The limitations on available research and data on statelessness in Timor-Leste undermines our knowledge of the causes of statelessness in the country. As a nation with relatively recent Independence (2002) and a long colonial history it is likely that certain groups may be at risk of statelessness due to state succession and transitions in nationality laws.
1. Lack of Legal Safeguards Against Childhood Statelessness
Timor-Leste’s citizenship laws provide that a child of ‘incognito parents, stateless parents or parents of unknown citizenship’ will be considered an original citizen of Timor-Leste. While this provision explicitly protects stateless children, it is less clear if foundling children can gain citizenship through it.
2. Administrative Barriers
Reported birth registration rates in Timor-Leste are the lowest in the Southeast Asian region, at only 60% with only 30% possessing a copy of their birth certificate. The CRC expressed concerns in 2015 regarding the low birth registration rate, especially in rural areas, of which costs for documents remained a barrier. In 2018, Timor- Leste’s government partnered with UNICEF to strengthen the birth registration, with funding provided by Japan. The program intended to implement a mobile registration system to improve access in rural areas and establish “local coordination mechanisms to improve [the] birth registration system in Timor-Leste”. The birth registration project ended in December 2022, and visited a total of 114 villages and 490 sub-villages in 7 municipalities, registering a total of 37,511 children. However, the CEDAW expressed concerns over the program’s lack of information on the impact of the campaign. The Committee also recommended that the mobile registration units be strengthened to ensure universal birth registration.
