1. "Everyone has the right to a nationality."

2. "No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality, nor shall he be denied the right to change his nationality."

Explanation of Article 15

The possession of a nationality will remain important as long as nation states exist. Nationality not only provides a feeling of belonging to a state, but in many cases enables the exercise of political rights and gives a right to protection by the home state. The Universal Declaration does grant a right to a nationality, but does not say which nationality. To date, no binding international treaty obliges a state to grant nationality to a stateless person. At least the Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons regulates the legal status of people without nationality and grants them certain rights.

People have often been deprived of their citizenship - primarily for purely political reasons or to discriminate against a certain group. The Universal Declaration prohibits such action because it is arbitrary.