This Inform, updated on the basis of national contributions from 28 EMN Member and Observer Countries, provides an overview of recent developments and policy approaches in the field of statelessness, with a cut-off date of 31 October 2025. It forms part of the EMN Platform on Statelessness series, building on previous Informs published in 2016, 2020 and 2023.

This Inform examines how digital services in legal migration procedures are designed and implemented in EMN Member and Observer Countries to ensure accessibility and inclusion for applicants with disabilities and digitally disadvantaged applicants. It looks at how authorities have adapted applications, document submission, appointment booking, communication and information exchange, and case-tracking services in the context of the ongoing digitalisation of legal migration procedures. The analysis is based on contributions from 25 EMN Member and Observer Countries.

This ad hoc query gathers comparative data from EMN Member Countries on the number of citizenships granted annually between 2021 and 2025. It highlights significant disparities in volumes and emerging trends over time, including increases, decreases, or stable patterns. It also provides an overview of the main nationalities acquiring citizenship in selected countries and the different administrative sources used to produce the data.

This ad hoc query inquires about experiences and practices across EMN Member and Observer Countries when confronted to cases of children born on their territory to an Iraqi mother, and maps provisions in place to prevent these children being born stateless if Iraqi citizenship cannot be passed.

This ad hoc query maps existing legislation and practices across EMN Member and Observer Countries with regard to the determination of the nationality of third-country nationals, including documentation required. Questions are also asked on the registration of nationalities of children born on their territory to third-country national parents.

This ad hoc query maps the status of recognition of Palestine as a sovereign State across EMN Member Countries and the resulting administrative practices regarding statelessness and citizenship for individuals originating from the Palestinian territories. 

This ad hoc query maps the use of both language tests and citizenship tests in the requirements to obtain citizenship across EMN Member and Observer Countries. Information is provided on the language levels, topics tested, and institutions responsible for examining applications, with a particular focus on the testing of adherence to the country’s fundamental values.

This ad hoc query maps the issuance of travel documents for individuals recognised as stateless across EMN Member and Observer Countries. Information is provided on the type and validity of such documents, as well as on whether recognition as stateless automatically leads to the issuance of a residence permit.

The European Pact on Asylum and Migration, adopted in May 2024, introduces binding obligations for EU Member States, including Belgium, on the identification and protection of stateless persons. The Nansen report highlights the specific challenges faced by stateless persons in Belgium and offers key recommendations to ensure their effective access to international protection.

This ad hoc query maps the pathways to citizenship in place across EMN Member and Observer countries. The information reported covers the possibility of dual citizenship, the residence, linguistic and economic criteria to obtain citizenship, and the process fees required by responding countries.

This ad hoc query offers comparative information on citizenship tests as part of the naturalisation process. It examines whether EMN Member and Observer Countries organise a citizenship test in order to acquire nationality, the authority or institution responsible for administering and drafting these tests, the topics covered, the connection between language and citizenship components in these tests, measures or sanctions in place to prevent potential misuse, and fees for participating in citizenship tests.

This ad hoc query offers comparative information on existing legislation on the acquisition of citizenship for new generations. It examines EMN Member and Observer Countries’ changes in legislative developments and regulations since 1 January 2020, the prerequisites and requirements embodied in these changes, and the impact of these changes on the procedure for acquiring citizenship.

Under the endorsement of the EMN Platform on Statelessness, this ad hoc query explores the legal framework and practice of EMN Member Countries to prevent stateless persons from receiving social and healthcare benefits in multiple countries simultaneously.

EMN Sweden launched an ad hoc query regarding the derived right of residence of a third-country national family member under Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU). These questions were launched in the context of the Swedish Migration Agency’s analysis of the judgment of the CJEU in joined cases C-451/19 and C-532/19 (XU and QP).

This EMN Inform updates the 2020 Inform “Statelessness in the EU” and focuses on the implications of statelessness for affected individuals in the EU, Norway and Georgia.

Integration through acquisition of citizenship has become an important topic in many EU Member States in recent years, as the number of new migrants arriving in the EU has increased in recent years. The EMN study found that citizenship is seen by Member States as either the culmination of the integration process or as facilitating the integration process. However, in most Member States, third-country nationals are not actively encouraged to apply for citizenship. 

In de Europese Unie zijn naar schatting 400.000 mensen erkend staatloos of hebben geen vastgestelde nationaliteit (UNHCR, 2018). In 2017 waren er niet minder dan 2.100 staatloze kinderen in Europa geregistreerd. Dit is een verviervoudiging t.o.v. 2010. Hoe stellen EU-lidstaten staatloosheid vast? Wat betekent deze erkenning in de praktijk voor staatloze migranten? Op deze en andere vragen over staatloosheid vindt u een antwoord in deze Inform.

In this annual report Myria analyses the current migration and tests policy and practice against respect for fundamental rights. Myria draws conclusions and formulates policy recommandations. 

This progress report describes the activities undertaken and publications released by the EMN Platform on Statelessness, in cooperation with strategic partners, from May 2016 until November 2017.

UNHCR developed a practical tool called "Stateless Persons in Detention: A tool for their identification and enhanced protection". The purpose of the instrument is to facilitate identification o persons in the context of detention who may be stateless and to support the achievement of solutions to their predicament.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published today a press release with 2015 data on the acquisition of citizenship in the EU. The main conclusions are that EU Member States granted citizenship to fewer persons in 2015, and Moroccans, Albanians and Turks remain the main recipients.

The handbook highlights the complex implications of statelessness for individuals, states and societies, with good practices and recommendations aiming to increase engagement and progress in addressing this phenomenon by OSCE participating States.

This report of the ‘Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion’ (ISI) explores the urgency of and opportunities for addressing childhood statelessness. Over 50 experts and organizations have contributed material – essays, interviews, photographs and more.

This EMN Inform examines – inter alia – the state of play of the 1954 and 1961 conventions on statelessness, statelessness determination procedures, rights granted to recognized stateless persons, and the situation of stateless minors in the EU.