Dual citizenship

[spartan 2]

Hi, I just mailed my N-400 on April 30, 2013. If I want to have a dual citizenship, do I need to have two passports (US and Philippines) if I will visit Philippines? Is there any advantages of having dual citizenship aside from buying property from place where I was born?

Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thank you:)

[env88 3]

From the perspective of the US, as long as you exit and enter the country on a U.S. passport, they don't care what you decide to do or not do citizenshipwise with any other country.

[spartan 2]

From the perspective of the US, as long as you exit and enter the country on a U.S. passport, they don't care what you decide to do or not do citizenshipwise with any other country.

Thanks for the reply. I am aware about that. I wanna know if there's any advantages having a Filipino citizenship aside from purchasing properties in my homeland. Because if there's none, then I will just stick with one citizenship which is US.

[NickD 203]

Ha, to keep the DOS happy, better call it dual naturalization, even though it is dual citizenship. Wife doesn't want it, but is required to, to visit her family in her home country. That's because the DOS puts in her home country as her place of birth.

But only does work with your home country, even a natural born US citizen can't apply for citizenship in a different country without jeoparizing his US citizenship. For most countries, considered a citizen for life if you were born there, remember I said most, always exceptions. DOS deals differently with over 200 different countries and each is dffferent.

With some countries, can't even own property unless you are a citizen of that country, have to check your countries law in this respect. And those laws change frequently, prior to Reagan, was against the law for any foreign country to won corporations here in partcular anything to do with communications, NBC is now owned by a French company, Fox is definitely foreign owned, and Sony owns huge portion of our entertainment industry.

APA was encouraging foreigners to invest in this country, but kept my wife from opening a 200 buck savings account when she first came here, go figure.

[newacct 688]

But only does work with your home country, even a natural born US citizen can't apply for citizenship in a different country without jeoparizing his US citizenship. For most countries, considered a citizen for life if you were born there, remember I said most, always exceptions. DOS deals differently with over 200 different countries and each is dffferent.

It's hard to understand what you're saying. Getting a citizenship in ANY country does not jeopardizing your U.S. citizenship unless you actively renounce your U.S. citizenship. (There are a few countries which require you to renounce your existing citizenships as a condition of naturalizing.)

[NickD 203]

It's hard to understand what you're saying. Getting a citizenship in ANY country does not jeopardizing your U.S. citizenship unless you actively renounce your U.S. citizenship. (There are a few countries which require you to renounce your existing citizenships as a condition of naturalizing.)

I don't make the laws, just have to follow them.

"A U.S. citizen may acquire foreign citizenship by marriage, or a person naturalized as a U.S. citizen may not lose the citizenship of the country of birth.U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one citizenship or another. Also, a person who is automatically granted another citizenship does not risk losing U.S. citizenship. However, a person who acquires a foreign citizenship by applying for it may lose U.S. citizenship. In order to lose U.S. citizenship, the law requires that the person must apply for the foreign citizenship voluntarily, by free choice, and with the intention to give up U.S. citizenship."

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

[VanessaTony 3,567]

I don't make the laws, just have to follow them.

"A U.S. citizen may acquire foreign citizenship by marriage, or a person naturalized as a U.S. citizen may not lose the citizenship of the country of birth.U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one citizenship or another. Also, a person who is automatically granted another citizenship does not risk losing U.S. citizenship. However, a person who acquires a foreign citizenship by applying for it may lose U.S. citizenship. In order to lose U.S. citizenship, the law requires that the person must apply for the foreign citizenship voluntarily, by free choice, and with the intention to give up U.S. citizenship."

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

You misunderstand. The important part of the above is "with the intention to give up U.S. Citizenship". In order to give it up you need to sign it away. You can't just get another citizenship and think that's it. It's not.

As was stated, getting another citizenship does NOT automatically revoke your US citizenship, you need to actually sign it away.

Here is the renunciation process: http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_776.html

[Tahoma 2,298]

You can read about the advantages of being a dual citizen on the Philippines Consulate's website.

[E&K 0]

I hope you don't mind me asking, but when you travel to your birth country and have dual citizenship, what passport should you use to book the plane tickets? I think in my birth country (Mexico) you are required to enter with their passport, so how would that work with the US requirements?

[Tahoma 2,298]

I hope you don't mind me asking, but when you travel to your birth country and have dual citizenship, what passport should you use to book the plane tickets? I think in my birth country (Mexico) you are required to enter with their passport, so how would that work with the US requirements?

In my opinion, you should travel using your U.S. passport. However, if you see any advantage in doing so, you can present both passports to the Mexican customs agent when you enter Mexico and when you leave Mexiico.

There is an advantage in using both passports for a dual Filipino/U.S. citizen. They can remain in the Philippines for as long as they want without having to pay any visa fees.

[NickD 203]

In the same boat, but not buy choice. You are in the USA and coming back. Tickets are purchased and your US passport is scanned, before you can leave.

Airports are internation or more like a prison, wife and I landed at one that was a cross over of an entire group of people whose flight was delayed for over three days. They neither had visa's nor passports to leave that airport, no showers, no beds, and only way overpriced foods to buy, really felt sorry for them.

That is when my wife needed her home countries passport just to walk out the door, and then again to get back into that door. After that, it was her US passport.

I use to travel a lot, with delays, airline would load us on a bus to a hotel and feed us at their expense, and tickets were very reasonable. Tickets today are totally outrageous, and if you are hungry on a long flight, want your credit card for a bag with three peanuts in it.

Worse part of any trip is coming back when they make you walk long distances carrying all of your luggage to be inspected with unbeliveably long lines.

[spartan 2]

In my opinion, you should travel using your U.S. passport. However, if you see any advantage in doing so, you can present both passports to the Mexican customs agent when you enter Mexico and when you leave Mexiico.

There is an advantage in using both passports for a dual Filipino/U.S. citizen. They can remain in the Philippines for as long as they want without having to pay any visa fees.

Is there any other advantages of having Filipino/U.S. citizen? I'm debating if I want to get my Filipino citizenship back once I'll get my US citizenship. And if I will have a dual citizenship, do I need to have two passports if I will travel to Philippines?

Edited May 5, 2013 by spartan

[newacct 688]

I hope you don't mind me asking, but when you travel to your birth country and have dual citizenship, what passport should you use to book the plane tickets? I think in my birth country (Mexico) you are required to enter with their passport, so how would that work with the US requirements?

So you enter and leave the U.S. on your U.S. passport and enter and leave Mexico on your Mexican passport.

[NickD 203]

So you enter and leave the U.S. on your U.S. passport and enter and leave Mexico on your Mexican passport.

I don't even know how to answer this question. but my wife was given a hard time leaving her country yesterday. She didn't want to show her home country passport, because they asked here where she was going and to the US she replied. In her foreign passport, she is required to have a visa to come to the USA, of course she can't get that as she is already a citizen of the USA. So to get through the gate, she showed both her home country passport and her US passport. But then they know she is a dual citizen.

She got around that by showing her countries ID card and a form of US identification, and that here is your driver's license.

And they they think since you do have multiple passports, you are some kind of spy.

But they could have easily have rejected her, even more complications by having that place of birth on your US passport.

Before all this, she did have a US visa in her old passport with no problems getting out, but when coming back to here, just whipped out her green card. And had only one passport to maintain.

Just seems to me, should get rid of that place of birth in the US passport, either you are a US citizen all the way or not.

[NickD 203]

Further on this subject of leaving here, when we arrived at the St. Paul airport, at the American Airlines, we were the only ones there at the time. With four people standing behind the counter watching us, told us we have to use that new automatic check in. First thing we had to do was to swipe the same credit card we used to buy the tickets. Then got a message, this is an international flight so you must swipe your passport. If you skip any of these two steps, it stops, you will never get your plane ticket.

So I was wondering if as a natural born US citizen if I had a flight to say Brazil where a visa for that country is required, would I have to swipe that too? I would think so as that is a requirement to for a US citizen to travel to Brazil, need that visa first. So In my wife's case trying to leave her home country, no computer there, but was asked where she was going, in her home country, is required to have a US visa to come here.

So do feel their questions to her were valid in showing additional proof, her US passport in this case was justified. This did lead into other question about her employment, her marriage to me, and so forth. But with just a US passport and no place of birth in it, these questions would never have to be asked. She did say, to leave her home country, took an extra ten minutes to explain all this. With a very llong line behind her.

Wonder if the DOS thought about all this stuff. Wonder if the DOS is even capabile of thinking?