Community Chat

[sunshine45]

@151949

you are mistaken......yes, i have two passports, just as my father did.......just as many from my fathers country do. it is not illegal.

i can also vote in the national elections of that country. all i have to do is file the papers at the embassy of that country, as many do when they are voting.

[151949]

Just getting away with something does not make it legal.

[sunshine45]

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@151949 wrote:

Just getting away with something does not make it legal.

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it isnt "getting away with something" and it is NOT illegal. i am sure that there are OTHER dual nationals on these boards that have two passports.....it isnt unusual.

However, dual nationals owe allegiance to both the United States and the foreign country. They are required to obey the laws of both countries. Either country has the right to enforce its laws, particularly if the person later travels there. Most U.S. nationals, including dual nationals, must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States. Dual nationals may also be required by the foreign country to use its passport to enter and leave that country. Use of the foreign passport does not endanger U.S. nationality.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal-considerations/us-citizenship-laws-policies/citizen...

[Blahblahvampemer]

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@151949 wrote:

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@songbird wrote:

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@jaxs mom wrote:

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@Isobel Archer wrote:

Well after googling - which seems to be at least one way to find out - it seems that while the US does not favor dual citizenship, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is allowed.  This is true either for an immigrant from another country retaining original citizenship and a person born here who decides to also swear allegience to another country.

So if the mother's other country allows the child to be a citizen, then I guess it would have dual citizenship (if born here).

It is also true apparently that the State Department may not be able to help those with dual citizenship if they run into trouble in their other country.  Also, people with dual citizenship may be denied security clearances etc., if the dual citizenship is with countries we consider enemies as one of the requirements of citizenship anywhere is to claim allegience to that country and conflicting allegiences can send us back to the situation with the Japanese Americans (and I don't know how may -if any - had dual citizenship, but for those who did, internment doesn't seem like the evil it would other wise have beeen  if they had renounced that citizenship - and this could come up again with dual citizens say of Iran or other state sponsors of terror against the US.)

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Of course it's allowed. My husband is US born and has dual citizenship. In fact he also could have citizenship with 2 other countries in addition if he applied for it. 

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You are correct.  While I have duel citizenship, it's on my Italian side.  Since Italy is very clear about duel citizenship.  I became a U.S.citizen while under the age of 16 when my parent did.  I have not used my Italian passport and never updated it.  I use my American one while visiting Italy.  My Italian born brother has security.   clearance where he works. He is a U.S. citizen. after all.   Emotionally I have ties to Italy though I have them to the U.S. too.  I'm very Americanized.  But become very Italian when I set foot on Italian soil.!

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It is illegal to have two passports even if you have "duel citizenship" You MUST chose one to be your legal residence. The USA does not legally recognize duel citizenship but also does not do anything about it if someone has it , but you can't under any country's law have passports from more than one country, and you can't vote in more than one country. Those things are breaking the law and you could go to prison.

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Wrong.  A friend of mine was born here to an American mother and Swiss father.  He travels on both passports, and when he married, his wife could immediately apply for her own Swiss passport.  

[hckynut]

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@Perkup wrote:

Next door neighbor has a question - would take hours of wait time to get thru to Feds.

She has a great nephew who is having a baby with a young woman who has dual citizenship. They are not yet married, but plan to be after the baby comes.  Her qestion - will the baby have dual citizenship also.  I honestly don't even know where to look for this information. (Note:  She is handicapped and cannot look for info herself.)

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@Perkup

I have spent hours on end, for many less important issues(obviously important to me) than my citizenship. I could type a list longer than my arm of the hours of telephonic wait times, and many in offices to talk with local politicians, and the Plant Manager of my former employer, AT&T.

I have/I did, and I would.

hckynut(john)

[proudlyfromNJ]

It is not illegal to have two passports. You have one from each country. My sister and nephew have US passports and Australian. In each country you use that passport.

[Moonchilde]

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@151949 wrote:

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@songbird wrote:

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@jaxs mom wrote:

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@Isobel Archer wrote:

Well after googling - which seems to be at least one way to find out - it seems that while the US does not favor dual citizenship, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is allowed.  This is true either for an immigrant from another country retaining original citizenship and a person born here who decides to also swear allegience to another country.

So if the mother's other country allows the child to be a citizen, then I guess it would have dual citizenship (if born here).

It is also true apparently that the State Department may not be able to help those with dual citizenship if they run into trouble in their other country.  Also, people with dual citizenship may be denied security clearances etc., if the dual citizenship is with countries we consider enemies as one of the requirements of citizenship anywhere is to claim allegience to that country and conflicting allegiences can send us back to the situation with the Japanese Americans (and I don't know how may -if any - had dual citizenship, but for those who did, internment doesn't seem like the evil it would other wise have beeen  if they had renounced that citizenship - and this could come up again with dual citizens say of Iran or other state sponsors of terror against the US.)

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Of course it's allowed. My husband is US born and has dual citizenship. In fact he also could have citizenship with 2 other countries in addition if he applied for it. 

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You are correct.  While I have duel citizenship, it's on my Italian side.  Since Italy is very clear about duel citizenship.  I became a U.S.citizen while under the age of 16 when my parent did.  I have not used my Italian passport and never updated it.  I use my American one while visiting Italy.  My Italian born brother has security.   clearance where he works. He is a U.S. citizen. after all.   Emotionally I have ties to Italy though I have them to the U.S. too.  I'm very Americanized.  But become very Italian when I set foot on Italian soil.!

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It is illegal to have two passports even if you have "duel citizenship" You MUST chose one to be your legal residence. The USA does not legally recognize duel citizenship but also does not do anything about it if someone has it , but you can't under any country's law have passports from more than one country, and you can't vote in more than one country. Those things are breaking the law and you could go to prison.

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Oh so wrong. And a 2-minute google would have popped all of the below up immediately. As for the wild claims of "under any country's law" - seriously, you've read up on every country's law regarding citizenship? I'm thinkin' not. And the State Dept acknowledges that other countries' citizenship laws are their business and nothing to do with US laws. They're not into tying anyone's hands for no good reason.

Start here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal-considerations/us-citizenship-laws-policies/citizen...

Per the State Dept as above it is in no way illegal in the US to have two passports and they clearly acknowledge that many people do. They do need you to enter and leave the US with your US passport - but even then they say MOST citizens are required, not every.

Voting? This from an immigration law website:

"Recognition of Dual Citizenship in the U.S.

"The United States does not formally recognize dual citizenship. However, it also has 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 U.S. authorities whether another country also claims you as a citizen."

[proudlyfromNJ]

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@151949 wrote:

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@songbird wrote:

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@jaxs mom wrote:

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@Isobel Archer wrote:

Well after googling - which seems to be at least one way to find out - it seems that while the US does not favor dual citizenship, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is allowed.  This is true either for an immigrant from another country retaining original citizenship and a person born here who decides to also swear allegience to another country.

So if the mother's other country allows the child to be a citizen, then I guess it would have dual citizenship (if born here).

It is also true apparently that the State Department may not be able to help those with dual citizenship if they run into trouble in their other country.  Also, people with dual citizenship may be denied security clearances etc., if the dual citizenship is with countries we consider enemies as one of the requirements of citizenship anywhere is to claim allegience to that country and conflicting allegiences can send us back to the situation with the Japanese Americans (and I don't know how may -if any - had dual citizenship, but for those who did, internment doesn't seem like the evil it would other wise have beeen  if they had renounced that citizenship - and this could come up again with dual citizens say of Iran or other state sponsors of terror against the US.)

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Of course it's allowed. My husband is US born and has dual citizenship. In fact he also could have citizenship with 2 other countries in addition if he applied for it. 

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You are correct.  While I have duel citizenship, it's on my Italian side.  Since Italy is very clear about duel citizenship.  I became a U.S.citizen while under the age of 16 when my parent did.  I have not used my Italian passport and never updated it.  I use my American one while visiting Italy.  My Italian born brother has security.   clearance where he works. He is a U.S. citizen. after all.   Emotionally I have ties to Italy though I have them to the U.S. too.  I'm very Americanized.  But become very Italian when I set foot on Italian soil.!

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It is illegal to have two passports even if you have "duel citizenship" You MUST chose one to be your legal residence. The USA does not legally recognize duel citizenship but also does not do anything about it if someone has it , but you can't under any country's law have passports from more than one country, and you can't vote in more than one country. Those things are breaking the law and you could go to prison.

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Go to prison? You need to use the passport of the country you are entering and leaving. My sister has to use her American passport to enter and leave the US. 

[VanSleepy]

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@151949 wrote:

Just getting away with something does not make it legal.

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Instead of accusing Sunshine of doing something illegal, you could have double checked your (incorrect) information.

[Tootie15]

@Perkup... for the amount of time spent on here and the many variations of responses, you could have called the Feds and gotten the right answer from them ..... good luck!