Restrictions on Dual Citizenship

The idea of dual citizenship involves having citizenships within two different countries.  In many countries, dual citizenship is illegal.  However in the United States there are no restrictions in place governing the notion of dual citizenship.

Restrictions on Dual Citizenship

Citizenship is usually determined by birth or by heritage.  The United States recognizes anyone who is born in the U.S. as a citizen, whereas other countries determine citizenship by heritage.  So in essence, in a country like Japan, citizenship would be determined by who you were born to – meaning that if both parents are Japanese, you are Japanese.  Additionally, some countries allow for naturalization for those individuals who have resided in the country for a certain period of time.

Having dual citizenship requires that an individual oblige the rights and responsibilities in which citizens of two separate countries must follow.  Regardless of how long the individual stays (or lives) in their countries of citizenship, he or she must comply with the cultural, political, and socio-economical rules of each country.

A United States passport neither encourages nor discourages dual citizenship.  However many other countries have a low tolerance for dual citizenship.  Looking again at the country of Japan, a Japanese national (which in this case refers to a child born in Japan to mixed- cultural parents) would be forced to select sole citizenship of one of the countries in which his parents were citizens.  For example, if there was an American parent and a Japanese parent who lived as a family in Japan, by the time their offspring turned twenty, he or she would be forced to choose their country of citizenship as either America or Japan.

This would become exceedingly tricky for a United States citizen, for if they wished to become a Japanese citizen (from being a foreign national) they would be forced to renounce their U.S. citizenship, whereas if the same situation occurred in the United States, the United States would not force either the U.S. citizen or his or her foreign national spouse to renounce citizenship within the other country in which they lived.

Getting Help

In situations such as these, it is almost always best to speak with an immigration attorney.  Because of the absence of United States federal law or ordinances governing the dual citizenship topic, an immigration attorney would be able to provide a solid strategy for how to better deal with any restrictions within the country that you may be naturalized in regarding citizenship.  It may also be a good idea to make an appointment with an immigration officer or a representative from the foreign embassy that represents the country that you are seeking citizenship from.