No passport. Nowhere? Political, legal and administrative approaches in dealing with statelessness
Study | June 2024
The number of people living in Germany without or with an undetermined nationality has increased significantly in recent years. In Germany, the authorities responsible for implementing residence and nationality law are key actors in determining statelessness. Their decisions determine the legal status and life of those affected. However, there are no systematic findings to date on the decision-making practices of German immigration authorities in the context of statelessness; the administration is described as a 'black box'. The scientific staff of the SVR therefore conducted a study to analyse how statelessness is determined in practice by the authorities, who is considered stateless, what scope for discretion exists and what challenges authorities face. The study provides policy recommendations at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.
The Study was funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
