Over 400 Kurdish families in Kobani registered for Syrian citizenship
KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – More than 400 unregistered Kurdish families in the city of Kobani, northern Syria, have been registered to obtain Syrian citizenship under Syria’s Presidential Decree No. 13 of 2026, a local official told North Press on Wednesday.
Narin al-Bozo, a member of the executive office of Kobani Municipality, said the families were registered during April and May, adding that the first batch of interview appointments for Kurdish applicants covered by the decree has now been issued.
Al-Bozo said the Civil Affairs Directorate in Aleppo Governorate announced the first round of interview dates for Kurdish citizens included under Decree No. 13, which provides for granting Syrian citizenship to eligible Kurds, including those whose civil records were previously unregistered.
She added that interviews for the first batch of unregistered families from Kobani will begin on June 28, and continue through July 17 at the Fourth Civil Registry Department in the city of Aleppo.
According to al-Buzo, each family has been assigned a separate date and time, and all family members are required to attend in person to complete the necessary procedures.
“The lists of names have been published on social media and on Kobani Municipality’s page,” she said, urging registered families to attend on time in order to finalize their applications.
She pointed out that interview dates for additional batches of applicants will be announced later, based on schedules prepared by the Civil Affairs Directorate in Aleppo.
Al-Bozo indicated that interviews are being conducted in Aleppo because the Civil Affairs office in Kobani is not yet ready to process the applications locally.
The move comes as Syrian authorities continue implementing Presidential Decree No. 13 of 2026, issued in January, which recognizes Kurds as an “authentic and essential component” of Syrian society and grants eligible Kurdish residents, including those previously classified as “Maktoumeen” (unregistered), the right to apply for Syrian nationality.
According to figures cited by the UN refugee agency, Syrian authorities had received 2,892 family applications covering 10,516 individuals by late May, with the majority submitted in Hasakah Governorate. UNHCR welcomed the measure earlier this month, describing it as an important step toward addressing long-standing statelessness among Syrian Kurds.
The decree is widely seen as one of the most significant legal measures aimed at addressing the legacy of the 1962 special census in Hasakah, which stripped thousands of Kurds of citizenship and left many families without legal status or civil documentation for decades.