Dual Citizenship

If you were naturalized in the US, you may have obtained dual nationality, which means you have become a citizen of two countries simultaneously, sharing the rights and responsibilities of the citizens in each country. However, not every country allows dual citizenship, and the rules vary among those that do. About 1/3 of all countries allow it , but others have some form of restrictions.

Some countries, such as Austria, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Venezuela, India, and some others, will not recognize your status as a naturalized American on their soil. You may even automatically lose your citizenship in those countries upon becoming a US citizen. It is therefore imperative to understand the dual citizenship rules in your country of birth prior to obtaining US citizenship.

United States Allows Dual Citizenship

The US government does not require naturalized US citizens to relinquish citizenship in their country of origin. Although the Oath of Allegiance to the United States speaks of renouncing “allegiance and fidelity” to other nations, US immigration law does not explicitly address the topic of dual citizenship. The best summarization of the US government’s position on dual citizenship lies in a US Supreme Court opinion, which explains that “a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both.”

This means that in practice USA allows dual citizenship.

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