Jus Soli - Jus Soli Around The World

Jus Soli Around The World

Jus soli is observed by a minority of the world's countries. Of advanced economies (as defined by the International Monetary Fund), Canada and the United States are the only countries that observe birthright citizenship. As is shown clearly on the map, the jus soli is mainly in use in “the new world” — the Americas. Since 2004, no European country grants unconditional birthright citizenship.

In an August 2010 report, the Center for Immigration Studies, through direct communication with foreign government officials and analysis of relevant foreign law including statutory and constitutional law, was able to confirm that 30 of the world's 194 countries grant automatic birthright citizenship (although they were not able to obtain definitive information from 19 countries).

States that observe jus soli include:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Barbados
• Belize
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Cambodia
• Canada
• Chile (children of transient foreigners or of foreign diplomats on assignment in Chile only upon request)
• Colombia
• Costa Rica (Children born to non-Costa Rican citizens obtain citizenship if registered as a Costa Rican by the will of either parent during minority or by his own will up to the age of twenty-five)
• Dominica
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Fiji
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guyana
• Honduras
• Jamaica
• Lesotho
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Pakistan
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tuvalu
• United States
• Uruguay
• Venezuela