Should I become a citizen?

A nation or a state?

Nowhereisland has been declared a new nation. States are declared according to the requirements of the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Responsibilities of States. The four requirements are a permanent population, defined territory, government and the capacity to enter into relations with the other states. There are 193 states recognized by the UN – South Sudan being the last state to be recognized on 9th July 2011. Nowhereisland has not been declared as a new state, nor does it claim the status of a micronation. A nation is defined as a "large aggregate of people united by a common culture." Nowhereisland is distinguished from landless, virtual nations by its territory - the floating island sculpture which will visit south west England in 2012.

A growing population

Our aim is to build a population of citizens, spread across the world, who will contribute to the identity of Nowhereisland over the year of its duration. We've already registered more citizens than the population of Vatican City, the world’s smallest country. Citizens have registered from nearly 100 countries.

Building a new nation

As a citizen, you will receive immediate confirmation of your citizenship, and if you’ve given us your address, you will also receive your official citizenship certificate in the mail. As a citizen, you will be able to contribute to the growing constitution (which will go live in a couple of weeks), and to submit ideas, drawings, designs, photographs, sound files and films to become part of the archive held by the Nowhereisland Embassy, a land-based vehicle that will accompany the island throughout its journey. If, when you register, you opt to receive a regular e-newsletter from us, you will be able to follow the progress of the project and keep up-to-date with the latest news from Nowhere.

Multiple citizenship

All Nowhereisland citizens are already citizens of other states. Some countries consider multiple citizenship undesirable and take measures to prevent it. These include Azerbaijan, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal and Norway. Nowhereisland is not a state, but has been declared a nation - therefore dual citizenship rules do not apply.