Citizenship committees for unregistered individuals prepare to begin interviews in Jazera cities

The committees tasked with following up on the cases of unregistered individuals in NE Syria are preparing to move to the second phase of implementing Decree No. 13, by conducting interviews with Kurdish individuals and families who applied for Syrian citizenship during the registration period that ended at the beginning of May.

18 June, 2026 12:30

QAMISHLO

A source within the committees receiving applications for Syrian citizenship from unregistered individuals told ANHA agency that the committees overseeing the application registration centers will hold a meeting today to discuss the mechanisms for moving to the second phase of the process, which involves conducting interviews with individuals and families who have applied for citizenship.

The source explained that the next phase will include scheduling interviews for applicants residing both inside and outside Syria at designated centers in the cities of Qamishlo, Derik, and Çil Axa. During these interviews, personal data will be recorded, civil records will be re-registered, fingerprints will be taken, and the legal procedures for granting citizenship will be completed.

The application process began on April 6th and continued until May 6th, before being extended for an additional week, in accordance with Decree No. 13 issued by the Interim Government on January 16, 2026, which grants Syrian citizenship to Kurdish citizens classified as "unregistered."

In Qamishlo, applications were received at the designated center in the March 12 Martyrs Stadium, while civil registry offices in the cities of Derik and Çil Axa were designated to receive applications in those areas.

According to information previously obtained by ANHA agency, the number of registered applicants in Qamishlo exceeded 3,000 individual applications, in addition to approximately 1,290 family applications. The Derik center received approximately 2,000 individual applications and 500 family applications, while Çil Axa registered 515 individual applications and 243 family applications as of April 24th.

The issue of unregistered persons dates back to the exceptional census conducted in Hasaka Governorate on October 5, 1962, which resulted in the deprivation of a large number of Kurdish citizens of Syrian nationality. Estimates indicate that the number of stateless persons, including those whose births were not registered, has exceeded 500,000 over the past decades.

Sh-S

ANHA