Ius Sanguinis Principle

1 The expression ‘ius sanguinis’ is Latin for ‘the law of the blood’ (‘ius’—’law’; ‘sanguis’—’blood’). The notion of ‘ius sanguinis’ generally conveys a legal principle whereby descent is the main element based on which a certain legal status is attributed to a person. In general, such legal status can be defined as the ‘legal belonging to a community’ and it can often be characterized as ‘membership’ (Bauböck 65; Shachar 1003). In particular, and with regard to the present state-based world, such legal status is commonly known as citizenship or nationality (see...