What country are you a citizen of if you are born while on a boat/on the water?

Question

I recently saw a news story of a baby born on a shrimp boat and was wondering what country the baby is a citizen of since I thought water was international.

Answer 1

Wherever the boat was.

Answer 2

The US and the UN recognizes that there is a 12 nautical mile limit for a costal nation’s borders. If the baby was born within ten miles of the nation then she could be considered a citizen of that nation. If she was born to parents of another nation then she would be considered to be a citizen of the nation of her parents, unless they lived in the country that they are off shore from.

In another words if a Cuban refuge were to be born within the 12 nautical mile limit of the US that child would still be Cuban.

If an American and British national had a child then the child could be given dual citizenship. This would happen no matter where she was born since it is the citizenship of the parents that matters the most.

When in doubt, which at sea could raise a doubt, then the citizenship is decided by the parents’ citizenship. A native of a nation born at sea, within the 12 nautical mile limit could legally have been considered to have been born inside the nation that they are off shore from; a natural born citizen.

You case wouldn’t work very well, because proof of the exact distance would be difficult to provide, and the nation in question would have the option of accepting or declining the child.

The nationality of the boat has little to do with the answer since the boat is not considered to be “soil” from that land, water within 12 nautical miles could be considered “soil” of the nation. Due to its rigid laws few large commercial ships are given a US registry. If a couple gave birth to a child aboard a Norwegian cruise ship, the registry of the ship wouldn’t be considered in any argument about the child’s nationality. Nationality of registry doesn’t mean ownership by the nation, only tax and legal liability.

This article covers the official UN and International Law on stateless children: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_Convention_on_the_Reduction_of_Statelessness

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_waters
“Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most twelve nautical miles (but possibly less, at the coastal country's discretion) from the mean low water mark of a littoral state that is regarded as the sovereign territory of the state, except that foreign ships (both military and civilian) are allowed innocent passage through it”

The territory of a sovereign nation extends to the international limit of space at 100 km. No nation owns space, not even the outer space over there nation.

Answer 3

Usually it is the country to which the boat belongs to.
For example, any baby born on an Israeli International flight is automatically a citizen of Israel. So a baby born to parents from the United States on an Israeli International Flight has dual citizenship.
If the boat is from a small company not backed by any government, citizenship is that of the parents.

Answer 4

Since I was born on a plane I can understand your question...

Usually what happens is you are given the nationality of where you would have been born under normal circumatances. You are able to apply for citizenship of the country you were born in when whether you were born on a boat or (like me) on a plane. I can apply for Italian citizenship anytime I want. It has the altitude, longitude and latitude on my birth certificate. I imagine on someone who was born on a boat in international waters it would be the same.

Answer 5

It would be to what country the boat is registered if you are in an international waters. But if you are in an specific territorial location or area of a country, that countrys' citizenship counts

Answer 6

A person born on a foreign vessel lying in U.S. port or sailing in the
territorial sea of the United States acquires United States
citizenship at birth. Howver, U.S. citizenship is not conferred upon a
child was born to alien parents on a vessel bound for the United
States which had not yet reached the twelve nautical mile limit.
Similarly, a child born on a plane in the United States or flying over
its territory would acquire United States citizenship at birth.
However, the citizenship of the child is not affected by the
nationality or registry of the vessel. Birth on U.S. vessel outside
the territorial jurisdiction of the United States does not confer U.S.
citizenship upon the child of alien parents.

Answer 7

If you're born in international waters you're only a citizen of the country where your mother is a citizen

Answer 8

The country in which the water belongs to when you were born. If you were born in American waters, you would be American. If you were born in British waters, you would be British. You would also be a citizen of the country that your parents are citizens of.

Answer 9

Hi

Depending on the country the waters are closest to can determine this. Some areas of the ocean are considered national territory depending where it is. The citizenship can be proven by the ship records and can determine your citizenship.

Answer 10

Usually, it's the nationality of the father. If he's not around it would probably be the nationality of the mother. Otherwise, maybe the child would get the nationality of the ship's country of registry. Good question!

Answer 11

But the boat isn't. Whatever flag the boat is flying is probably the citizenship of the child. Good question!!!