated exclusively as nationals of the Order and may not exercise rights or privileges of their foreign nationality within the Order.

Section 7 — Restoration of Citizenship

1. The Bureau of Nationality may restore ordinary citizenship to a person who has lost it involuntarily if the grounds for loss have been nullified, set aside, or otherwise remedied.
2. The Bureau may establish procedural rules for restoration under paragraph (1).

Section 8 — Special Cases

1. A foreign spouse of a national of the Order may register as an ordinary citizen:
   1. After two (2) years of marriage if resident in the territory of the Order; or
   2. After ten (10) years of marriage if resident abroad.
2. A child adopted by a national of the Order shall acquire the nationality of the adoptive parent(s) upon legal completion of the adoption, provided the adoption is recognised under the laws of the Order. Adoption of adults shall not confer nationality.
3. Dual or multiple citizenship of a national of the Order is permitted as a matter of policy; however, no renunciation of nationality of, or membership in, the Order shall be permitted or processed when the Order is in a state of war as declared by the Senate.

Section 9 — Persons Born in Territories Prior to Incorporation

1. Persons born in a territory prior to its incorporation into the Order shall not acquire citizenship of the Order by reason of birth in that territory, unless granted citizenship through an act of en masse naturalisation by the Senate of the Lakes.
2. All acts of en masse naturalisation adopted prior to the commencement of this Act remain valid, and all persons recognised as citizens or nationals of the Order under prior law shall continue to hold that status.

Part III — Bureau of Nationality

Section 10 — Establishment and Status

1. There is hereby established a Bureau of Nationality.
2. The Bureau shall operate under the Secretariat of State. The First Secretary of State shall determine to which Secretary of State or Minister the Bureau shall report.
3. The Bureau shall be operationally independent in the making of decisions on individual cases, subject only to appeal as provided in this Act.

Section 11 — Functions

1. The Bureau shall:
   1. Register the acquisition and loss of nationality;
   2. Process applications for naturalisation, restoration of citizenship, and conversion from membership nationality to ordinary citizenship;
   3. Maintain and keep current the official National Register of Citizens and Nationals;
   4. Verify claims to nationality and issue proof of nationality, including passports and certificates;
   5. Advise the Senate of the Lakes on matters relating to nationality, including proposals for en masse naturalisation;
   6. Investigate suspected fraudulent claims to nationality and refer them to the competent law enforcement or prosecutorial authority;
   7. Oversee citizenship ceremonies for persons acquiring nationality by naturalisation;
   8. Maintain statistical records and reports on nationality matters for the Secretariat of State and the Senate of the Lakes.

Section 12 — Decision-Making and Appeals

1. All applications to the Bureau shall be decided within a reasonable time, not exceeding one year from the date of receipt.
2. Where the Bureau rejects an application, the applicant shall not be entitled to submit a new application of the same type until at least two years have passed from the date of final decision, but may within that time appeal as below.
3. Decisions of the Bureau may be appealed to the ordinary administrative court of justice, with the Senate of the Lakes acting as the final court of appeal.

Section 13 — Offences and Penalties

1. It is an offence to knowingly make a false statement, produce false evidence, or conceal material facts in connection with an application, registration, or verification of nationality.
2. It is an offence to forge, alter, or unlawfully use any document purporting to prove nationality.
3. A person convicted of an offence under this section is liable to:
   1. A fine;
   2. Imprisonment for a term not exceeding two (2) years;
   3. Both fine and imprisonment; and
   4. In appropriate cases, deprivation of nationality obtained as a result of the offence, subject to the safeguards in Part II.
4. Prosecutions under this section shall be conducted in accordance with the general criminal law of the Order.

Part IV — General and Final Provisions

Section 14 — Repeals

1. All laws, enactments, or provisions of law relating to nationality enacted prior to the commencement of this Act are hereby repealed, insofar as they are inconsistent with this Act.

Section 15 — Savings and Transitional Provisions

1. Any person who, immediately prior to the commencement of this Act, was recognised as a citizen or national of the Order under the law then in force shall continue to be so recognised under this Act.
2. Any application for nationality, registration, restoration, or naturalisation that is pending on the commencement date of this Act shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

Section 16 — Regulations

1. The Secretariat of State, acting through the Secretary of State or Minister responsible for the Bureau of Nationality, may make regulations for the better carrying into effect of the provisions of this Act, including but not limited to:
   1. Forms and procedures for applications and registrations;
   2. Evidence required for the verification of nationality claims;
   3. Conduct of citizenship ceremonies;
   4. Administrative fees for services provided by the Bureau of Nationality.
2. Regulations made under this section shall be laid before the Senate of the Lakes as soon as practicable after they are made.

Section 17 — Commencement

1. This Act shall enter into force on a date to be appointed by resolution of the Senate of the Lakes.
2. The Bureau of Nationality shall be constituted and operational not later than six (6) months from the date of commencement of this Act.

Section 18 — Short Title

1. This Act may be cited as the Nationality Act of the Order of the Holy Lakes.