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A noncommercial collection of information about citizenship, dual citizenship and multiple citizenship |
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- An Australian study estimated that 4-5 million Australians had dual citizenship in 2000, despite Australia's restrictive laws
- An estimated sixty percent of Swiss nationals living abroad in 1998 were dual citizens
- Approximately 89 countries in the world officially allow some form of dual or multiple citizenship
- Although there are no official government figures, but it is clear that millions of Americans are also citizens of other countries
- 1.2 million dual citizens had German citizenship, in spite of very restrictive German laws (1994 estimate)
The numbers are large and increasing. Millions of people in the world are presently citizens of more than one country. The number of multiple citizens is going to increase rapidly as people become ever more mobile, living, marrying and having children in multiple countries over the course of their lives.
Many people do not realize that they already have multiple citizenship. For example, if one of your parents was born in Canada and you are born in the US, then you are automatically both a Canadian citizen and an US citizen.
It brings important personal opportunities and responsibilities. As a citizen of a country, you have the opportunity to live there, go to school, work, get medical care, have children, buy property, and retire. There may be agreements to allow freedom of movement to other countries, as in the EU. There may also be responsibilities connected with citizenship, such as potential military service.
It raises interesting and difficult questions about citizenship itself.
This is a noncommercial collection of information about citizenship, with a focus on dual citizenship and multiple citizenship. It is a resource to help understand when it occurs and what it means.
Clear information is hard to find. Each country has its own laws, rules and interpretations, and the practical effect of those is usually very unclear. Some countries try to keep things simple and understandable. Others don't bother. This is a complicated and interesting area. Please read our Disclaimer carefully so that you understand the limitations of this material.
Note:
is used throughout the site to mark material that is new or of potential interest
How are people born with citizenship? How do they obtain it later?
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