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Samoa has been an independent sovereign State since 1962. Prior to that, it was administered by New Zealand. The most recent Samoan law pertaining to citizenship is the ''Citizenship Act 2004''. One of its aims was to prevent obtention of citizenship through "marriages of convenience", by specifying that the spouse of a Samoan citizen must reside in Samoa with his or her spouse for at least five years before being granted citizenship. It also barred persons born in Samoa from automatically obtaining citizenship, if neither of their parents is Samoan.〔(Announcement by the Prime Minister of Samoa ), April 29, 2004〕 ==Obtention of citizenship== Samoan citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, by residence or by marriage.〔(Samoa Immigration government website )〕 A person born in Samoa of at least one Samoan parent is automatically entitled to Samoan citizenship. A person born outside Samoa may obtain citizenship by descent, provided that at least one of his or her parents is a Samoan citizen other than by descent, or that the parent in question is a Samoan citizen by descent who has lived in Samoa at various times for a combined period of three years. A person who is not of Samoan descent may apply for citizenship on the basis of residence, provided that he or she has been residing in Samoa for at least five years. The application in such cases is reviewed by the Minister for Immigration, who must take into account the applicant's health, character, intention to continue residing in Samoa, and understanding of the requirement incumbent upon Samoan citizens. A person may also apply for citizenship by marriage; the criteria are similar to those relating to an application on the basis of residence. Amongst other benefits, Samoan citizenship confers the right to vote, the right to buy land, the right to claim pension, cheaper health care, and facilitated access to employment opportunities.〔''ibid''〕 Samoan citizenship may be renounced through a written declaration of renunciation. It may also be cancelled by the Ministry of Immigration, in cases where it was obtained through fraud, where a person who obtained citizenship through residence has ceased to reside in Samoa, or where a Samoan citizen "has been or is disloyal or disaffected towards Samoa".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Samoan nationality law」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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