Estonia, Legislation, Transport

"We have decided that till politicians have not voiced a clear decision on that matter (about passports that the state has issued by mistake – ed.), we will suspend our activities regarding annulling passports," said Police and Border Guard Board citizenship service head Koidu Mesilane.

This means that in case of the passports on which annulling proceedings are under way, the proceedings deadline will be extended. The board will continue post-inspection of passports but if it is found that a passport has been issued mistakenly, no proceedings will initially be launched.

The board evaluates each cases separately and will issue a passport with 1 year duration if need be. Mesilane said that the 15-year old girl from whom the so-called passport scandal started, will also be able to get the 1-year passport.

The Estonian police launched proceedings to withdraw citizenship from a 15-year old who became an Estonian citizen while being born in 1996 since the child's father had successfully passed the citizenship exam. During 15 years, the child had updated the passport three times. Recently, however, a civil servant discovered that the child's father received citizenship two weeks after the child was born. Thus the child is not an Estonian citizen by birthright and the police intends to withdraw his passport, Estonian newspapers wrote last week. The girl's father disputed the matter.

Estonian interior minister Ken-Marti Vaher said that the ministry is planning to launch a law amendment according to which people who receive citizenship because of a mistake made by the state should not be deprived of Estonian citizenship.