What is the difference between dual and second citizenship? Explained in detail

Dual citizenship and second citizenship are two different concepts. We will explain what the key differences are and give examples of countries where multiple citizenship is prohibited in principle.

Dual and second citizenship. How are they different?

People with more than one passport deal with multiple citizenship: dual or second citizenship.

Dual citizenship occurs when there is a formal agreement on it between the countries—your native country and the one whose passport you want to obtain. 

This agreement implies that both countries will mutually recognize your rights and obligations, as well as consider you an equal member of society. And what is important is that with dual citizenship, a person pays taxes, receives a pension, and serves in the army not in two states but only in the country of residence. 

For example, France and Canada have an agreement on dual citizenship; Italy also has similar agreements with Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, and so on. That is, if a French citizen wants to acquire Canadian citizenship, it will be about dual citizenship. 

And yes, in fact, you can have more than two citizenships if there are formal agreements between your target countries. This is all consistent with the concept of dual citizenship.

In the absence of an official agreement, it will always be second citizenship. In this case, each of the countries will consider you exclusively its own citizen and may not be aware of your other passports at all. All this means that you will find yourself in the position of “owing to both countries”: pay taxes, serve in the army, etc. But on the other side, you could also benefit from both countries simultaneously.

Dual Citizenship

Almost half of the countries in the world allow dual citizenship. However, you should always find out if there is an agreement between your home country and the country whose citizenship you intend to acquire. You can do this by going to the official website of the government or embassies of the countries you want.

There are some countries you shouldn’t hope for at all since they don’t allow dual citizenship. Here is a list of them.

Countries that do NOT allow dual citizenship

Remember that there are exceptions. For example, in the Netherlands, where dual citizenship is forbidden, it is still allowed under certain conditions: if you received the citizenship of another country at birth or lived there as a minor, or if you automatically acquired citizenship after marriage. So be sure to double-check all conditions and exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

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Second citizenship

To understand which countries allow second citizenship, you can use the method of exception: namely, by finding out which countries are categorically against such measures.

In which countries is a second citizenship forbidden?

That is, as a citizen of one of the countries listed above, it is impossible to have a second passport. Or you can acquire a second passport and lose your first citizenship. 

A similar situation will arise if your home country allows you to have a second citizenship and the other state, whose passport you seek, does not. Then you will have to choose: either stay with your first passport or give it up and get the citizenship of another country.

How is it even possible to become a citizen of another nation?

There are several ways:

• Citizenship by naturalization. In this case, the main condition for obtaining a passport is to live a certain number of years in the country (the period depends on the state).
• Citizenship by birth, kinship, or descent. In a number of countries, you can obtain citizenship if you have various kinds of roots in that country: if you were born there, if your close relatives are from there, or if they live there.
• Marriage. You can apply for a second passport after you marry a citizen of the country.
• Citizenship by investment. This is now also a fairly popular way: you invest in real estate, business, or some important project, and you get citizenship. Often, it is possible to apply together with the family.