Do we allow dual citizenship in the United States?

That question usually comes up when an individual is thinking about filing for naturalization to become a United States citizen. The interesting thing about the United States is that the US law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one nationality over the other.

There are some countries that don’t recognize dual citizenship like China and India. We’ve had a lot of clients from India who’ve decided that they would like to become a United States citizen and they essentially have to go through a process in India to relinquish citizenship there. They can go through a process to still have the equivalent of a resident permit to still be able to go and travel there.

A lot of individuals know that there are countries that don’t allow for dual citizenship and that’s why that question comes up. The United States doesn’t take a position. They don’t mention it but they allow for dual citizenship.

The other thing to be aware of is that part of the naturalization process, there’s a series of questions on the last page that’s asking that you understand the full oath of allegiance and that you pledge your allegiance and your loyalty to the United States. While the United States allows for dual citizenship, if there would ever be a time where the laws of these two countries that you are a citizen of would be in conflict, that’s where it could become an issue.

But in general, many individuals are able to hold dual citizenship and be a United States citizen and a citizen of another country like Canada or Mexico. When you’re traveling and you’re leaving the United States, you would use your US passport when you’re returning to the United States because you’re a United States citizen.