multiple citizenships in the US?

[acoban 0]

Hi all,

My wife currently has citizenship in Turkey and Switzerland. Does she need to remove one if she wants to become a naturalized US citizen when she becomes eligible?

Thanks,

Andrew

[Penguin_ie 5,997]

Not because of the US citizenship (I have triple- Swiss, Irish and American).

Check with Turkey if they allow it.

[nwctzn 55]

Hi all,

My wife currently has citizenship in Turkey and Switzerland. Does she need to remove one if she wants to become a naturalized US citizen when she becomes eligible?

Thanks,

Andrew

Nope, there is no limitation on that. You can be a triple, quadruple, ... n-tuple citizen.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Yeah . . . the triplet Turkey--Switzerland--USA will work.

[tdegrenier 1]

Not because of the US citizenship (I have triple- Swiss, Irish and American).

Check with Turkey if they allow it.

I looked into getting Irish Citizenship, but my grandmother was born here! Her parents immigrated before she was born, darnit!

One generation too many.

[acoban 0]

Thanks all!

[NickD 203]

With the USCIS, an agency, you renounce all of your former countries. But then you move on to a different government agency, the DOS to get your US passport you need to enter or leave the USA. But they tell you, depending on your country, you may still have to maintain a passport for that country. Its all in their website, but they call this dual or triple naturalization. But actually you still have to maintain your citizenship in those countries, that is the only way they will give you their passport. And of course, maintaining that citizenship requires you to maintain a degree of allegiance to those countries you already renounced at your USCIS oath ceremony.

Your country knows you were a citizen of that country, that is because our DOS puts your place of birth on your US passport.

Confusing!

[nwctzn 55]

Your country knows you were a citizen of that country, that is because our DOS puts your place of birth on your US passport.

No they don't. In my case I was born in Germany but I am not and never was a German citizen. So my birth place does not reveal my country prior to naturalization.

Edited November 9, 2011 by nwctzn

[NickD 203]

No they don't. In my case I was born in Germany but I am not and never was a German citizen. So my birth place does not reveal my country prior to naturalization.

Interesting, how did you manage to do that? Talking about a US passport, right?

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

With the USCIS, an agency, you renounce all of your former countries.

No, Nick, you renounce your allegiance, your loyalty to your existing (not former) country or countries and their government(s). So while the U.S. does not require naturalized citizens to renounce their citizenship, it requires from them to put the U.S. above all, which makes sense, as no natural-born citizen has to take an Oath to his or her birth country or country of citizenship, only to the country that makes him "like a natural-born" citizen, which is what naturalization literally means.

So in the hypothetical case where country A and the U.S. have a serious conflict, the naturalized citizen owns loyalty to the U.S. Siding with country A would be treason and a violation of the Oath and thus grounds for revocation.

Interesting, how did you manage to do that? Talking about a US passport, right?

The U.S. passport will always reveal the place of birth, either the state or the country, which is why your wife is so screwed and has to maintain her Colombian passport. But in some countries this is optional. So if the O.P. was born in Germany but has naturalized in Canada, then there might be no clue about his or her place of birth in their Canadian passport.

[nwctzn 55]

Interesting, how did you manage to do that? Talking about a US passport, right?

Of course Germany shows up as my birth place in my US passport. However, when I travel to Germany, the German officer who is checking my passport cannot deduce that I am or was a German citizen since I am not and never was a German citizen. It's complicated

[NickD 203]

Of course Germany shows up as my birth place in my US passport. However, when I travel to Germany, the German officer who is checking my passport cannot deduce that I am or was a German citizen since I am not and never was a German citizen. It's complicated

Does Germany demand you maintain your German citizenship and a German passport to enter or leave Germany like so many other countries do? If not, you don't have a problem. Like my wife and stepdaughter, can go practically anywhere with just their US passports except their home country. And that is only because their place of birth is shown on their US passports.

Been around in circles on this issue with the DOS, they can't even quote a law where place of birth is a requirement, just say, part of the identification process. Don't live there, don't vote there, don't pay taxes there, just want to visit family for a week or so, but yet required to maintain their overpriced passports. And if they want identification, can contact the USCIS, IRS, SS, FBI, CIA... as they have all kinds of records for their identification. But a worthless statement to make to them. Even mentioned this is a contradiction to the USCIS oath, didn't make any difference either.

[nwctzn 55]

Does Germany demand you maintain your German citizenship and a German passport to enter or leave Germany like so many other countries do?

No, there is no such requirement by Germany. However, if you want to keep the German citizenship after US naturalization, you have to file for a Beibehaltungs Genehmigung (BBG) with German authorities, otherwise you lose your German citizenship.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Of course Germany shows up as my birth place in my US passport. However, when I travel to Germany, the German officer who is checking my passport cannot deduce that I am or was a German citizen since I am not and never was a German citizen. It's complicated

Not quite.

As a German citizen you would need to enter Germany with your German passport. Not doing so is punished by a fine of 1,000 Euros, so, trust me, he would check that if he had any reason to believe that you were or are still a German citizen.

[nwctzn 55]

Not quite.

As a German citizen you would need to enter Germany with your German passport. Not doing so is punished by a fine of 1,000 Euros, so, trust me, he would check that if he had any reason to believe that you were or are still a German citizen.

Oops, good to know. I never have been a German citizen and I am not a German citizen right now. I was born to foreign parents prior to the new German immigration laws and hence, I just inherited my parents' nationality and never was eligible for German citizenship. That means when I travel to Germany there is a likelihood that they see my birth place and do a second check then. Thanks for the info.