Child born to Iranian mother, foreign father closer to Iranian nationality

Tehran, Jan 20, IRNA- The newly approved bill on giving Iranian nationality to a child born on an Iranian mother and foreign father awaits further debate and vote by parliament in a bid to be passed into national law. A parliamentary commission has approved a government bill that grants Iranian nationality to the children of marriages between Iranian women and foreign men. 'The children of such marriages can become Iranian upon request,' said Hassan Nowruzi, a spokesman for the Legal and Judicial Affairs Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis), quoted by the Parliament website. The bill was studied and passed in the commission, attended by some government officials, police representatives, Judiciary members and other lawmakers, added Nowruzi. 'The children of marriages between Iranian women and foreign men, when under 18 years old, can acquire the Iranian nationality if their mothers request so,' explained the lawmaker. 'And if there is no request by their mothers, such children, when over 18 years old, can apply for the nationality themselves,' he said, adding that they should be clear of any criminal record. The bill's approval is a first step towards it's being passed into a law when debated by all the parliament members. However, no time frame has been set for the purpose so far.