Citizenship as an Asset

Most people gain their initial citizenship from their parents or by place of birth.  Sometimes it is not able to assist you in your pursuits.  Gaining citizenship in another country may provide valuable opportunities for you and your family.

Dual Citizenship/Dual Nationals

Depending on the countries involved, some countries will actively allow their citizens to gain a second citizenship and become dual nationals.  For example, if you are a Nigerian citizen working in the United States, the benefit to Nigeria of having an employed citizen who does not need to worry about work visas and who may be sending money back home to family or starting businesses is significant.  And as for the United States, it does not recognize dual citizenship.  So it would simply ignore your Nigerian citizenship and treat you like the American citizen that you are.

Some countries forbid dual citizenship and will revoke citizenship if their citizen gains citizenship in another country.

Gaining Citizenship  

You may obtain an additional citizenship by either claiming citizenship by descent or by naturalization. 

Citizenship by Descent

You may be eligible to claim citizenship by virtue of descent from a citizen.  For example, Ireland grants citizenship to those who can claim a grandparent as an Irish citizen, even if the applicant was not born in Ireland.  Like many other countries, Ireland has a provision for Foreign Births Registration.

Citizenship by Naturalization

Different countries have different laws, rules, and procedures regarding their naturalization process.  The purpose of naturalization is to obtain a citizenship you do not already possess and by which you are not eligible by birth or descent.  There are several different approaches taken by governments around the world to permitting naturalization and not all countries permit naturalization.

Naturalization by Marriage

A person can apply for citizenship from the country to which their spouse is a citizen.  Legal requirements vary between countries and can require a minimum number of years of marriage, in-country residency requirements, etc.  Both Italy and the United States permit naturalization by marriage.

Naturalization by Residence

One method is the residence requirement where the applicant must reside in country for a set number of years before being eligible to apply for naturalization.

Naturalization by Investment

Another method is the financial requirement whereby wealthier applicants who guarantee to invest a minimum amount in the country will be allowed to become naturalized citizens.

Resumption of Citizenship

Citizenship laws change over time.  On rare occasions, a country may reinstate citizenship to individuals who had formerly been citizens but subsequently lost their citizenship involuntarily due to a legal situation.  For example, Kenya in recent years has reinstated citizenship for former citizens.  The former citizens had lost their Kenyan citizenship under the original constitution which revoked Kenyan citizenship for any dual nationals by birth at the age of 23 if they did not renounce their non-Kenyan citizenship.  The 2010 constitution changed the law to allow those who had been affected under the old law to regain their status as Kenyans by birth.  In addition, the 2010 constitution now permits Kenyan citizens to hold dual citizenship.

Losing Citizenship

There are two main ways to lose your citizenship. 

Renunciation

You can actively renounce your citizenship for a country to which you are a citizen.  This is a legal process, documents are filed, and the country in question processes your request to no longer be a citizen of that country.

Denaturalization

The country of which you are a citizen can in fact remove your citizenship from you without your consent.  This involuntary loss of citizenship is an uncommon act in most countries.