Solarian Citizenship

== Overview ==
Being a citizen of the Solarian Empire brings many benefits and responsibilities. And, like all Solarian things, laws do apply. All laws regarding citizenship are handled through the Emperor and the Interior Ministry. The Empire is committed to preventing statelessness.
=== Who is a citizen ===
Anyone that was a citizen of the Free Human Alliance, and remained in the space that became the Solarian Empire from the day it was formed, is considered a citizen by birth. Anyone born in Solarian space is considered a citizen. Anyone born outside of Solarian Space, but one biological parent was Solarian, is a citizen. Anyone that is a citizen of a nation that joins the Empire is a citizen. Any member of an alien ethnostate that has been accepted into the Empire is a citizen. In the event the Empire conquers a nation that participated in hostilities, the citizens of that nation are NOT considered citizens, unless the Emperor decides the territory will remain in Solarian hands, at which point citizens will be vetted before being granted citizenship. The Solarian Empire does not differentiate between citizenship by birth or by immigration in terms of legal rights and political office.
=== Gaining citizenship ===
Gaining Solarian citizenship is as easy as sending in an application, with an affirmation that you intend to become a citizen. The document is considered a legally binding oath in a court of law. While incredibly rare, some people end the process there, with their application being accepted and the individual becoming a citizen. Until recently, this was automatic for all humans that were born prior to November 12th, 4667. After an incident involving the crew of a Saiyuan pirate ship, this provision was revoked, unless the individual is well known. Once the application has been received, the nation that the individual is a citizen of is asked for a background check on the individual, if at all possible. After a successful check, the individual is summoned to one of the various Interior Ministry offices around the Empire, where an interview is conducted by a staff member from the Interior Ministry, attender by a Barrister from the Imperial Court. At this point the Petitioner is required to swear their willingness to surrender all citizenship they currently hold1. Afterwards, the interviewer then sends the results and their opinion on the individual to the Minister of the Interior. If the Minister of the Interior is satisfied, the entire packet is sent to the Lady Chief Chamberlain, at which point it receives the final acceptance. From there, all individuals who applied in a single Federal Year are brought to Earth where they swear fealty to the Emperor, and are then considered citizens of the Solarian Empire. If the application is denied after the interview, the citizenship of the individual is not considered surrendered, as no documentation is sent to the countries where the petitioner was a citizen of. If the petitioner is considered stateless (they lost their citizenship due to a crime, the dissolution of the nation, or surrender of citizenship to another country), the process is free of charge and expedited.
1Does not apply to Cresians or a race that is considered a member of the Convent
=== Surrendering Citizenship ===
Citizenship to the Solarian Empire is never revoked, even under the worst of times. No matter what you do, you are considered a citizen of the Empire. No matter how long you have been gone, even if you publicly state your desire to no longer be a citizen, the Empire considers you a citizen until the proper steps are followed. To surrender your citizenship, you must send in a letter to the Interior Ministry, stating your intention to surrender your citizenship, as well as a psych eval from a licensed psychiatrist practicing in the Solarian Empire. A staff member from the Interior Ministry and a Barrister from the Imperial Court will conduct an interview to determine intent, as well as make sure you are certain of the consequences, as well as to make sure you have applied for citizenship elsewhere or you have provisions in place.. Afterwards, the results are sent to both in Interior Ministry, the Finance Ministry, and the Foreign Ministry. The Minister of the Interior will hand deliver the letter, the eval, and the results of the interview to the Emperor, who makes the final decision. If denied, you retain Solarian Citizenship. Denial is usually given if the petitioner has taxes that still need to be paid, is under investigation for a crime, or still has an obligation to the military. If approved, the individual receives a letter that states their citizenship was surrendered and they retain the legal rights and protections of a Solarian Citizen for two more Federal Months, purely to wrap up affairs and make travel arrangements. In the event that the individual’s petition for citizenship for other nations is denied, the Solarian citizenship of the individual is automatically restored and they will have to repeat the process.
Category:Solarian Empire