You heard about “dual nationality,” but do you know how it works? When a person has dual nationality or dual citizenship, it means they are a citizen of two countries at the same time. In some situations, a person has dual citizenship automatically without doing anything all. For instance, this happens when a child is born in the United States, but the child’s mother and father are foreigners, with the exception of them being foreign diplomats.
Generally, when a child is born in the U.S. and their mother and father are foreigners, the child automatically becomes a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the parents’ home nation. Likewise, if U.S. citizens have a baby who is born abroad, the baby would be a U.S. citizen and he or she would be a citizen of the foreign country of birth, but the specifics may depend on the country’s laws.
Do All Countries Allow Dual Citizenship?
While people can obtain dual citizenship in the U.S. based on the process explained above, not all countries allow for dual citizenship. In some countries, if someone wants to become a U.S. citizen, the home country cancels the person’s citizenship in their home country. One of the draws of dual citizenship is being able to carry around two passports, but one of the possible drawbacks is double taxation.
“Double taxation is a tax principle referring to income taxes paid twice on the same source of income. It can occur when income is taxed at both the corporate level and personal level. Double taxation also occurs in international trade or investment when the same income is taxed in two different countries. It can happen with 401k loans,” according to Investopedia.
Some of the benefits of dual citizenship:
- Having access to the privileges offered by both countries
- Gaining access to two social service systems
- Being able to vote in both countries
- Being able to work in both countries
- Attending school in both countries at the citizen tuition rate
- Carrying a passport from both countries
- Owning property in both countries
Dual citizenship is complicated and if you are interested in learning more, you should speak directly to an attorney about it. To learn about the pros and cons of dual citizenship, contact The Zendeh Del Law Firm, PLLC today.
