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Key Facts
- Federal level: A person can hold U.S. nationality and the nationality of another country at the same time.
- U.S. and foreign-country law: Whether the other nationality is acquired or retained depends on that country’s law, and some countries restrict or prohibit dual nationality.
- Federal level: Dual nationality may arise at birth or later through naturalization; possession of two passports is not what creates the underlying nationalities.
- Federal level: A U.S. citizen generally must use a valid U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States.
- Federal level: U.S. nationality is not ordinarily lost merely by acquiring another nationality; federal law requires a listed voluntary act performed with intent to relinquish U.S. nationality.
Dual citizenship, also called dual nationality in federal travel guidance, means one person is legally a national of two countries. Each country applies its own nationality law, so the practical answer to “can you have dual citizenship in the U.S.?” requires checking both U.S. law and the law of the other country.
The United States recognizes that a person may hold two or more nationalities. That does not guarantee that the other country permits the same arrangement or treats the person as American while the person is in its territory.
How dual citizenship can arise
Dual nationality can arise automatically at birth. A child born in the United States may acquire another nationality through a parent under foreign law, while a child born abroad may acquire U.S. citizenship through a U.S.-citizen parent and nationality under the law of the birthplace or another parent.
It can also arise later when a person completes the naturalization process in one country without losing an existing nationality. Someone preparing to apply for U.S. citizenship should therefore check the other country’s current retention rules before acting.
There is no separate federal application that grants “dual citizenship” as a combined status. Each nationality must exist under the law of the country that grants it, and a passport is evidence for travel rather than the legal event that creates nationality.
The other country’s rules matter independently
Some countries permit multiple nationality broadly, some allow it only in defined circumstances, and others may require a person to choose or renounce a nationality. Rules can turn on birth, parentage, marriage, naturalization, age, residence, or whether government permission was obtained in advance.
A foreign embassy or official nationality authority is the appropriate source for that country’s current rules. A U.S. agency cannot confirm that a foreign nationality was retained, and U.S. acceptance of dual nationality does not override foreign law.
Travel may require both passports
Federal law and State Department guidance generally require a U.S. citizen to enter and leave the United States using a valid U.S. passport. The other country may separately require its citizens to use its passport when entering or leaving that country.
Local authorities may treat a dual national solely as their own citizen while that person is there. That treatment can restrict U.S. consular access or assistance, particularly when the person entered on the foreign passport.
Foreign-country duties may include military service, nationality registration, exit permission, or other citizen obligations. These are country-specific questions that should be checked before travel rather than inferred from the person’s U.S. status.
U.S. tax rules still apply
Living abroad or holding another nationality does not by itself end U.S. tax compliance duties. The IRS states that U.S. citizens abroad are generally subject to federal filing rules and must consider income from worldwide sources when determining whether they must file.
Dual citizenship alone does not establish that tax is owed. Filing thresholds, income, age, status, exclusions, credits, treaties, foreign accounts, and foreign assets can all affect the required returns and reports, so tax questions need a separate current analysis.
Citizenship evidence and nationality are different
A U.S. passport, birth record, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Certificate of Citizenship, or Certificate of Naturalization may establish U.S. citizenship in different settings. The absence of a passport does not necessarily mean that citizenship was never acquired.
When an agency requests proof of citizenship, the acceptable document depends on the transaction and the person’s citizenship path. Documentation questions should not be confused with whether a second country recognizes its own nationality.
Acquiring another nationality does not automatically end U.S. nationality
Under 8 U.S.C. § 1481, loss of U.S. nationality requires a statutorily listed expatriating act performed voluntarily and with the intention of relinquishing U.S. nationality. Naturalizing in another country is one listed type of act, but the required intent remains part of the federal rule.
Formal renunciation is a distinct process, generally completed in person before a U.S. diplomatic or consular officer abroad. It is consequential, may affect the ability to live or travel in the United States, and does not erase tax, military, criminal, or other obligations already incurred.
The useful sequence is to identify how each nationality arose, confirm whether both remain valid under their respective laws, obtain the correct travel documents, and review the obligations each country imposes. Keeping those inquiries separate avoids treating “dual citizenship” as a single permit issued by one government.
