Dual citizenship is when someone is a legal citizen of two countries, with advantages and disadvantages. It can be obtained through birth or naturalization, but may require fulfilling obligations such as paying taxes or military service. Some countries do not recognize dual citizenship and may require renunciation. Dual citizens cannot be protected by one government while under the jurisdiction of another.
A dual citizen is someone who is a legal citizen of two countries. It is also possible for someone to hold multiple citizenship, meaning that he or she is a citizen of three or more countries, although this is relatively rare. There are both advantages and disadvantages of dual citizenship, as one might imagine.
In some cases, someone becomes a dual citizen without having much choice in the matter. For example, a person born in Canada to parents with US citizenship will become a dual citizen, because the US offers citizenship to people under jus sanguinis, the “right of blood”, and Canada offers citizenship on the basis of ius solis the “law of the soil”. Dual citizenship gives someone full citizenship rights in both countries, but also comes with responsibilities.
For example, in some cases, a dual citizen may be required to pay taxes in both countries. Dual citizens also owe their allegiance to both countries to which they belong and may have to fulfill obligations such as military service. In the event that war breaks out between both nations, a dual citizen could find himself in an awkward position; in that situation, a dual citizen is commonly expected to renounce citizenship in one of the nations.
It is also possible to obtain dual citizenship through naturalization. For example, a Canadian citizen could move to Germany and undergo the German naturalization process. At the end of the process, he would become a dual citizen. In nations that do not recognize dual citizenship, naturalized citizens will be asked to renounce their citizenship in their home nations before being admitted as full citizens. Citizens of a country that does not recognize dual citizenship should be aware that, through naturalization in another country, they will lose their citizenship in their country of origin.
Several countries, including the United States, frown on dual citizenship, but they do recognize it, and US government agents cannot force foreign nationals to renounce their dual citizenship, contrary to popular belief. Other nations recognize that it is possible to be a dual citizen, but treat dual citizens solely as citizens. This means that dual nationals cannot be protected by one government when under the jurisdiction of another; for example, the Canadian-German citizen mentioned above could not appeal to the Canadian embassy for help while in Germany.
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