Philippine Lists Category of People Who Do Not Need to Reacquire Citizenship
- Philippine law under RA 9225 does not require all dual nationals to file for citizenship reacquisition
- Citizens who marry foreigners and those born abroad to Filipino parents may fall outside the reacquisition requirement
- Children born in the Philippines to Filipino mothers and alien fathers may also qualify as dual citizens under certain conditions
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Not every Philippine citizen who holds foreign citizenship is required to apply for reacquisition under Republic Act 9225.
The law only covers those who lost their Philippine citizenship through naturalisation in another country. Several categories of individuals are exempt from this process entirely.
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Who is exempt from reacquisition
The first group covers Philippine citizens who marry nationals of other countries. If the laws of the foreign spouse's country automatically grant citizenship to the Philippine spouse, that individual does not need to file for reacquisition, provided they did not voluntarily give up their Philippine citizenship through an act or omission, such as swearing an oath of allegiance to another state.
The second group includes people born abroad to Filipino fathers and/or mothers in countries that recognise citizenship by place of birth, known as the principle of jus soli.
These individuals become dual citizens at birth, holding both Philippine citizenship through their parents and foreign citizenship through the country where they were born.
However, it is important to note that dual citizens by birth, whether through jus soli or jus sanguinis, are still required to file a Report of Birth before the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate.
Failing to do so does not strip them of their citizenship but remains an official obligation under Philippine law.
The third group applies to children born in the Philippines to Filipino mothers and alien fathers, where the laws of the father's country also recognise those children as its citizens.
Such children are considered dual citizens from birth and are therefore not required to go through the reacquisition process under RA 9225.
Key distinction under RA 9225
The common thread across all three exemptions is that Philippine citizenship was never formally renounced or lost through naturalisation. RA 9225, formally known as the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, was designed specifically to restore citizenship to Filipinos who naturalised abroad.
Those who retained their Philippine citizenship by operation of law or by birth do not fall within the scope of that legislation.
Filipinos who are unsure whether they fall under any of these exemptions are advised to consult the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate for guidance on their specific circumstances.
Philippines publishes 2 citizenship routes for foreigners
Legit.ng earlier reported that foreign nationals who want to become Philippine citizens have two formal legal routes open to them. Each with its own conditions and eligibility criteria.
Source: Legit.ng
