Countries that Allow Dual Citizenship and Those that Disallow It

Acquiring citizenship of a foreign country and a second passport is an important step towards becoming a ‘citizen of the world’. Besides, it would help you internationalize your assets and diversify risks geographically. Foreign citizenship would increase your freedom and let you exercise fuller control over your life.

At the same time, a second passport can lose its value if you have to give up your home country’s citizenship in order to obtain it. It would be simply exchanging one passport to another. Sometimes it could be a good idea though. For example, giving up your U.S. passport would make you free from fiscal obligations in the country (the U.S.A. taxes its citizens no matter where they earn incomes). However, most people would want to preserve their home country’s passport when obtaining a foreign one.

Luckily, a growing number of countries allow dual citizenship. In some other cases, the regulations concerning dual citizenship are becoming tougher. Besides, dual citizenship is prohibited in some countries. Below we provide full lists of countries that allow and disallow dual citizenship.

What is dual citizenship?

Having dual citizenship means holding passports of two countries that have made an agreement on dual citizenship. The agreement guaranties the rights of the dual citizenship holder in both countries. How is it monitored? The two countries exchange information about dual passport holders and the exchange is often automatic.

It is important to realize the difference between dual citizenship and second citizenship. In the second case, the person holds passports of two countries that have not signed an agreement on dual citizenship. Therefore, each country considers the person its citizen. As a result, the person may have to join the army in both countries, for example.

Rights and obligations of dual citizenship holders

What are the advantages of having dual citizenship? What obligations arise if you have passports of two countries at a time? Let’s discuss these questions.

Rights of a dual citizenship holder:

• Easy entry to the country of second citizenship and the right to stay there for as long as desired;
• The right to run for a public office in both countries (there are exception, however);
• Access to better educational and medical services;
• Access to banking services and investment opportunities outside the country of origin; 
• Increased freedom of travel;
• More tax reduction opportunities;
• Better personal protection in foreign countries (more opportunities for political asylum, an enlarged network of consulates, an opportunity to ‘mask’ the home country’s passport if necessary, etc.).

Obligations of a dual citizenship holder:

• To inform the authorities of the country of origin about acquiring a second passport (not in all cases); 
• To perform military services;
• To pay taxes (the fiscal burden is minimized if the two countries have signed a treaty on double taxation avoidance);
• To take part in national elections and referendums (in some countries).

Lists of countries allowing and disallowing dual citizenship

What countries allow their citizens to obtain foreign passports and what countries prohibit this?

Let us give you three examples of the countries where dual citizenship is allowed:

• United Kingdom. Citizens of the UK are allowed to obtain passports of foreign countries. They don’t have to renounce their British citizenship when becoming citizens of foreign countries. In the same way, a foreigner who obtains citizenship of the UK does not have to give up his/ her original citizenship.
• Australia. Dual citizenship is allowed on the ‘green continent’. However, dual passport holders cannot take public office in some cases.
• Canada. Canada welcomes immigrants and makes it easy for them to obtain citizenship of the country by naturalization. Naturalized Canadians don’t have to renounce citizenship of their home countries.

Full list of countries where dual citizenship is allowed

* Only by descent (by the ‘right of blood’)

Countries that disallow dual citizenship

We have to note that the national regulations may change over time. For example, Germany has lifted the ban on dual citizenship this year while it had been in place for years. The authorities of the country have even simplified the naturalization procedure. For this reason, you should use the latest information if you would like to find out if a certain country allows dual citizenship or not. Consulting an experienced immigration lawyer would be an even better idea. 

Methods of acquiring dual citizenship

Let us consider available immigration options (legal grounds on which you can acquire citizenship of a foreign country) and provide a couple of examples. We are not going into much detail here because there is a separate section on second citizenship acquisition at our portal.

Ways of obtaining a second passport

• By descent. Some countries will grant citizenship to children, grandchildren, and sometimes even great grandchildren of their citizens. Proving your ancestry might be problematic.
• By birth. Some countries apply the ‘right of soil’: they will grant citizenship to any child born on their territory. A second passport could be a birthday present for your child if you give birth to it in a foreign country such as the U.S.A., for example.
• By naturalization. Most countries will make you a naturalized citizen if you live on their territories for a long time (2 to 20 years depending on the country). You have to live there on legal grounds – obtain a temporary residence permit and them a permanent one. In addition, you have to pass a language test and a history/ culture test to qualify for citizenship. Some countries allow accelerating the naturalization process. The so-called ‘golden visa’ programs allow investors to become citizens of foreign countries in a relatively fast way.
• By marriage. Most countries will grant citizenship to foreign spouses of their citizens. Normally, however, citizenship is not granted instantly: a few years have to pass. There is an exception from this rule: marry a citizen of Cabo Verde and obtain a passport of the country in an instant.
• By investment. This is the fastest way to foreign citizenship. Five countries in the Caribbean, Malta, Turkey, Vanuatu, and a few other countries offer citizenship-by-investment opportunities.
• By joining the army. If you join the armed forces in a foreign country, you can become a naturalized citizen in an accelerated way. You have to be cautious, however, if you choose this path for foreign citizenship. Some countries will strip you of citizenship if you cooperate with the military in a hostile country.
• By providing exceptional services or demonstrating great talent. This option is not for everybody. You have to come out the winner in Olympic Games, sing like an angel, or discover a cure for cancer to make this opportunity available to you. National Governments offer citizenship of their countries to outstanding individuals as a sign of recognition of their contributions and/ or talents.  

Examples of countries where you can obtain second citizenship in a fast and simple manner  

• The least expensive and the fastest way of acquiring foreign citizenship by investment is applying for citizenship of Vanuatu, an island country in the South Pacific. The price is US$ 145,000 and the application processing time is 3 months or less. Applications can be filed remotely.
• You can become a naturalized citizen of a foreign country in a relatively fast and a very easy way if you apply for a Portugal Golden Visa. This is a residence program for foreign investors. You have to spend only 7 days per year in Portugal for 5 years in a row to qualify for citizenship of the country. If you were to become a naturalized citizen of Portugal without making an investment, you would have to spend the best part of the year in the country for five years to qualify for citizenship.
• Uruguay offers an interesting opportunity to those who do not mind getting married. The standard naturalization period is 5 years in Uruguay. If you live in the country as a married couple, however, the naturalization period is lessened to 3 years. You don’t have to marry an Uruguayan: both spouses can be foreign nationals. How can you legalize yourself in Uruguay? By making a modest investment into business.

Conclusion and practical advice

How to choose the country of second citizenship? What immigration route is the most attractive one? There can be no universal answers to these questions and each case has to be treated individually.  

You should probably start with finding out if dual citizenship is allowed in your home country.  Then you can compile a list of goals that you seek to achieve through obtaining second citizenship and define the priorities. After that, you can make up a list of countries where your most important goals could be achievable.

The next step is finding out what immigration routes are available in the country or countries of your choice. You have to dig deep into various legal and procedural aspects. Without doubt, you would benefit greatly from a consultation with a professional who is knowledgeable about the legal and practical sides of dual citizenship acquisition.