Can You Have Dual Citizenship in the US? Rules, Rights and Risks in 2026

So, can you have dual citizenship in the US? Yes. U.S. law does not require a citizen to choose only one nationality, and acquiring a second citizenship does not normally cancel U.S. citizenship. The decisive complication is that the other country has its own rules. It may allow dual nationality, allow it only in certain cases, or treat naturalization elsewhere as a reason to lose its citizenship.

Dual citizenship also brings practical obligations. A U.S. dual national generally must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States, remains subject to U.S. tax and reporting rules, and may receive limited U.S. consular help while in the country of their other nationality.

This guide explains how dual citizenship arises, when U.S. citizenship can be lost, how two passports should be used, and what to check before applying for another nationality.

Does the US Allow Dual Citizenship?

Yes. The United States permits a person to hold U.S. citizenship and one or more foreign nationalities at the same time. The most precise official formulation is that U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one nationality over another. The U.S. Department of State guidance on dual nationality also recognizes that a person can acquire two nationalities automatically or obtain another nationality later.

There is no separate U.S. application for “dual citizenship” and no general federal registry where a citizen asks permission to keep a foreign nationality. Instead, each citizenship exists under the law of the country that grants it. A person may be a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization and separately qualify as a citizen of another country through birth, ancestry, marriage, restoration, residence or another legal route.

This is why the question has two parts:

• Does U.S. law allow the person to keep U.S. citizenship? Usually, yes.
• Does the other country allow the person to acquire or retain its citizenship? The answer depends entirely on that country’s current law.

The terms “dual citizenship” and “dual nationality” are often used interchangeably in everyday discussion. They do not create a special immigration status inside the United States. A dual national is still a full U.S. citizen and is treated as such under U.S. law.

How Can a Person Become a Dual Citizen?

A person can become a dual citizen automatically at birth or through a later legal process. The route matters because each country sets its own eligibility, document and retention rules.

Dual Citizenship by Birth or Descent

A child may acquire two citizenships at birth when the laws of two countries operate at the same time. For example, a child born in the United States may acquire U.S. citizenship by birth and also acquire a parent’s nationality by descent. A child born abroad may acquire U.S. citizenship through a U.S. citizen parent if the relevant statutory requirements are met, while also acquiring citizenship in the country of birth.

Citizenship by descent is not always automatic. Some countries require registration before a deadline, proof of an unbroken family line, or evidence that a parent or ancestor retained citizenship. Birth certificates, marriage records, name-change documents and archival records must often connect every generation without gaps.

Naturalization in the United States

A lawful permanent resident may become a U.S. citizen through naturalization after meeting the applicable residence, physical presence, good moral character, English and civics requirements. At the ceremony, the applicant takes the USCIS Oath of Allegiance.

Although the oath includes language about renouncing prior allegiance, the United States does not generally require a new citizen to deliver proof that a foreign citizenship was formally terminated. The foreign country may reach a different result. Some countries preserve citizenship automatically; others require advance permission, a declaration or a formal retention procedure; and some treat voluntary naturalization abroad as a loss of nationality.

Anyone who wants to keep an existing citizenship should therefore obtain country-specific advice before the U.S. naturalization ceremony, not after it.

A U.S. Citizen Naturalizing Abroad

A U.S. citizen may apply for citizenship in another country without automatically losing U.S. citizenship. Common routes include long-term residence, marriage, descent, restoration and qualifying investment programs. Marriage or investment rarely creates citizenship by itself; it normally opens a statutory route with its own residence, due diligence, language or financial requirements.

The United States does not impose a numerical cap on how many nationalities a citizen may hold. The practical limit comes from the laws of every other country involved. A person can hold three citizenships only if all three legal systems permit that combination and the person satisfies their continuing obligations.

Can You Lose U.S. Citizenship by Getting Another Citizenship?

Usually not. Naturalizing in another country is not enough, by itself, to end U.S. citizenship. Under 8 U.S.C. §1481, loss of nationality generally requires both a potentially expatriating act performed voluntarily and the intention to relinquish U.S. nationality.

That intent requirement is critical. A person who becomes a foreign citizen while intending to keep U.S. citizenship ordinarily remains a U.S. citizen. The same general principle applies to many other listed acts: the government cannot treat citizenship as abandoned merely because an act occurred without examining the legally required intent.

Renunciation Is a Formal and Serious Process

Renouncing U.S. citizenship is different from simply applying for a second passport. Formal renunciation normally takes place in person before a U.S. diplomatic or consular officer abroad and can lead to a Certificate of Loss of Nationality. It may also create tax, immigration, inheritance and travel consequences. A person should obtain tailored U.S. legal and tax advice before taking that step.

Denaturalization Is a Different Legal Issue

Denaturalization concerns whether naturalized U.S. citizenship was illegally procured or obtained through a material misrepresentation. It is not a routine consequence of holding another nationality. A naturalized citizen does not have a weaker form of citizenship merely because they kept or later acquired a foreign passport.

Is the United States Banning Dual Citizenship?

No current federal law bans dual citizenship. The Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, S.3283, was introduced in the Senate and would attempt to require exclusive U.S. citizenship. As of August 9, 2026, the official introduced text and status of S.3283 still show it as an introduced bill referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, not enacted law.

Pending legislation can change. It should be monitored, but it should not be described as a current ban or used as a reason to renounce citizenship based on headlines alone.

U.S. Dual Citizenship Rules in Everyday Life

Dual citizenship is lawful, but it is not frictionless. A dual national may owe duties to both countries, and each country can apply its law when the person is within its territory.

Which Passport Should a Dual Citizen Use?

U.S. citizens, including dual nationals, should use a valid U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States. The other country may require the same person to use its passport when entering or leaving that country.

In practice, a traveler may carry both passports:

• show the U.S. passport to the airline and U.S. border authorities for the U.S. portion of the trip;
• show the other passport where the second country requires its nationals to enter as citizens;
• make sure the name and personal details on bookings and travel documents are consistent enough to avoid boarding or identity questions;
• check transit-country visa rules using the passport that will be presented for that segment.

Using a foreign passport for foreign travel does not, by itself, show an intention to give up U.S. citizenship.

Laws, Military Duties and Consular Protection

A dual national must obey the laws of both countries when those laws apply. The second country may impose military service, registration, tax, voting or document-renewal duties. Those obligations do not disappear because the person also holds a U.S. passport.

U.S. consular assistance can also be limited in the country of the person’s other nationality. Local authorities may treat the individual only as their own citizen and may not recognize a request for U.S. consular access. This is particularly important before travel to a country that imposes military service, exit restrictions, family-law orders or criminal penalties on its nationals.

Dual nationality may also require additional review for some security-sensitive government roles. It is not automatically disqualifying, but foreign ties, benefits and conduct may be relevant to an individual assessment.

U.S. Taxes and Foreign-Account Reporting

U.S. citizenship carries federal tax obligations even when the citizen lives abroad. The IRS guidance for U.S. citizens abroad explains that U.S. citizens generally report worldwide income, subject to filing thresholds and available provisions such as the Foreign Tax Credit or Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.

Dual citizenship does not automatically mean paying the same income tax twice. Tax treaties, domestic credits, residence rules and the character of the income can reduce or eliminate double taxation. Filing and information-reporting duties may still exist even when no additional U.S. tax is due.

Foreign accounts create a separate compliance question. Under FinCEN’s FBAR filing rule, a U.S. person generally must file an FBAR when the aggregate value of covered foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year. Depending on the facts, Form 8938 and reporting for foreign companies, trusts, gifts or pensions may also apply.

Citizenship, tax residence and domicile are different concepts. Obtaining a second passport does not automatically move a person’s tax residence, end U.S. filing duties or determine where an estate is taxed.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Dual Citizenship

Dual citizenship can create valuable rights, but the value depends on the person’s actual plans and the laws involved.

The right decision is not simply the passport with the largest visa-free list. A useful assessment compares residence rights, family needs, taxes, succession, business plans, military exposure and the cost of maintaining compliance over time.

The Second Country’s Law Can Change the Answer

The United States may allow a person to keep U.S. citizenship while the other country restricts the combination. That country may distinguish between citizenship acquired at birth and citizenship acquired voluntarily, or between citizens by descent and citizens by naturalization. It may also allow dual nationality only with specified countries.

Country lists are especially risky to copy without context because legislation, bilateral arrangements and administrative practice change. For example, Latvia’s dual-citizenship rules permit dual nationality in defined categories and combinations rather than through a universal rule. Applicants relying on ancestry should separately check the evidence needed for Latvian citizenship by descent.

Lithuania generally applies narrower exceptions, making the legal basis and family history decisive in a Lithuanian citizenship by descent case.

Ukraine’s rules have also changed materially. Anyone considering Ukrainian nationality should review Ukraine’s current dual-citizenship framework together with Ukraine’s updated list of eligible countries and the implementing requirements in force on the application date.

How to Get Dual Citizenship: A Practical Checklist

There is no universal dual-citizenship application. The process is a coordinated plan for acquiring or confirming two separate citizenships.

• Identify the legal route. Determine whether the second citizenship may arise by birth, descent, restoration, marriage, residence, naturalization or another statutory ground.
• Verify both countries’ current rules. Check whether either country restricts acquisition, retention or recognition of another nationality. Use current legislation and official guidance, not a generic country list.
• Confirm status before applying. A person may already be a citizen by operation of law without having a passport. Conversely, ancestry alone may create eligibility but not citizenship until registration is complete.
• Map the consequences. Review tax filing, foreign-account reporting, military duties, security-sensitive employment, inheritance, property ownership and consular limitations.
• Build the evidence chain. Collect civil-status and archival records, resolve name or date discrepancies, and plan translations, apostilles or legalization. For an ancestry claim, Ukrainian citizenship by descent and similar routes depend on a documented link to the qualifying relative.
• Sequence the applications correctly. If the other country requires permission to retain citizenship, complete that step before naturalization elsewhere. A missed deadline can be more serious than a missing document.
• Maintain both statuses. Renew passports, register where required, report changes of name or address, and monitor legal updates that affect dual nationals.

Before paying for translations or filing fees, obtain a written eligibility analysis that identifies the legal provision, documents, procedure, likely timeline and unresolved risks. That is more useful than a verbal promise that a second passport is “easy.”

Dual Citizenship for Children and Families

Children often become dual citizens automatically because nationality laws overlap. Parents should still document each status. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad, certificate of citizenship, local birth registration or passport may be needed to prove a right that already exists.

Do not assume that a child can travel only on the parents’ preferred passport. A U.S. citizen child is generally expected to use a U.S. passport for U.S. entry and departure, while the other country may require its own passport. Parents should also check consent rules, custody orders and whether the second country recognizes a U.S. court order.

Citizenship transmission to the next generation may depend on a parent’s residence or physical presence, registration deadlines, the parents’ marital status and the law in effect on the child’s date of birth. Families should verify the rule for each child rather than treating siblings born in different years or countries as legally identical.

When to Get Legal and Tax Advice

Country-specific advice is particularly important when citizenship depends on archived family records, prior loss or restoration, a retention deadline, military exposure, a criminal history, inconsistent civil documents, or a rule that permits dual nationality only with selected states.

Bimaris provides immigration support for individuals pursuing citizenship and residence solutions in Ukraine and the Baltic states. The team can assess eligibility, organize evidence and manage the local application process. Questions about the loss of U.S. citizenship, denaturalization or U.S. immigration procedure should be reviewed by a qualified U.S. attorney. Cross-border tax consequences should be checked with a U.S. international tax professional and, where relevant, an adviser in the second country.

A Two-Country Legal Review Is the Safe Starting Point

The answer to can you have dual citizenship in the US is generally yes, but the U.S. rule is only half of the analysis. The second country may impose eligibility limits, retention procedures, military duties or document deadlines that determine whether the plan works in practice.

Before applying, confirm the legal basis, sequence the steps, assess tax and travel consequences, and assemble the evidence needed in both jurisdictions. If your route involves Ukraine, Latvia or Lithuania, contact Bimaris for a case-specific assessment.