Multiple Citizenship
Oct 24, 2011, 1:32 pm
#136
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There are a few issues with military service such as mandatory service that comes with a certain passport (Taiwan, Austria, Israel etc) but generally to serve in one military (i.e. to take the oath of service) is to basically choose one team and one team only. Some countries require a formal relinquishment of other citizenship in order to serve and will ignore the alternate citizenship rights of anyone who served in their own army. For example, if you served in country A, country A will forever view you as their own citizen regardless of any other citizenship you may hold, until the time you formally request (if possible) to relinquish citizenship of country A.
Also, if one serves in one army, it is harder for them to obtain other citizenships unless the citizenship of the country served is formally relinquished.To further complicate the issue, some countries have a mandatory draft, and many countries offer citizenship in exchange for service. So it's more of a security issue. They don't want you to play for both sides if country A & country B were to engage in war with each other. You could turn around and shoot your own platoon and then do the same with the other side.
There are also special exceptions with Commonwealth countries and others with special immigration policies between certain countries.
Of course a lot of this has to do with whether one is truthful on the forms everyone fills out and whether they get caught in perjury etc....
Also, if one serves in one army, it is harder for them to obtain other citizenships unless the citizenship of the country served is formally relinquished.To further complicate the issue, some countries have a mandatory draft, and many countries offer citizenship in exchange for service. So it's more of a security issue. They don't want you to play for both sides if country A & country B were to engage in war with each other. You could turn around and shoot your own platoon and then do the same with the other side.
There are also special exceptions with Commonwealth countries and others with special immigration policies between certain countries.
Of course a lot of this has to do with whether one is truthful on the forms everyone fills out and whether they get caught in perjury etc....
And when it comes to other citizenships after service, I can't even recall a question about whether I had served on the form.
Oct 24, 2011, 1:59 pm
#137
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Apologies for a long post - only seen the topic now.
I don't think there are 27 countries in the Schengen yet 
They need to apply for ILR on a basis of 5 years exercising the Treaty rights [will leave it to someone else to look up the exact Treaty]
It might be 'automatic', but EU citizen will still have to prove in his/her ILR application that they've been residing in the UK in the 5 years prior to applying [P60s for example]
Although worth mentioning that if father has ILR, but is not married to non-ILR/non-citizen mother, child[ren] won't have automatic UK citizenship.
For local elections, I think you may find that all those legal residents still have to be nationals of the countries you mentioned.
How does an EU citizen become permanently resident in the UK? I honestly don't know. Do they need to apply for ILR? What's the qualifying period? I know nothing about this route to citizenship, as all EU citizens I know in this county have no need for British citizenship nor British settled status. Genuinely curious.
FWIW, the UK has something called "settled status" which is the status of right-of-abodeholders, ILR-holders and Irish citizens (and some other British Overseas Citizens). Although these people are not British Citizens, any children of their born in the UK are automatically citizens.
For local elections, I think you may find that all those legal residents still have to be nationals of the countries you mentioned.
Oct 24, 2011, 3:03 pm
#138
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Granted I've not looked at the laws in a few years--- i decided long ago not to press the citizenship issue--- so things may have changed a bit.
Oct 24, 2011, 3:30 pm
#139
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I think they can. The travel bans for hooli..., uh, unruly football fans haven't been challenged in the European Court of Justice yet AFAIK. Just one example. I'm sure there are others. You can also be expelled from an EU country even though you are the citizen of another EU country.
How weird. I just read this was 25 the other day and have no idea why I wrote 27.
Oct 24, 2011, 4:01 pm
#140
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One would think that, if ILR grants you all work privileges and benefits, one could vote in local elections... but, no.
Oct 24, 2011, 4:24 pm
#141
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There are 27 EU countries.
Schengenland has 25 members. 22 of which are in the EU - plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Plus the European micro states that aren't counted separately.
Last edited by Maluku_Flyer; Oct 24, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Oct 24, 2011, 4:45 pm
#142
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I think they can. The travel bans for hooli..., uh, unruly football fans haven't been challenged in the European Court of Justice yet AFAIK. Just one example. I'm sure there are others. You can also be expelled from an EU country even though you are the citizen of another EU country.
To my knowledge all legal residents of the UK get the right to vote in local elections after a certain time.
Oct 24, 2011, 5:28 pm
#143
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I grew up in "Norn Iron", and have both passports. I use whichever passport my fingers happen to find first when reaching into my backpack (taking care to leave countries on the same passport of course). I can't say I've ever noticed any difference in reception between the two passports.
Oct 24, 2011, 6:14 pm
#145
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Perhaps the same reason my British ex-pat fiance won't file for his American citizenship despite having been US resident alien for 7 years and having zero intent to ever go back to England other than as a visitor: the US taxes American citizens living abroad. There are tax treaties in place with many countries where, for all intents and purposes, your foreign tax paid to your country of residence may be deducted from what you "owe" to the US government but it's a mess of forms and complicated filings. My mister refuses to go for the US citizenship just on principles. If we were to move to one of the Commonwealth countries in the future, I'd likely renounce my US citizenship once I were able to gain citizenship in my new home country; however, interestingly enough, it's illegal to give up your US citizenship for the sole purpose of not having to pay US federal tax any more. So I'd have to come up with a different reason
Granted I've not looked at the laws in a few years--- i decided long ago not to press the citizenship issue--- so things may have changed a bit.
Granted I've not looked at the laws in a few years--- i decided long ago not to press the citizenship issue--- so things may have changed a bit.
It is easier/cheaper for a non-US citizen to surrender US permanent resident status than it is for a citizen to surrender US citizenship status; still, in terms of tax compliance issues, if someone does everything in a timely manner, it won't make even more than a year or so of difference between a person surrendering US permanent resident status vs a person surrendering US citizenship.
Oct 24, 2011, 6:29 pm
#146
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Certainly you can retain citizenship of more the one country (dual national) in some armed forces, provided you are also a national of where you are serving. In some cases, you don't even have to be a citizen (the one that springs to mind are the Gurkhas in the British Army).
When it comes to a military with enlisted (non-citizen) personnel with more than a dozen foreign nationalities represented, the US probably has more such nationalities represented than just about any other country save perhaps a handful. German immigrants to the US enlisting in the US military (as a German citizen) is but one of many such examples from the US military in the last several years.
Oct 24, 2011, 7:26 pm
#147
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As far as most....I don't know if they hold them all, but I have a coworker whose son is at least entitled to 5:
Father is dual South African-Canadian
Mother is dual UK-French
Son was born in the US
Can you imagine the opportunities/confusions the kid will have with all five....
Father is dual South African-Canadian
Mother is dual UK-French
Son was born in the US
Can you imagine the opportunities/confusions the kid will have with all five....
Oct 24, 2011, 10:44 pm
#148
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No, Japan does not allow its citizens to hold any other citizenships. He most certainly on the electoral roll and votes in local elections, though.
Oct 24, 2011, 11:09 pm
#149
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This is technically true, but Japan can't practically control the other citizenships of its citizens, so a significant number of Japanese people hold dual or multiple citizenship -- they just have to make sure that the Japanese government doesn't know about it.
Oct 24, 2011, 11:31 pm
#150
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