You May Want to Apply for Dual Citizenship

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There may be many good reasons to apply for dual citizenship. Ease of travel is one of them.

Alexandra Olley, Lion's Roar Contributor

Citizenship. Many may take it for granted. But what really is citizenship? Citizenship is being a part of a country and needing to abide by their rights and responsibilities. The rules of citizenship also allow for citizens to be a part of not one country but multiple.

Dual citizenship is defined as having “citizenship of two countries concurrently”. Dual citizenship should be noted as a very beneficial thing to achieve. It does not matter the age but there is a list of requirements depending on the country you are applying for. 

When looking at the statistics from Lincoln High School some of the top languages that students speak besides English are Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Urdu. This is a direct representation of students who could be eligible for dual citizenship. 

The author’s father celebrating the day he received approval for dual citizenship in the U.S. and Great Britain. (Courtesy of Alexandra Olley)

There are many advantages that having dual citizenship could grant a student for their future. They would be able to work and travel easily in both countries. When acquiring dual citizenship people are given multiple passports which make traveling between countries more of a breeze. They are able to use a passport that matches the country they are entering so they do not need to go through immigration when traveling internationally. Social services within other countries become available to reigning citizens. This can even include free health care if the country offers it. The ownership of property can be easily accessible since some countries only allow citizens to own property. Besides all of these, dual citizenship can allow people to express their ancestry. Some countries have mandated tests to secure citizenship, which compels people to learn about the country they are from. Having dual citizenship allows for the expression of people and their ancestry.

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Each country has its own rules for acquiring dual citizenship:

Spain only allows dual citizenship with selected countries that have historical ties. If someone is interested in citizenship in Spain, they will need to give up their prior citizenship with any other country besides the selected few.  

Portugal and the U.S. are examples of countries that allow for dual citizenship in any country. They do not make their citizens renounce their citizenship when trying to attain another. They even allow for citizenship by adoption and by marriage. 

Acquiring dual citizenship can be beneficial for the future. Finding out information about your country is as simple as just visiting the country’s government website and clicking on the immigration tab. If the country does allow for citizenship, it can usually be a very simple process before being granted citizenship. Dual citizenship is a wonderful thing when explored and pursued.