Did you know that it may be possible for you to be a citizen of two or more countries? Earlier this year I became a dual citizen by reporting my birth to the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles.
US law 1 2 neither supports nor prohibits multiple citizenship and by having multiple citizenship one does not loose US citizenship. Philippine law 3 4 supports dual citizenship, says citizenship can be derived by blood, and my dad was a Philippine citizen at the time of my birth. This allowed me to register as a natural born citizen of the Philippines. Some other countries also have similar laws that you may want to check out.
One advantage that I have discovered now that I am a dual citizen are that I can travel to ASEAN countries without first obtaining a visa by using my Philippine passport. If I traveled to some of those ASEAN countries using my US passport, I would need to obtain a visa before arrival. I can even enter some other countries outside of Asia such as Brazil without first obtaining a visa. US citizens traveling to Brazil with only a US passport would need a visa before arrival.
Another advantage that I have is unrestricted residence and property ownership in the Philippines. I would love to live in the Philippines for a year or two at least sometime in my life. I want to connect with my roots. I can travel with either of my passports depending on where I go in the world. I am happy that I was able to become a dual citizen and I plan on passing it on if I have children in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment