Almost all states in Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania grant citizenship at birth based upon the principle of jus sanguinis (right of blood), in which citizenship is inherited through parents rather than birthplace, or a restricted version of jus soli in which citizenship by birthplace is automatic only for the children of certain immigrants.

Jus soli ( English: ; Latin pronunciation: [juːs ˈsɔ.liː] ), meaning "right of the soil", [1] commonly referred to as birthright citizenship in the United States , is the right of anyone born in the territory of a state to nationality or citizenship . [2]

Lex soli is a law used in practice to regulate who and under what circumstances an individual can assert the right of jus soli. Most states provide a specific lex soli—in application of the respective jus soli—and it is the most common means of acquiring nationality. However, a frequent exception to lex soli is imposed when a child is born to a parent in the diplomatic or consular service of another state on a mission to the state in question.[11][12]

Unrestricted jus soli Edit

Restricted jus soli Edit

There is a trend in some countries toward restricting lex soli by requiring that at least one of the child's parents be a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the state in question at time of the child's birth.[42] Modification of jus soli has been criticized as contributing to economic inequality, the perpetuation of unfree labour from a helot underclass[42] and statelessness. Jus soli has been restricted in the following countries:

Abolition of jus soli Edit

Some countries that formerly observed jus soli have moved to abolish it entirely, conferring citizenship on children born in the country only if at least one of the parents is a citizen of that country.