Your rights

This page summarises the rights members of the Republic hold under the Constitution, the Basic Laws, and the Privacy Act. It is a guide; the controlling text is the Constitution and Basic Laws.

Rights vary by tier: an e-Resident does not hold the full set of constitutional rights of a Citizen. The table at the end of this page sets out which rights apply at which tier.

1. The right to vote

Under the Constitution, the right to vote in the Citizens' Assembly and in any other formal vote of the Republic is held by Citizens alone.

Honorary citizens hold the right to vote unless the conferral order excludes it. The conferral order is published.

The franchise is universal among Citizens. There is no income, residence, or service qualification beyond holding the tier.

2. The right to run for office

The right to stand for elected office is held by Citizens alone. Specific offices may set additional eligibility (for example, prior service or a minimum holding period), and the controlling text is the establishing Act for each office.

3. The right to access government services

Every member of the Republic, at any tier, has the right to access the services the Government offers, on the terms the law and the Service Charter set out for that service. The Government does not operate parallel commercial tiers of access to its public services.

The Service Charter Act sets minimum standards of timeliness and clarity that the Government commits to. Failure to meet those standards is a basis for petition to the Court of Arbitration.

4. The right to data privacy

The Privacy Act establishes the right to data privacy as a constitutional right of every member of the Republic, regardless of tier. The right has the following operative parts:

• Access. You may request a copy of the data the Government holds about you.
• Rectification. You may require the correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure. You may require the deletion of your data, subject to the retention obligations published in the privacy policy.
• Portability. You may receive your data in a structured, machine-readable form.
• Objection. You may object to processing for purposes other than the lawful basis on which it is held.

These rights are exercised through the Citizen Portal under Privacy & data.

The Office of the Privacy Auditor, independent of the Cabinet, is the supervisory authority for this right.

5. The right to redress through the Court of Arbitration

The Court of Arbitration is the court of first and only instance for civil disputes between the Government and its members. Any member of the Republic, at any tier, may petition the Court.

This section will describe the petition process, the conduct of proceedings, and the limits of the Court's jurisdiction. Content under development; the controlling text is the Court of Arbitration Act.

6. The right to fair process in tier applications

Every applicant for a tier (e-Residency, Resident, Citizen) is entitled to:

• A clear statement, before submission, of what the application requires.
• A decision, within the published timeframe, that gives a reason for any rejection.
• The ability to resubmit after a published cooling-off period.
• The right to appeal a rejection to the Court of Arbitration.

The Ministry publishes its current decision-time statistics on the applications page.

7. The right to renounce citizenship

A Citizen, Resident, or e-Resident may renounce their tier at any time. Renunciation is final.

This section will describe the renunciation procedure and its effect on data retention. Content under development.

8. The right to be heard in the Assembly

The Citizens' Assembly is the deliberative body of the Republic. The right to be heard there, which includes the right to speak, to introduce items, and to call for a vote, is held by Citizens. Residents and e-Residents may attend and observe but do not hold the floor.

The Assembly publishes its proceedings.

Summary by tier