Dual citizenship means that a person is a citizen of two countries at the same time, having legal rights and obligations in connection with both countries. While dual citizenship gives certain advantages, such as easy residency in multiple countries and access to government programs, dual citizenship can also make life more complicated. The dual citizen may have tax obligations in more than one nation, or may need to fulfill residency requirements between two homelands. Following is a discussion of dual citizenship and related legal issues.

Acquiring Dual Citizenship

A person in the United States may acquire dual citizenship in one of several ways, including:

• Being born in the United States to immigrant parents.

• Being born outside the United States to one parent who is a U.S. citizen, and another parent who is a citizen of another country.

• Becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen while maintaining citizenship in another country.

• Regaining citizenship in a country of origin after having become a naturalized U.S. citizen.

If you hold multiple passports, it is important to keep those documents current and to use them appropriately in each country. You should also keep yourself apprised of citizenship requirements, such as tax obligations. If you do not fulfill your duties as a citizen to each country, you may be legally liable for those omissions.

Recognition of Dual Citizenship in the U.S.

The United States does not formally recognize dual citizenship. However, it also does not taken any stand against it, either legally or politically. Typically, no American will forfeit his or her citizenship by undertaking the responsibilities of citizenship in another country. This is true even if the responsibilities include traveling with a foreign passport, voting in another country's election, or running for and/or serving in public office of another country. In most cases, it is unimportant to the United States whether another country also claims you as a citizen.