If I become an Irish citizen by foreign birth registration, will I be required to forego my US citizenship?

No idea about Ireland, but the US allows for dual-citizenship.

I am too! I don’t even know about the UK but in French Kiss Meg Ryan’s character was applying for Canadian citizenship and had to renounce her US citizenship. Most of my knowledge of the US comes from you lot and films…

@Stinley

You probably shouldn’t count on movies to give you an accurate view. I’ve had friends who have come from Canada and become US citizens. And I’ve had friends go from the US and become Canadian citizens. None have been required to renounce one to obtain the other.

My American sister lived in Canada for a number of years. She worked in a provincial hospital where taking an oath of loyalty to the Queen was required. She asked the US Embassy if this would have any effect on her US citizenship, and they said it would. She did not take the oath and was hired on a temporary basis for short-term contracts over and over again.

I had friends in Australia who held both US and Australian passports, meaning they had dual citizenships. They all said they got away with it by simply not telling either side they had another passport.

I had friends in Japan whose children got passports from Japan and the US. Like my friends in Australia, they simply did not tell either side about the other passport.

It is my understanding, which is not based on any knowledge of relevant law, that the official stance of the US is against dual citizenship status.

I would ask an immigration lawyer.

@Hawaii_Jake “It is my understanding, which is not based on any knowledge of relevant law, that the official stance of the US is against dual citizenship status.”

That’s not the case whatsoever and there have been millions of Americans who have held dual-citizenships.

@Darth_Algar You very well may be correct. Can we get some evidence, please? My knowledge is anecdotal based on knowing people who carried 2 passports. They had to go to some lengths to keep both.

@Hawaii_Jake

There may be something about holding multiple passports simultaneously, but passports and citizenship are separate things altogether.

My grandmother hold dual citizenship: US (birth) and Ireland. Her mother was born in Ireland and she was able to apply for Irish citizenship as an adult.

Irish web site on the subject says you can retain your US citizenship when adding Irish citizenship.

Damned closed adoption…

I worked with a guy that had a “dirty” passport USA and a “clean” one to travel. He did business in both Israel and Saudi Arabia. The dirty one had been used for trips into Israel.

@Darth_Algar The US Immigration service states that you must be a US citizen to obtain a US passport. For US passports at least, holding a passport and being a citizen are the same.

Again, I’m not an expert, but I’ve known very few individuals with dual citizenship. Most were children of a marriage between 2 people with different citizenships.

@Hawaii_Jake

Yes, you must be a US citizen to obtain a US passport, but a passport is not at all the same thing as citizenship. For example: I am a lifelong citizen of the United States, born in Kentucky, raised in Illinois, to parts who were both lifelong US citizens and in my 39 years of being a US citizen I have never held nor applied for a passport.

@Darth_Algar I can understand that. I have traveled a lot including living overseas for many years. It’s common among expats to ask what passport one carries, meaning where is your citizenship. It’s kind of slang.

And slang is not the law.

I wasn’t trying to equate it with law. It’s just a way to use words.

Oh, I must have misread your insistence that passports and citizenship are the same thing.

Anyway, like I said, there may be laws about holding two passports (I can see good reason for that really), but the US does allow dual-citizenship.

Passports are very interesting things actually. They have some uses even after they’ve expired. They can prove citizenship even after the expiration date has passed, and they can still be used for identification purposes in some instances. They are quite valuable.

I would love to have dual citizenship and hold another passport. I think Australia or New Zealand would be nice.

@Stinley and others, this website states that dual citizenship is allowed.

My kids have dual citizenship UK and US and so does their father. We got it for them after 9/11 so they would have options in case of war. Today, those options have lessened.

Wonder if the Brexit will affect patriality.

My grandmother was a British subject, even though she lived in the US from 1923 until she died in 1974. Knowing that British patriality laws allowed me to claim being a subject of the Crown was always a nice hole card. Now it might be worthless.

@zenvelo I wouldn’t think it would change that but I did think that one’s parent, rather than one’s grandparent, had to be British. Might be wrong.

You would still be eligible to apply, but the doors it opens are now limited, thanks to Brexit. UNLESS you are actually Irish Irish. The Republic of Ireland is NOT effected by the Brexit. Try to remember than it is only Northern Ireland that is part of the UK.

There are some funky laws, but I think Ireland is one of the counties that allows two passports. I know for a fact that Norway does. My brother in law, who is very Norwegian, happened to be born in Alaska while his family where there, so he has and American passport and votes in the Presidential Election.

Brexit was just a vote. If there’s a way to add EU citizenship, you might have time before there’s any legal effect of Brexit.

@Zaku you might have time before there’s any legal effect of Brexit

Especially if they get a do-over.

UPDATE

Just received a reply from Ireland’s Passport office: I would _not _ be required to give up my US citizenship.

Now all I need to do is to get my grandfather’s documents. That should only take about six months or so…