Dual Philippines citizenship and other questions

[jg121783 3,920]

My wife just took her oath ceremony last week for US citizenship and now we are looking to the next step which is getting her dual Philippines citizenship. It is my understanding that she would go to the consulate and would submit the required paperwork and possibly have an interview (what would this consist of). Then she could apply for a new Philippines passport and have dual citizenship. Am I missing anything here? To complicate things a bit my 17 year old step son is also now a citizen. But we have to file his N600 to get his certificate. Are we better off doing both of their dual citizenships at the same time and waiting for my step sons naturalization certificate or should we just get my wife's done right away and do his when he gets his certificate? There is a possibility we will be traveling to the Philippines before he receives his naturalization certificate and would be staying longer than 30 days so im wondering if this would affect balikbayan visas in any way.

 

On to our next issue. Report of birth to the Philippines consulate for our 11 month old and 7 year old born here in the US. Looking on the Philippines consulate website it says children reported over a year after birth require a notarized explanation for the delay. My wife and I simply didn't know about this requirement when our 7 year old son was born and our daughter is right on the borderline at 11 months. What explanation should we give for the delay in registering our son? What benefits does this process give our children?

Edited 17 hours ago by jg121783

[top_secret 2,462]

1 hour ago, jg121783 said:

My wife just took her oath ceremony last week for US citizenship and now we are looking to the next step which is getting her dual Philippines citizenship. It is my understanding that she would go to the consulate and would submit the required paperwork and possibly have an interview (what would this consist of). Then she could apply for a new Philippines passport and have dual citizenship. Am I missing anything here? To complicate things a bit my 17 year old step son is also now a citizen. But we have to file his N600 to get his certificate. Are we better off doing both of their dual citizenships at the same time and waiting for my step sons naturalization certificate or should we just get my wife's done right away and do his when he gets his certificate? There is a possibility we will be traveling to the Philippines before he receives his naturalization certificate and would be staying longer than 30 days so im wondering if this would affect balikbayan visas in any way.

 

On to our next issue. Report of birth to the Philippines consulate for our 11 month old and 7 year old born here in the US. Looking on the Philippines consulate website it says children reported over a year after birth require a notarized explanation for the delay. My wife and I simply didn't know about this requirement when our 7 year old son was born and our daughter is right on the borderline at 11 months. What explanation should we give for the delay in registering our son? What benefits does this process give our children?

 

It sounds like your 17 y/o stepson became a US Citizen at the moment mom naturalized.  Apply for his US Passport right away since it's quick and easy.  Don't wait for the N600. I'm not saying not to file the N600 too but it takes longer and is more complicated than getting his US Passport.

 

Children born outside the US should be included on their mother's application for retaining Philippine Citizenship.  I think it's an extra $20. If mom was still a Philippine Citizen when the kids were born in the US they were duel citizens at birth don't have to do anything other than the report of birth and apply for their Philippine passports.  As far as delayed registration put anything you want for the actual reason on the affidavit.  They will translate it into "reason? Negligence." Which is no big deal at all.  The benefit for the kids is they get their rightful Philippine passports.

 

Mom and 17 y/o could get balikbayan stamps with US Passports and PSA birth Certificates.  The younger ones ARE Philippine Citizens so don't need and probably can't get balikbayan stamps but it sounds like they DO need report of birth and Philippine passports.

 

CFO has a pretty decent document on the finer points of Philippine duel nationality law. https://cfo.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/pdf/2018/DUAL-CIT-PRIMER-FINAL.pdf

Edited 15 hours ago by top_secret

[EatBulaga 321]

@jg121783 Yes, you are correct about your wife's path to dual citizenship. She will need to repatriate with the Philippines Embassy. Assuming the Chicago consulate is her jurisdiction, you can check when the Chicago Outreach is scheduled near you to save a trip to Chicago. 

https://www.chicagopcg.com/outreach.html

 

Does your 17-year old already have the US passport? If yes, then you can check with the consulate if that and his original Philippines passport are enough to repatriate. 

 

As for the 11-month and 7-year old Report of Birth, your wife can tell them she didn't know about the requirement. She as the Philippines citizen applies for Report of Birth, not the US citizen. Your wife may need to answer why she wants Philippines citizenship for your 11-month and 7-year old since the filing is delayed. The consulate will want proof and the calculation that your 11-month and 7-year old were born when your wife was still a Philippines citizen. 

 

Some of the benefits of dual citizenship are land ownership in the Philippines, no visa travel to the Philippines with the Philippines passport, etc. Without dual citizenships, your children can not claim Philippines citizenship for their children (or your grandchildren).

 

Also, foreigners can inherit land from Philippines citizens in the Philippines or foreigers can bequeath/will land to Philippines citizens, but foreigners can NOT inherit or bequeath/will properties to foreigners. So you and your children as non-Philippines citizens, can inherit property from your Philippines wife, but without Philippines citizenship, you or your children can not bequeath/will the Philippines land to non-Philippines citizen. 

Edited 15 hours ago by EatBulaga

[Talako 786]

I'll just point out one thing.  Your wife needs to travel on her new US passport until she files for dual citizenship and receives her new Philippine passport.  Her old PH passport is null and void once she became a US citizen.  Don't use the old PH passport to visit the Philippines.