Us Dual Citizenship Marriages and More

     Dual Citizenship in the USA

For more information on dual citizenship in England and the US, dual citizenship in Portugal and the US and other options, click on the questions to find the answers you need.

1. Is it possible to be a dual citizen of the United States of America and another country?



2. But I thought US law didn't permit one to be a dual citizen -- that if you were (by birth or otherwise), you either had to give up the other citizenship when you came of age, or else you'd lose your US status. And that if you became a citizen of another country, you'd automatically lose your US citizenship. So what's all this talk about dual citizenship?



3. Don't you lose your US citizenship if you move to another country with the intent of living there for an extended period of time?



4. Doesn't the US Constitution forbid dual citizenship?



5. If dual citizenship is legal now, then why do people who want to become naturalized US citizens still have to take an oath giving up their old citizenship?



6. I've heard that the US has a special agreement with Israel permitting people to be dual US/Israeli citizens. Is this true?



7. If I become a US citizen and renounce my old citizenship as part of the naturalization ceremony, can I still run into problems (such as getting drafted or not being allowed to leave) if I go back to visit my old country?



8. I've heard of people who became US citizens via naturalization but then claim they still have their old citizenship too. How is this possible?



9. If I am a dual US/other citizen, is there any way I can lose my US citizenship?



10. So if I'm a dual US/other citizen, I don't need to worry at all any more about whether something I do or say might come back to haunt me?



11. But it's against the law to have more than one passport, isn't it?



12. I was recently told by a US customs official that the US doesn't "recognize" dual citizenship. What gives?



13. I am engaged to a US citizen. When we get married, will I automatically get dual citizenship?



14. I am a dual US/Canadian citizen by birth. I was once told that if I ever voted in either an American or a Canadian election, I would lose citizenship in the other country. Is this true?



15. I lost my US citizenship some years ago after I became a citizen of another country. I told the people at the US consulate that I intended to remain a dual citizen, but they wouldn't listen. I think I got a raw deal. Is there any way I can get my US citizenship back now?



16. I really did intend to give up my US citizenship when I became a citizen of another country some years ago. Am I in danger of being declared a US citizen once again, against my wishes, because of the State Department's new policy?



17. I was told recently that I am a US citizen. I have lived outside the US all my life and never imagined I had US citizenship. What are my options?



18. Isn't there something inherently unethical about being a dual citizen? I mean, how can you be a loyal American and at the same time owe allegiance to another country? "No man can serve two masters", and all that.



19. How likely is it that the Supreme Court will reverse its earlier decisions and once again ban dual citizenship? Or that the State Department will backtrack on its recent liberalization of the guidelines for dual citizenship and loss of citizenship?



20. How do I give up my U.S. Citizenship?