My Move to the Philippines

I recently received a comment on the post I wrote awhile back about my wife becoming a U.S./Philippine Dual Citizen and I want to clear up any misconceptions others may have gotten. I’ll just post the the comment and my reply in this post with an important link for you all to read. Here is the comment string:

Comment: i know this article has been a few years already…but im confused. i was looking into getting the dual citizenship but when i took my oath for my US citizenship…i know i read somewhere, that although the US allows dual citizenship, an individual can be stripped of their US citizenship after naturalizing. and one of those ways was if the individual swore an oath to another country. from what i’ve read on the requirements for the DC, a naturalized US citizen is in danger of getting their citizenship revoked because of having to take another oath to the Philippines. im just wondering why it’s not like other countries that even though you get your US citizenship, you automatically retain your citizenship from where you were born. no submitting forms or re-taking an oath of allegiance.

also…as far as i know, as long as you were born in the Philippines, even if you naturalized as a US citizen, you will be able to buy as much land as you can. i know so because my mom was a naturalized citizen born in the Philippines. but throughout all these years, she’s bought numerous parcels of land without any problems.

My reply: “If you do a little Googling you will see that there are court cases and legal summations on this subject. The rulings have always determined that for anyone to lose their U.S. citizenship they must appear before an official and VOLUNTARILY give it up. Here’s more info: Advice about Possible Loss of US Citizenship and Dual Nationality”

The way I look at it is if someone becomes a dual citizen the worst case scenario is they get a call from an Embassy official asking if they took the oath of another country WITH THE INTENT of giving up U.S. citizenship. If the dual citizen says no, then no problem.

As far as I know this has never happened and if it has please someone let me know the details. Again if you are considering dual citizenship and feel uncomfortable with it you make the decision that makes you feel comfortable.

Disclaimer: I am not a legal professional and only provide this as general information. Please consult a legal expert for a professional opinion.

As you know from my previous posts that my wife is a dual citizen of the Philippines/US. Recently we received in the mail a ballot for the upcoming Presidential election. My wife was pleased that she could get the chance to vote because she didn’t expect it. I’m not sure if she voted prior to moving to the states but once again she is glad to be included in the voting process.

She pretty much knew who she wanted to vote for because of our recent trip to the Philippines where you couldn’t avoid the billboards, posters, and TV commercials for all the leading candidates. Even the kids got into it by shouting a certain candidate’s name all the time, probably taught to them by their parents.

I think since we finally got our house built over there and have lived in it for a little while she is getting more comfortable with getting involved in Filipino politics and current events. I’m sure since I’m a political junkie and news junkie I have helped her with that.

If you are a dual citizen or filipino citizen living in the states, did you get an absentee ballot in the mail? If not ,maybe you have moved and didn’t inform the Embassy of your current address. You may want to do that so you can get important information and papers such as the ballot.

On September 17, 2003 President Arroyo signed Republic Act 9225, Citizenship Retention and Re-acqusition Act of 2003 also known as the Dual Citizenship bill. This act declares that former natural born Filipino citizens who acguired foreign citizenship through naturalization are deemed not to have lost their Philippine citizenship.

The procedure for reacquiring/retaining their Philippine citizenship begins with proving he/she is a natural born Filipino by acquiring an NSO-authenicated copy of his or her birth certificate. The birth certificate is submitted with the Petition of Dual Citizenship and Issuance of Identification Certificate form and (3) 2″X2″ photos. These items are then turned in to a Philippine Consulate/Embassy with a copy of a valid ID. If married and the citizen wants to retain their married name a copy of the marriage certificate must be included. There is also a US $50 processing fee to be paid with submission. After turning in the forms you have to schedule an appointment to take the Philippine Oath of Allegiance by a consular officer. Foreign spouses of Filipino citizens cannot become citizens under this act but unmarried minor children under 18 years old retain the same rights as the dual citizen.

There are a few advantages that my wife and I can see to her obtaining dual citizenship. First, with her being a Filipino citizen/dual citizen I can stay longer without a visa because I will be eligible to enter the country as a Balikbayan. I would be able to stay for one year without a visa vice the 21 days I can now. Secondly she has no limits on the amount of land/real estate she can own.

There is a government website that answers just about every question you would have on this act and it can be accessed at http://www.gov.ph/faqs/dualcitizenship.asp . So what do you think? Are there any disadvantages of getting dual citizenship or do you see other advantages that I missed?