What are you doing with your "old" citizenship?

[moonhunt 1]

That makes sense... I suppose... Thanks for your feedback. As of 2001, Sweden allows dual-citizenship... (used to be a country not recognizing dual citizenship.)

I hope South Korea change it someday.

When I visit Thailand, South Korean can get 90 days with visa-on-arrival program, but US citizen can get 30 days.

But any way, I don't have vacations more than 4 weeks.

So it doesn't matter to me.

[Chocolot 0]

Many countries will ignore that you have taken an oath of allegiance to another country, and you have to go to some lengths to renounce your former citizenship. Of course I don't know if Sweden is one of the countries that do this, but it's how Australia views its citizens.

The only negative is keeping more than one passport current, as you need to enter each country (as its citizen) on its own passport

confused what the Oath of Allegiance for Naturalization really means. It states:

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen..."

It does not explicitly state that you renounce your old citizenship, however, it states allegiance and fidelity.....as most things that deals with Governments - CLEAR AS MUDD!

In other words, can you say that you have "absolutely and entirely renounce(d) and abjure(d) all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign..." if you still keep you citizenship with that country?

[T and M 1]

Not every countries allows dual citizenship.

Some country may have specifically the law prohibiting dual citizenship.

South Korea has the law spelled that you will loose the citizenship whenever you have citizenship from other country no matter the government recognize it or not.

You can sneak around it, but that's illegal.

US has implicit dual citizenship policy from US dept. of State viewpoint.

Nobody mention it, we didn't see your other country's passport.

Just show US passport when you deal with US, kind of thing.

Practially you can sneak around the loophole of the system, but it is your responsibility to follow the law.

If you can take consequences of your behaviors, it's fine.

But I don't think we recommend to sneak around the law for illegal from this forum, right ? B)

So it is not from US law. It is mandated from South Korea law.

From US law viewpoint, as I mentioned from above, don't mention it, and we don't even see your other country's passport, kind of thing.

I just want to point out that not every country allows dual citizenship even though US allow it with "no comment" policy.

That makes sense... I suppose... Thanks for your feedback. As of 2001, Sweden allows dual-citizenship... (used to be a country not recognizing dual citizenship.)

Well put. It is also crucial to know the difference between "allowing" dual citizenship and "recognizing" dual citizenship. Very few countries recognize dual citizenship. Almost all countries "allow" it.

I would also try to find the exact South Korean law that prohibits a South Korean national from taking citizenship from another country. I have talked to so many Vietnamese-Americans who do not realize that they have a right to enter Vietnam with a Vietnamese passport. They are scared off by people saying that Vietnam doesn't "allow" dual citizenship. The truth is, it doesn't "recognize" dual citizenship meaning you have to use your Vietnamese passport when leaving and entering Vietnam or else you are breaking the law. Same in the United States. If you use a foreign passport to leave or enter the United States and you are a US citizen, you are breaking the law. That's what not recognizing dual citizenship means. And it doesn't mean you can't "hold" multiple citizenship. It just means you can't present yourself as a dual citizen. That would be bad. And illegal in most places.

There is an excellent wikipedia page on multiple citizenship, and it can help people know their rights. World travel is hard enough as it is, since 9/11 and growing number of walls between countries. Might as well know your rights to make things a bit easier for us law-abiding people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_citizenship

[moonhunt 1]

Well put. It is also crucial to know the difference between "allowing" dual citizenship and "recognizing" dual citizenship. Very few countries recognize dual citizenship. Almost all countries "allow" it.

I would also try to find the exact South Korean law that prohibits a South Korean national from taking citizenship from another country. I have talked to so many Vietnamese-Americans who do not realize that they have a right to enter Vietnam with a Vietnamese passport. They are scared off by people saying that Vietnam doesn't "allow" dual citizenship. The truth is, it doesn't "recognize" dual citizenship meaning you have to use your Vietnamese passport when leaving and entering Vietnam or else you are breaking the law. Same in the United States. If you use a foreign passport to leave or enter the United States and you are a US citizen, you are breaking the law. That's what not recognizing dual citizenship means. And it doesn't mean you can't "hold" multiple citizenship. It just means you can't present yourself as a dual citizen. That would be bad. And illegal in most places.

There is an excellent wikipedia page on multiple citizenship, and it can help people know their rights. World travel is hard enough as it is, since 9/11 and growing number of walls between countries. Might as well know your rights to make things a bit easier for us law-abiding people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_citizenship

Good resource to understand dual citizenship is following.

http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

If you want South Korean law for this topic, I can point it out, but it is Korean.

There are some exceptions, but it is for more of children born in U.S. and they can keep dual citizenship until 18 years old.

Then they have to decide which one they will choose.

If you have dual citizenship, you may have tax situation unless your home country and US have tax treaty for double taxation because U.S. citizen and permanent resident have tax duty to report their income no matter where it is generating from.

Except that, pretty much you have to use own passport for each country, and for other countries, you have the choice for whcih one you would like to use for your own convenience.

[thea 1]

Germany changed the citizenship law in 2001 and only since then is it possible to get dual citizenship. However, it is not straightforward. They still discurage dual citizenship. If you want to retain German citzenship you have to apply for a permit (and pay €255). The permit hold dual citizenship needs to be approved and officially handed over to you by the embassy/consulate before you take the new citizenship. Otherwise you automatically lose German citizenship.

[T and M 1]

Well put. It is also crucial to know the difference between "allowing" dual citizenship and "recognizing" dual citizenship. Very few countries recognize dual citizenship. Almost all countries "allow" it.

I would also try to find the exact South Korean law that prohibits a South Korean national from taking citizenship from another country. I have talked to so many Vietnamese-Americans who do not realize that they have a right to enter Vietnam with a Vietnamese passport. They are scared off by people saying that Vietnam doesn't "allow" dual citizenship. The truth is, it doesn't "recognize" dual citizenship meaning you have to use your Vietnamese passport when leaving and entering Vietnam or else you are breaking the law. Same in the United States. If you use a foreign passport to leave or enter the United States and you are a US citizen, you are breaking the law. That's what not recognizing dual citizenship means. And it doesn't mean you can't "hold" multiple citizenship. It just means you can't present yourself as a dual citizen. That would be bad. And illegal in most places.

There is an excellent wikipedia page on multiple citizenship, and it can help people know their rights. World travel is hard enough as it is, since 9/11 and growing number of walls between countries. Might as well know your rights to make things a bit easier for us law-abiding people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_citizenship

Good resource to understand dual citizenship is following.

http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

If you want South Korean law for this topic, I can point it out, but it is Korean.

There are some exceptions, but it is for more of children born in U.S. and they can keep dual citizenship until 18 years old.

Then they have to decide which one they will choose.

If you have dual citizenship, you may have tax situation unless your home country and US have tax treaty for double taxation because U.S. citizen and permanent resident have tax duty to report their income no matter where it is generating from.

Except that, pretty much you have to use own passport for each country, and for other countries, you have the choice for whcih one you would like to use for your own convenience.

Interesting info re: South Korea. I totally agree that some countries are difficult on this issue. But the simple fact remains that the vast majority of countries do not prohibit their citizens from holding citizenship in another country. They just don't actively recognize it.

The link you cite proves my case. It says that the US forces newly naturalized citizens to renounce previous citizenship. This is most certainly NOT TRUE, which causes me to doubt that entire website.

In Chapter 75, Section 3, the USCIS adjudicators field guide states that:

"The concept of dual citizenship means that a person is a citizen of two countries at the same time. Dual nationality laws and policies depend on each country. The U.S. Government recognizes that dual citizenship exists, but does not endorse it as a matter of policy because of the problems that it may cause. Dual citizens owe allegiance to both the United States and the foreign country. They are required to obey the laws of both countries. Either country has the right to enforce its laws, particularly if the person later travels there. There may be a conflict with the U.S. laws, which may cause problems for the dual citizen. Additionally, dual citizenship may limit the United States Government’s efforts to assist United States citizens abroad."

[T and M 1]

Well put. It is also crucial to know the difference between "allowing" dual citizenship and "recognizing" dual citizenship. Very few countries recognize dual citizenship. Almost all countries "allow" it.

I would also try to find the exact South Korean law that prohibits a South Korean national from taking citizenship from another country. I have talked to so many Vietnamese-Americans who do not realize that they have a right to enter Vietnam with a Vietnamese passport. They are scared off by people saying that Vietnam doesn't "allow" dual citizenship. The truth is, it doesn't "recognize" dual citizenship meaning you have to use your Vietnamese passport when leaving and entering Vietnam or else you are breaking the law. Same in the United States. If you use a foreign passport to leave or enter the United States and you are a US citizen, you are breaking the law. That's what not recognizing dual citizenship means. And it doesn't mean you can't "hold" multiple citizenship. It just means you can't present yourself as a dual citizen. That would be bad. And illegal in most places.

There is an excellent wikipedia page on multiple citizenship, and it can help people know their rights. World travel is hard enough as it is, since 9/11 and growing number of walls between countries. Might as well know your rights to make things a bit easier for us law-abiding people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_citizenship

Good resource to understand dual citizenship is following.

http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

If you want South Korean law for this topic, I can point it out, but it is Korean.

There are some exceptions, but it is for more of children born in U.S. and they can keep dual citizenship until 18 years old.

Then they have to decide which one they will choose.

If you have dual citizenship, you may have tax situation unless your home country and US have tax treaty for double taxation because U.S. citizen and permanent resident have tax duty to report their income no matter where it is generating from.

Except that, pretty much you have to use own passport for each country, and for other countries, you have the choice for whcih one you would like to use for your own convenience.

Interesting info re: South Korea. I totally agree that some countries are difficult on this issue. But the simple fact remains that the vast majority of countries do not prohibit their citizens from holding citizenship in another country. They just don't actively recognize it.

The link you cite proves my case. It says that the US forces newly naturalized citizens to renounce previous citizenship. This is most certainly NOT TRUE, which causes me to doubt that entire website.

In Chapter 75, Section 3, the USCIS adjudicators field guide states that:

"The concept of dual citizenship means that a person is a citizen of two countries at the same time. Dual nationality laws and policies depend on each country. The U.S. Government recognizes that dual citizenship exists, but does not endorse it as a matter of policy because of the problems that it may cause. Dual citizens owe allegiance to both the United States and the foreign country. They are required to obey the laws of both countries. Either country has the right to enforce its laws, particularly if the person later travels there. There may be a conflict with the U.S. laws, which may cause problems for the dual citizen. Additionally, dual citizenship may limit the United States Government’s efforts to assist United States citizens abroad."

Here's more official information re: dual citizenship from the US State Department. Again, I'm not saying there are no restrictions on dual citizenship in any country. There are, as moonhunt has demonstrated with regard to South Korea and thea with regard to Germany. My point is that there are FAR fewer restrictions on it than most people think.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html

[mattr 0]

France ignores dual citizenship. You can renounce your French citizenship only if you have another proven citizenship (e.g. you cannot be a non-citizen of any country and live in France).

My plan is to use my American passport everytime I go to a country where it is not dangerous/illegal to travel there as an American. For example if I want to go to Cuba, I will use my American passport to fly to the country that has flights to Cuba, then use my French passport to fly to Cuba. When I go to France I will use my American passport.

In any case I will use my American passport when entering the USA, because I am an American citizen, not on a visa or on a green card anymore. When asked which countries I visited I would not say Cuba of course!

When asked if you are an American citizen on the US soil, say YES I am an American citizen. Don't mention dual citizenship. When asked if am I a French citizen on the US soil I will say YES I am a French citizen. When asked what citizen I am in another country I will say I am a citizen of the country corresponding to the passport I used to enter this particular country.

There are tax treaties between France and the US and as far as I am concerned, the fact that I'm a dual citizen doesn't change anything. This is not necessarily true for other countries, so check your embassy for tax information.

Mattr.

[mkg265 2]

I'll add my info.

If you are an Albanian citizen, you can not renounce your citizenship. EVER. You can't go to the Albanian embassy in DC and hand over your Albanian passport and say "Well that was fun and all but it's only $20 and a two day wait for a 6 month visa so no thanks!"

You are a citizen forever, your children are citizens (no need to apply for it, they just are!) and even your grandchildren.

It's not too bad, Albanian taxes are about $40 a year and not paying them is common. The only downside is the manditory military service for males 27 and under but it can often be bought away or ignored.

[T and M 1]

France ignores dual citizenship. You can renounce your French citizenship only if you have another proven citizenship (e.g. you cannot be a non-citizen of any country and live in France).

My plan is to use my American passport everytime I go to a country where it is not dangerous/illegal to travel there as an American. For example if I want to go to Cuba, I will use my American passport to fly to the country that has flights to Cuba, then use my French passport to fly to Cuba. When I go to France I will use my American passport.

In any case I will use my American passport when entering the USA, because I am an American citizen, not on a visa or on a green card anymore. When asked which countries I visited I would not say Cuba of course!

When asked if you are an American citizen on the US soil, say YES I am an American citizen. Don't mention dual citizenship. When asked if am I a French citizen on the US soil I will say YES I am a French citizen. When asked what citizen I am in another country I will say I am a citizen of the country corresponding to the passport I used to enter this particular country.

There are tax treaties between France and the US and as far as I am concerned, the fact that I'm a dual citizen doesn't change anything. This is not necessarily true for other countries, so check your embassy for tax information.

Mattr.

Be careful with that Cuba thing. The Cuban government has no restrictions on US citizens traveling to their country, so in theory you could just use your US passport to cross the Cuban border as far as Havana is concerned. Plenty of people do. The restriction on American citizens and permanent residents traveling to Cuba is purely the US government's policy, and Washington can nail you with a $10,000 fine even if you use your French passport to cross the border. The travel ban is enforced by the US Treasury Department and can theoretically be avoided if you don't spend any US dollars on the island. It is a very strange US law, and something that every American citizen is subject to, regardless of whatever other nationality they have.

Many American citizens go to Cuba, so you can probably still go. But the simple fact of the matter is that it is illegal for US citizens and Green Card holders, and the fine is $10,000.

According to the Congressional Research Service:

"The embargo regulations do not ban travel itself, but place restrictions on any financial transactions related to travel to Cuba, which effectively result in a travel ban."

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL31139.pdf

The State Department maintains a very detailed site explaining the potential issues if US citizens or Green Card holders spend money in Cuba.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html

[Stella08 0]

If you lost your native citizenship because you became an American citizen, but you still claim to be a citizen of your native country and you still use your rights as that citizen (e.g. by applying for a passport), you are breaking the law! And you might have to deal with those consequences. Sure, you might be able to fool officials and renew your passport. But are you sure this will work out for the next 40, 50 or 60 years without being discovered? Claiming to be a citizen of a country when you actually are not can have bad consequences. Just look what happens if you claim to be an American citizen when you are not.

But I agree that dual citizenship has its adavantages, especially in the EU where you have rights in a lot of countries. If you have to choose between two citizenships and can only keep/have one, you have to weigh the pros and cons carefully and make your decision.

[T and M 1]

If you lost your native citizenship because you became an American citizen, but you still claim to be a citizen of your native country and you still use your rights as that citizen (e.g. by applying for a passport), you are breaking the law! And you might have to deal with those consequences. Sure, you might be able to fool officials and renew your passport. But are you sure this will work out for the next 40, 50 or 60 years without being discovered? Claiming to be a citizen of a country when you actually are not can have bad consequences. Just look what happens if you claim to be an American citizen when you are not.

But I agree that dual citizenship has its adavantages, especially in the EU where you have rights in a lot of countries. If you have to choose between two citizenships and can only keep/have one, you have to weigh the pros and cons carefully and make your decision.

Good points, Stella, in most cases like Germany and (apparently) South Korea, you may have to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each citizenship and choose. Most countries do not require someone to take this drastic step, however, and even the Bundestag is considering removing this requirement.

According to this article, the number of countries permitting dual citizenship has grown by 75% in the last 10 years, so those of you who have been naturalized in recently might want to double check to see if your native country has changed its law. My wife's native country of Bolivia changed the law in 2002, for example, and the right of Bolivians to take on another nationality without losing their native nationality is now enshrined in the constitution.

-------------------------------

Double Booked

By Elizabeth Dickinson

The number of countries allowing dual citizenship is on the rise.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4676

For some of the nearly 200 million people living outside their birth countries, passport lines might be getting easier to manage. That’s because the number of countries allowing dual citizenship is on the rise, jumping 75 percent over the past 10 years. Today, the number of nations allowing their citizens to hold two passports stands at 56, including Australia, India, the Philippines, and Russia. And that means the number of people pledging allegiance to more than one country is at an all-time high as well. The phenomenon has grown so rapidly that researchers are only now beginning to examine its consequences. “We know a lot about the legal stuff, but the stats don’t exist,” explains Rainer Bauböck, editor of the journal Migration and Citizenship.

Countries most often loosen their restrictions on dual citizenship to reestablish political and economic ties among those who have emigrated, according to Tanja Brondsted Sejersen, author of a recent study in International Migration Review. Italy’s 1992 dual-citizenship law, for example, allows anyone with Italian grandparents to apply for an Italian passport—an attempt to forge business and cultural ties with the millions of ethnic Italians living abroad. “There are tangible financial benefits [to having Italian citizenship] for U.S.-Italian dual citizens,” says James De Santis, executive director of the National Italian American Foundation. “They can own property, attend school, or open a bank account [in Italy].” In 2006, more than 35,000 people became Italian citizens without losing their old passports, about three times the 2003 figure. Countries that depend on remittances, such as El Salvador, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, are also increasingly adopting dual citizenship as a way to keep bonds with expats strong—and the money flowing home.

Other countries, such as Sweden, are changing their passport rules to integrate a growing number of immigrants. When Sweden legalized dual citizenship in 2001, the number of people acquiring Swedish passports increased more than 40 percent during the next five years. This kind of integration has obvious economic benefits for new migrants, such as eligibility for jobs. Francesca Mazzolari of the University of California, Irvine, found that immigrants from Latin America who obtained U.S. citizenship but also retained their passports from home earn 2.5 percent more in the U.S. job market than non-naturalized foreigners. Doubling your passports may also mean increasing your chance of success.

[warlord 72]

I'm not doing anything. I am a dual citizen and now have 2 passports. Will I renew the Canadian Passport? Probably not since it's a 5 year one and it becomes a pain to keep up two passports, plus I don't think I'll ever even use it as I use my US one to enter there anyways.

I do not need to renounce my citizneship either so I'll just keep both...

[46]

I'll add my info.

If you are an Albanian citizen, you can not renounce your citizenship. EVER. You can't go to the Albanian embassy in DC and hand over your Albanian passport and say "Well that was fun and all but it's only $20 and a two day wait for a 6 month visa so no thanks!"

You are a citizen forever, your children are citizens (no need to apply for it, they just are!) and even your grandchildren.

It's not too bad, Albanian taxes are about $40 a year and not paying them is common. The only downside is the manditory military service for males 27 and under but it can often be bought away or ignored.

This appears to be contrary to Albanian Law:

Article 4 of Chapter 1 of Article 16 of Law No.7491, dated 19.04.1991

Any Albanian citizen has the right to renounce the Albanian citizenship provided he has another citizenship, has acquired another citizenship or is guaranteed by the relevant bodies of the foreign country the granting of the citizenship.

The State Department also writes:

Dual Nationality: The Albanian government considers any person in Albania of Albanian parents to be an Albanian citizen. In addition to being subject to all Albanian laws affecting U.S. citizens, dual nationals may be subject to Albanian laws that impose special obligations. Male Albanian citizens are subject to compulsory military service regulations. If such persons are found guilty of draft evasion in Albania, they are subject to prosecution by the Albanian court. Those who might be affected should inquire at an Albanian Embassy or Consulate outside Albania regarding their status before traveling. In some instances, dual nationality may hamper U.S. Government efforts to provide protection abroad.

Put another way, if you are not Albanian, then neither are your children. However, should you not renounce, your children will be unless they renounce.

Albania looks beautiful and is situated on some gorgeous land. As prosperity comes, I expect it will become a very desirable place to live. MAybe you should let your kids decide for themselves. The mandatory military service might be gone by then.

[46]

France ignores dual citizenship. You can renounce your French citizenship only if you have another proven citizenship (e.g. you cannot be a non-citizen of any country and live in France).

By international law, a human cannot be without citizenship. That's why every nation demands proof of citizenship elsewhere to renounce. There are some loopholes for refugees, but they will still be granted rights and travel documents (not passports) by the nation they are in.