Dual Citizenship Laws of the World
Dual citizenship is the simultaneous possession of two citizenships. It arises because there is no common international law relating to citizenship. The most common reasons for dual citizenship are these:
- Marriage to a citizen of another country;
- Adoption by parents who are citizens of another country;
- Birth in a country that grants citizenship by birth, to parents who are citizens of a country that grants citizenship by descent.
Not all nations recognize that their citizens may possess simultaneous citizenship of another country. In this table, countries are listed in categories that best describe their dual citizenship laws.
For more information, go to: http://www.opm.gov/EXTRA/INVESTIGATE/is-01.PDF
| Recognized | Not Recognized - No Exceptions | Not Recognized - With Certain Exceptions |
| Albania
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Barbados
Belize
Benin
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Cyprus
El Salvador
France
Grenada
Hong Kong
Hungary
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jordan
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Macao
Maldives
Mali
Mauritius
Mexico
Morocco
Nevis
New Zealand
Nigeria
Paraguay
Peru
Portugal
Romania
Russian Federation
St. Christopher
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
Slovak Republic
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Switzerland
Syria
Togo
Tunisia
Turkey
Tuvalu
United Kingdom
Uruguay | Algeria
Andorra
Armenia
Bahrain
Belarus
Bhutan
Burundi
China
Congo Republic
Croatia
Cuba
Djibouti
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Estonia
Gabon
Guinea
India
Indonesia
Kazakhstan
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Libya
Lithuania
Malaysia
Monaco
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
New Guinea
Niger
North Korea
Oman
Palau
Papua
Príncipe Island
Qatar
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sudan
Swaziland
Taiwan
Tonga
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
Zimbabwe | Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Austrian
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Belgium
Bolivia
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
Cameroon
Chile
Congo
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Eritrea
Fiji
Finland
Gambia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Iceland
Iran
Japan
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malta
Marshal Islands
Mauritania
Micronesia
Moldova
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
Netherlands
Nicaragua
South Korea
Norway
Pakistan
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Poland
Rwanda
Samoa
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Tanzania
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Zambia |
Disclaimer: We obtained information for this table from United States Office of Personnel Management’s March 2001 issue of Citizenship Laws of the World directory. The information contained in this table should not be considered formal legal advice. It is intended to serve as a quick reference, summarizing the dual citizenship laws of foreign nations. You should direct detailed or specific questions to a nation’s specific diplomatic representatives. Readers should understand that citizenship laws are often amended to keep in step with political changes. A considerable time lapse between the enactment of new laws and their actual implementation is not uncommon. Moreover, it is not unusual to encounter differences between a nation’s laws and its actual practices.