Obtaining the maximum number of citizenships in 2021 │ InternationalWealth.info

What is the maximum number of citizenships a person can have - dual or second?

Most often, the desire to obtain another citizenship arises from persons who need additional protection from the actions of various authorities of their home country. There can be many reasons for this:

Minimize your business taxes.
Receive asylum for protection from political or economic persecution.
Remove restrictions on travel around the world associated with obtaining visas.

When a person has several passports from different countries, this is commonly called dual citizenship. The legal meaning of such a term is narrower. In fact, more often they mean “two citizenships”.

Over 80 countries around the world demonstrate a loyal attitude towards dual citizenship. Among them are France, Belgium, Poland, the USA and Latvia.

However, there are states that prohibit dual citizenship. These include Germany and Ukraine (political discussions have begun on introducing a bill recognizing dual citizenship). Before becoming a German citizen, you must provide a written statement renouncing your citizenship of other countries.

A person can have dual citizenship if an appropriate agreement has been concluded between countries with mutual recognition of two citizenships, that is, they are considered equal. The Russian Federation has agreements with such content only with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Here, for example, is an excerpt from Russian legislation - Constitution of the Russian Federation, Article 62:

"1. A citizen of the Russian Federation may have citizenship of a foreign state (dual citizenship) in accordance with federal law or an international treaty of the Russian Federation.

2. The fact that a citizen of the Russian Federation has citizenship of a foreign state does not detract from his rights and freedoms and does not relieve him of the obligations arising from Russian citizenship, unless otherwise provided by federal law or an international treaty of the Russian Federation.

3. Foreign citizens and stateless persons enjoy rights in the Russian Federation and bear responsibilities on an equal basis with citizens of the Russian Federation, except in cases established by federal law or an international treaty of the Russian Federation.”

Dual citizenship status allows you to retain all civil rights in both countries. Depending on which of them a person currently lives in, he receives appropriate social security, pays taxes and undergoes military service. If a man has served in one of the countries with dual citizenship, he will no longer be drafted into the army in another.

These persons receive protection and patronage from two states at once. Dual citizenship is inherited by children.

Second citizenship (not dual) arises when, for example, a Russian citizen receives citizenship of Dominica or any other country with which the Russian Federation does not have a concluded treaty. This practice is not illegal. But this is not dual citizenship. While on Russian territory, Russian legislation will only recognize his Russian passport.

Let's say a person has US and Russian passports. Having arrived on Russian territory, he will be considered only a citizen of Russia with all the ensuing rights and obligations. And when he flies to the United States, he will be considered an American citizen there. In third countries, they can choose which passport to present to authorities for identification, purchasing goods and receiving services.

Accordingly, the Russian authorities may not be informed about the second citizenship. This act will not be illegal. Moreover, in world practice it is not customary to notify other countries about the acquisition of their citizenship by foreigners.

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European countries, USA and China

How many citizenships you can have in Russia and the CIS countries is described in some detail. Regarding European countries, they are distinguished by their loyalty to dual citizenship. All countries of the European Union are divided into three groups:

States that have a positive attitude towards two or more nationalities.
Powers that have a positive attitude towards dual status.
Prohibiting dual statuses.

The first group includes France and Latvia - states that welcome two or more citizenships. Having a foreign status does not in any way affect the acquisition of additional citizenship in France and Latvia.

A child born in France can receive resident status if one of the parents is a citizen of the state. To obtain status they must reside in the territory for 5 years.

The second group includes countries: Great Britain, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Switzerland, Croatia and others. All of the above countries have a positive attitude towards other statuses.

The third group includes: Austria, Norway, Holland and Luxembourg. Countries that believe that citizenship should be singular. But in addition to prohibitive rules, in some states, investors receive citizenship. Children fall under the list of dual citizenship if one of the parents has foreign citizenship.

USA

America, along with the CIS countries and the European Union, is strict about assigning the status of another state. According to the laws, a US citizen must undergo naturalization, which includes an oath that obliges him to be loyal to America.

In the process of obtaining identification documents, the following prohibitions are imposed:

Travel is only possible with an American passport.
Displaying a foreign passport entails serious consequences, including the revocation of citizenship.

If, after receiving the status of a US citizen, a person takes on another citizenship, then in a matter of minutes he ceases to be a part of America. When preparing documents, false testimony may be revealed, and access to the treasured passport will be denied.

People's Republic of China

China prohibits dual citizenship, but simplifies the procedure for obtaining PRC status. List of people who will receive the status in a simplified form:

Children born in the PRC whose parents are citizens of the country.
Children with parents permanently residing in the state.
Foreigners who are ready to comply with all laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China.

How many citizenships a person can have depends on the specific country. European states are the most loyal when it comes to obtaining them, while the United States and China have a stricter policy regarding dual status.

Russia and the CIS countries occupy the “golden” middle. Most powers cooperate with each other, so there are few problems with obtaining them.

What is the maximum number of citizenships a person can have - why get them?

Due to different life circumstances, some of us live “in two countries.” In order to avoid various visa problems, it is better to obtain a second citizenship or residence permit in a second country, and not deal with private registration of entry visas.

However, it is worth analyzing in advance the possibility of obtaining a second passport. If the legislation of the new homeland implies the levy of tax on personal income received abroad, then you can “get” double taxation.

Citizenship of Malta or the USA will allow its holder to travel around the world without visas to Schengen, the UK, the USA and many other destinations. You can leave the Russian Federation by presenting a Russian passport, and enter the United States by presenting an American passport at customs. At the same time, you will not violate the laws of any country.

Losing a passport does not mean losing one of your citizenships. It is enough to write a statement about the loss of your passport at the consulate of the relevant country to be allowed entry. After this, you can restore your passport in the standard manner.

What is the maximum number of citizenships a person from Russia can have?

As we said above, the Constitution of the Russian Federation does not prohibit its citizens from having second passports, that is, a second citizenship. Accordingly, nothing regulates the maximum number of citizenships for our fellow citizens. However, upon receipt, the Russian must notify the Federal Migration Service about the incident. A maximum of 60 days is given for this from the date of receipt of the second passport.

It is also worth knowing that the federal law “On Military Duty and Military Service” contains a provision on exemption from military registration for citizens of the Russian Federation who live abroad on a permanent basis.

Is it possible to have dual citizenship in Russia?

If you want to obtain citizenship of these countries, you will have to give up your Russian identity card. Other countries popular for Russians in terms of immigration have loyal policies regarding citizenship. You can have two ID cards if you are going for permanent residence in:

Next, enter the number of the second identity card or type of document, which confirms the right to legal residence in another state. Paragraph 4 indicates the date of receipt of the second certificate and the basis (permanent residence/marriage, etc.). Paragraphs 5 and 6 are completed if such information is available. If the data is missing (the second identity was not lost or updated), put “no”.

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What is the maximum number of citizenships a person from Ukraine can have?

In Ukraine, as of 2021, dual citizenship is prohibited. However, last year the Ukrainian government began working on introducing it into legislation. Before this, for almost three decades, the state of Ukraine was opposed to its citizens having passports from other countries.

Thanks to the expected changes in legislation, the Ukrainian state will not only develop tolerance towards bipatrids who live both within the country and abroad. Descendants of Ukrainian migrants will be able to obtain full Ukrainian citizenship without giving up their own.

Today there are several million so-called foreign Ukrainians in the world. They are called citizens of other states, or stateless persons who have Ukrainian ethnic roots and come from Ukraine. So far, such foreigners only have benefits for obtaining a residence permit in Ukraine and for entering a Ukrainian university.

There are enough opponents of bipatrism in Ukraine. They believe that dual citizenship will stimulate separatism, because of which the state has already suffered. Moreover, the Russian Federation has begun distributing its passports to residents of ORDLO in eastern Ukraine. In Transcarpathia, the number of Hungarian citizens among the Ukrainian population is actively increasing, since official Budapest also issues its passports. Romania is pursuing the same policy in the lands of Bukovina and Bessarabia.

Currently, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have second and third passports. It is they who advocate in Ukrainian society for the introduction of dual citizenship into legislation. Ukrainian billionaire Igor Kolomoisky openly states that he has Ukrainian, Cypriot and Israeli citizenship.

According to statistics, every year about 100,000 Ukrainians become citizens of other countries. However, as a rule, they do not refuse a Ukrainian passport and keep it with them.

Ukrainian legislation has many internal contradictions. In fact, there is no rule in it that would directly prohibit second citizenship. Therefore, Ukrainians can have an unlimited number of citizenships.

Also, Ukrainian legislation allows naturalized Ukrainian citizens to retain other foreign passports on an indefinite basis.

Why is dual citizenship prohibited in Russia?

According to the new version of the law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” adopted in May last year, Russian citizens who have a foreign passport or residence permit have a new obligation. Notification to the Federal Migration Service about second citizenship had to be made within two months after the law came into force, that is, before October 2, 2014. Separate legislative acts approved the procedure and forms for submitting notifications to the Federal Migration Service, and also provided for administrative and even criminal liability for concealment or incomplete submission of data.

For foreigners wishing to purchase a Russian passport, dual citizenship in Russia is prohibited. They are required to write a renunciation of their previous citizenship (exceptions are children under 18 years of age and those who receive citizenship by birth). This ban is often circumvented, taking advantage of the loyalty of migration workers.

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What is the maximum number of citizenships a person from Kazakhstan can have?

The Constitution of Kazakhstan and the law “On Citizenship of the Republic of Kazakhstan” indicate that the state does not recognize the citizenship of other countries for its citizens. Violators of these laws are subject to fines and may be expelled from the country.

What is the maximum number of citizenships a person from the United States can have?

The United States of America has not entered into a dual citizenship agreement with any other country in the world. Therefore, for Americans only the concept of second citizenship applies. They may be citizens of any other countries, but the US authorities will not recognize this status. For the American authorities, they remain only US citizens.

The Oath of Allegiance to the United States, which every applicant for American citizenship recites, states that he refuses to remain allegiance to another country, even if he remains a citizen of it. However, he is not obliged to surrender passports of other states.

If an American has multiple citizenships, he must still use only a U.S. passport to travel to and from the United States. Otherwise he will be fined. On the territory of other countries, he has the right to use any other documents.

Dual citizenship is enshrined in the relevant agreements between the following countries:

Canada and France.
Brazil and Portugal.
Argentina and Italy.
Spain and Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America.

It is a known fact that an American had eight citizenships of different states at once.

We have collected all the articles on this topic in one section of our website.

You can also study a special article that talks about all the jurisdictions that offer a second passport for money.

If you want to obtain citizenship by investment, we offer you full support and detailed consultation. Contact us now by email [email protected]

What is the difference between second citizenship and dual citizenship?

Dual citizenship always implies that a person, when acquiring a second citizenship, has received consent from the state of which he was already a citizen before. There is a specific list of countries that allow second citizenship. For example, the Russian Federation, in which it is mandatory to notify the Federal Migration Service of a change in status within a month. A person can have dual citizenship if an appropriate agreement has been concluded between countries with mutual recognition of two citizenships, that is, they are considered equal.

Are Russian citizens allowed to have a second citizenship?

The Constitution of the Russian Federation does not prohibit its citizens from having second passports, that is, a second citizenship. Accordingly, nothing regulates the maximum number of citizenships for our fellow citizens. However, upon receipt, the Russian must notify the Federal Migration Service about the incident. A maximum of 60 days is given for this from the date of receipt of the second passport. It is also worth knowing that the federal law “On Military Duty and Military Service” contains a provision on exemption from military registration for citizens of the Russian Federation who live abroad on a permanent basis.

How many citizenships can a Ukrainian have in 2021 without breaking the law?

In Ukraine, as of 2021, dual citizenship is prohibited. However, last year the Ukrainian government began working on introducing it into legislation. Currently, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have second and third passports. It is they who advocate in Ukrainian society for the introduction of dual citizenship. Ukrainian legislation does not have any rule that would directly prohibit second citizenship. Therefore, Ukrainians can have an unlimited number of citizenships. It also allows naturalized citizens to retain other foreign passports indefinitely.

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Since 1999, paragraph 40a has been introduced into the Law on Nationality, regulating the right to citizenship for “late migrants,” that is, ethnic Germans who, by the will of fate, found themselves outside of German soil. Although there is no legal basis for maintaining the citizenship of the country of origin of these people in Germany, migrants, for example, from the Russian Federation and other CIS countries, retain their previous passports. As German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière once told RG, this was a kind of “gift” from former Chancellor Helmut Kohl for late settlers, which has not yet been canceled. Moreover, this “illegal” rule applies to spouses and children of late immigrants, who, even if born in Germany, can acquire citizenship of another country, since their parents have it.

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How do you obtain French citizenship? If we exclude the right to it by descent, which is the “right of blood”, and the right by birth in France (“right of soil”), a person who meets a number of requirements can apply. This person must have lived in France for at least five years before applying for citizenship, have a stable job, and have a permanent place of residence. It is clear that all this must be confirmed by relevant documents. Let us note in parentheses that the waiting time for filing documents can be reduced to two years, subject to a number of circumstances. It is preferable that the candidate, if he is a family man, has close relatives (wife or husband, children) also living in France. Otherwise, he risks being rejected. He also needs to prove that during his stay on French territory he led a decent lifestyle and was not brought to administrative or criminal liability.