Afghan nationality law

Afghan nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Afghanistan, as amended; the Citizenship Law of the Afghanistan and its revisions; the Afghan Civil Code; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, an Afghan national. Since the Taliban took control of the country in 2021, it is unclear what laws are in place. An announced revision to the constitution was planned for 2022. Due to concerns over human rights violations, the Taliban regime has received no international recognition.

Afghan nationality is typically obtained under the principal of jus sanguinis, i.e., by birth to parents with Afghan nationality. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalization. The legal means to acquire nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. Nationality describes the relationship of an individual to the state under international law, whereas citizenship is the domestic relationship of an individual within the nation. Some countries use the terms nationality and citizenship as synonyms, despite their legal distinction and the fact that they are regulated by different governmental administrative bodies.