Have you ever considered what it would be like to gain citizenship from a second country by birthright? While this might not be possible for everyone, for many people, it is.
For those born in one country but moved to another after birth or at a very young age, or have family members born in or were nationals of a different country, certain nations will grant citizenship by birth.
If you’re interested in obtaining citizenship in another country or are just curious about the criteria for obtaining second citizenship, read on to learn more about the countries that recognize citizenship at birth.
This article will look at the requirements to acquire a second passport through birthright citizenship and the differences between citizenship by jus soli (right of soil) and citizenship by jus sanguinis (right of blood).
We’ll also discuss the benefits of dual citizenship and other ways to acquire a second citizenship.
What is citizenship by birth?
Citizenship by birth is the status of acquiring citizenship on a birth certificate from the moment of birth or having the eligibility to obtain it. This can occur either by the person’s parents or descendants being citizens of the country [jus sanguinis] or by jus soli, a Latin phrase meaning “right of soil,” which is a rule proclaiming that the place of birth determines the citizenship of a child.
In most cases, citizenship at birth is acquired automatically, but some countries enforce specific requirements or conditions to be met.
What is the difference between jus soli (right of soil) and jus sanguinis (right of blood)?
There are two ways a person can become a citizen of a country when they’re born: Jus soli, “right of soil,” or jus sanguinis, “right of blood.”
Jus soli defines citizenship as acquired from the country of a person’s birth, while jus sanguinis determines citizenship as inherited from parental blood relatives. In most cases, blood relatives refer to one genetic or gestational parent. It can also mean one or both parents, or legal parents by law, such as adoptive parents.
Besides citizenship of a country, a person can also automatically acquire citizenship from national identities of ethnic, cultural, or other origins, such as an Aboriginal tribe or Native Americans.
How is birthright citizenship determined?
Many countries will classify someone as a natural-born citizen, whether it’s a child born abroad with a citizen parent or a children born prior to a change in the nationality act. The laws governing citizenship status may have varying requirements, but all require that the child be either born within their territories (jus soli) or have a parental bloodline that was a citizen (jus sanguinis).
Jus soli
Jus soli is determined in two ways:
Unrestricted: Children born in the country are automatically citizens.
Restricted: In addition to being born in the country, the person must also meet conditions such as:
- A parent must have been born in the country
- Must have two citizen parents
- A parent must have been physically present in the country for a year before birth.
- The father must have been born in the country
- Must have a citizen mother
Jus sanguinis
Jus sanguinis can apply to a person born on foreign soil. It can be as simple as one parent born in the country. But like jus soli, most citizenship by birth countries have different requirements, which could be:
- Both parents were born in the country.
- One parent was born in the country and is a current resident.
- A member of the paternal side must be or have been a citizen.
- Parents have been married and physically present in the country for a specific number of years.
Other determinations
In almost all cases, persons born abroad to foreign diplomats or other government employees on active duty will acquire their parent’s citizenship.
Rare cases also exist where birthright citizenship is granted by a Supreme Court decision based on clear and convincing evidence of extenuating circumstances. This can be a stateless child due to unknown citizenship or a person born abroad with a legal parent through adoption.
For the most part, children who are born stateless will receive citizenship from most countries under certain circumstances like this. So for the sake of simplicity, we’ll keep the focus on the most common forms of citizenship by birth.
Birthright Citizenship Pros and Cons
Pros
- It’s faster and easier to claim citizenship by birth than through naturalization.
- Allows a child born abroad of immigrants to become a citizen without having to go through lengthy and complicated processes of naturalization themselves.
- It gives people a sense of belonging to a particular nation and gives them a strong sense of identity.
- It helps to preserve cultural ties and ensures that people without strong ties to their country of origin can become citizens.
- Entitles people to rights and privileges of a citizen, such as voting rights and access to government services
- Usually makes it easier to obtain a passport and travel to other countries
Cons
- Persons born abroad who obtain citizenship status in this way may not have a strong connection to their country of origin and may not feel very patriotic.
- Persons born abroad may not be familiar with their country’s customs and traditions, making many feel alienated.
- It can also result in discrimination against those without certain ancestors and create difficulties for people who have moved away from their birthplace or have parents of different nationalities.
- They may not have access to certain benefits available to naturalized citizens, such as financial assistance from the government.
Countries Which Allow Children to Acquire Citizenship by Birthright
Unrestricted citizenship by birth (jus soli)
North America
Antigua and Barbuda: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Barbados: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Belize: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Canada: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats.
Costa Rica: Automatically granted, except for child born of a government employee (requires registration with the Costa Rican government before the age of twenty-five)
Cuba: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Dominica: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Grenada: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Guatemala: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Honduras: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Jamaica: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Mexico: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Nicaragua: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Panama: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Saint Lucia: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Trinidad and Tobago: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
United States United States: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
South America
Argentina: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Bolivia: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Brazil: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Chile: Automatically granted, except for children of civil servants and transient foreigners
Ecuador: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Guyana: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Paraguay: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Peru: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats (registration required at 18 years of age)
Uruguay: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Venezuela: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Africa
Chad: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Tanzania: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Oceania
Tuvalu: Automatically granted, except for children of diplomats
Restricted citizenship by birth (jus soli)
North America
Dominican Republic: Excludes children born without a citizen mother or citizen father
El Salvador: Excludes children born without a citizen mother or citizen father
South America
Colombia: Excludes children born without a citizen mother or citizen father
Africa
Egypt: Excludes children whose mother or father was not born in Egypt
Morocco: Excludes children born of parents who were not born in Morocco
Namibia: Excludes children of born parents who are not citizens or permanent residents
São Tomé and Príncipe: Excludes children born of parents who are not citizens or permanent residents
South Africa: Excludes children born of parents who are not citizens or permanent residents
Sudan: Excludes a child born of a father who was not born in Sudan
Tunisia: Excludes a child born of a father and grandfather who were not born in Tunisia
Africa
Bahrain: Excludes a child born of a father who was not born in Bahrain and doesn’t hold permanent residency
Cambodia: Excludes children born of parents who are not legal residents
India: Requires one parent to have been born in India and the other parent to have been born in India or have a permanent residence permit
Japan: Excludes a child born to non-citizen parents
Pakistan: Excludes a child born to refugees
Malaysia: Excludes a child born of a mother or father who is not a citizen or permanent resident
Mongolia: Excludes children born of parents who are not legal residents
Taiwan: Excludes children born of non-citizen parents
Thailand: Requires a child’s mother or father to be a permanent resident and domiciled in the country for five years
Iran: Excludes a child born of a mother or father who was not born in Iran
Israel: Excludes a child born of a mother or father who was not born in Israel
Oceania
Australia: Requires a child’s mother or father to have been a citizen or permanent resident or the child to have lived the first ten years in Australia
Fiji: Excludes children without citizen mothers or citizen fathers
New Zealand: Excludes children whose mother or father was not a citizen or legal resident
Details to Obtain Citizenship by Birth in Europe
The answer to which country in Europe gives citizenship at birth is complex. Many countries in Europe recognize birthright citizenship. But although there is no need to go through a naturalization process, a standardized process doesn’t exist either.
Citizenship acquisition is mostly straightforward for children born in the country to parents born there or a parent’s naturalization. In other cases, various conditions may need to be fulfilled for birthright citizenship eligibility, which differs from country to country.
European nations apply a restricted citizenship-by-birth rule based on jus soli (right of soil) and jus sanguinis (right of blood). So to know which country in Europe gives citizenship at birth for specific criteria would require referring to the country’s nationality act.
Here is a list of the citizenship by birth countries in Europe and what is required to obtain it:
Belgium
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Belgium if:
- At least one parent was born in Belgium
- At least one parent had lived in Belgium for ten years
- At 18 years old, no other citizenship has been acquired since birth
- At least one parent was born in Belgium and had lived there for five years before birth
Cyprus
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Cyprus if:
- At least one parent was born in Cyprus or is a Cypriot citizen
France
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in France if:
- Born in France and one or both parents were born in French territory
- 18 years old and was born in France before 1 January 1994
- Born in France to parents born before independence in a former French sovereign colony/territory
- Born in France on or after 1 January 1994
- 18 years old and was physically present in France for a continuous period of at least five years since age 11
- Between 16 and 18 years old, was physically present in France for a continuous period of at least five years since age 11
- Between 13 and 16 years old and has been physically present in France since eight years old
Germany
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Germany if:
- Born in Germany and at least one married parent is a German national
- One parent was a German citizen at the time of birth.
- Born after 1 January 2000, and one or both parents were physically present in Germany for at least eight years with indefinite leave to remain
Greece
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Greece if:
- One parent is a Greek citizen
- Born in Greece, and at least one parent has been a legal resident in Greece for five years since birth
- Both parents have been legal residents in Greece for five years, and the child completes elementary education (six years)
Finland
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Finland if:
- The mother is a Finnish citizen and was at birth.
- The father is a Finnish citizen and is married to the mother.
Ireland
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Ireland if:
- Born in Ireland before 1 January 2005
- Born in Ireland, and the mother or father is an Irish citizen, a British citizen, a resident with indefinite leave to remain, or a resident who has been physically present in Ireland for at least three of the preceding four years
- One parent is an Irish citizen and was born in Ireland.
Italy
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Italy if:
- 18 years old and has been permanently domiciled in Italy since birth
- 21 or older and was permanently domiciled in Italy for at least three years since 18 years old
- A paternal descendant was an Italian citizen.
- Born after 1 January 1948 and a maternal descendant was an Italian citizen
Luxembourg
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Luxembourg if:
- One parent was born in Luxembourg.
- One parent is a Luxembourg citizen.
- 18 years old, and both parents were physically present in Luxembourg in the 12 months preceding birth
- 18 years old and has lived continuously in Luxembourg for the five years preceding their 18th birthday
Portugal
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Portugal if:
- One of the parents is a Portuguese citizen.
- One parent resided in Portugal as a legal resident for at least one year before birth.
Spain
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Spain if:
- One parent is a Spanish citizen.
Sweden
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Sweden if:
- Born after 1 April 2015, and at least one parent is a Swedish citizen.
- Born before 1 April 2015 and the child’s father was a Swedish citizen and was married to the mother.
- Born in Sweden before 1 April 2015 and the father was a Swedish citizen.
- Born after 1 July 1979 and before 1 April 2015 and the child’s mother was a Swedish citizen.
Malta
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Malta if:
- One parent was born in Malta or is a Maltese citizen.
- Born in Malta after 25 September 1964 and before 1 August 2000
United Kingdom
Citizenship by birthright can be obtained in Malta if:
- Born after 31 December 1982 and before 1 July 2006 and the mother was a British citizen or legal resident
- Born after 31 December 1982 and before 1 July 2006, and the father was a British citizen or legal resident and was married to the mother
- Ten years old and has not spent more than 90 days outside the country since birth
- Born after 1 July 2006, and the mother was a British citizen or legal resident
Alternative Methods of Obtaining Citizenship
You’ve read the list of some of the countries that provide citizenship at birth and what they require to grant it, but if you don’t have a claim to birthright citizenship, there are several alternative methods of acquiring a second or multiple citizenships.
Citizenship by naturalization
Leaving aside citizenship by birthright, naturalization is the most common way people obtain citizenship. Naturalization usually involves an individual remaining a permanent legal resident in the country for a certain number of years, after that being eligible to apply for citizenship.
Many people ask, “if my child is born in the USA can I get a green card”? The answer is yes, providing you meet certain eligibility requirements. After maintaining a lawful permanent residence for five years, you can apply for US citizenship.
Becoming a lawful permanent resident in Europe long enough to lead to citizenship can be tricky. It often takes a long and earnest commitment, such as marriage or having children. If you’re fortunate, a company will sponsor your work visa long enough for you to be naturalized.
The easiest way to become a legal resident and obtain citizenship is through the Golden Visa Program. Countries like Cyprus offers this program which allows individuals to invest money into the economy in return for a residence visa.
With an investment of €300,000 ($320,000) into an asset in Cyprus, such as real estate, you will gain residency. There is a range of investment options on the table, one of the great advantages of the program. The Golden Visa can be renewed until you’re eligible for Cypriot citizenship after seven years.
Citizenship-by-investment
The fastest way for American citizens to gain citizenship other than by birthright is citizenship-by-investment. The Maltese government will expedite a citizenship application and process a European passport in just 36 months with an investment of €600,000 ($640,000) and in just 12 months with an investment of €750,000 ($800,000) in the Maltese economy.
Aside from the main investment, there are three total investments that need to be made. Check out this article for more information on Malta’s citizenship-by-investment program.
These alternative methods to gain citizenship are the ideal ways to become a citizen of a country you might not otherwise be eligible.
Whether you’re applying for United States citizenship or Japanese citizenship, each country has its prerequisites to grant citizenship by birthright. The legislation around citizenship often changes, so it’s essential to research the laws of any country you’re considering.
Frequently Asked Questions about Citizenship by Birth
Which European countries grant citizenship by birth?
All countries in the European Union grant citizenship by birthright in the form of jus sanguinis (citizenship by descent) for persons born abroad or a combination of jus sanguinis and jus soli (persons born in the country’s territory). European countries also grant citizenship to a person born in the country with stateless citizenship status.
Are you eligible for citizenship by birth?
You are eligible for citizenship by birth if you were born in the country or have descendants who were born in or are citizens of the country.
What are some examples of citizenship by birth?
Some examples of citizenship by birth are:
- People born in the country
- People with one or both parents born in the country
- People who have two citizen parents of the country
- People whose parents are natural-born citizens of the country
- People with one parent who was born in the country and one of the parents resided in the country as a legal resident for one year prior to birth
- People born in the country and the mother or father resided in the country as a legal resident at the time of birth
- People who have a citizen father
- People born in the country with a naturalized parent
- People who have married parents and a citizen father
- People who are 18 years old and were born in the country, and have been legal permanent residents since birth
- Persons born prior to a change in the law and the parents were not foreign nationals in the two years prior to birth
What are two types of citizenship by birth?
Two types of citizenship by birth are:
Jus soli: You have the right to citizenship of the place you were born in.
Jus sanguinis: You have the right to the citizenship of your descendants.
What is citizenship by birth called?
Citizenship by birth has two names:
Jus soli: Based on the right to citizenship of the place you were born in.
Jus sanguinis: Based on the right to the citizenship of your descendants.
What countries give citizenship at birth?
The United States will give citizenship at birth to any born on US soil, such as a child born in the USA to foreign parents. Other countries that grant citizenship at birth are Canada and most South and Central American countries like Panama and Brazil.
Is my citizenship determined by where I was born?
Whether or not your citizenship is determined by where you were born depends on the country you were born in. If you were born in the United States, based on the 14th amendment, you are a US citizen by birthright. Whereas if you were born in Spain, you would on be classed as a citizen of Spain if one of your parents is a Spanish citizen.
Another example is a child born abroad to a US-citizen father can claim US citizenship, provided that the father was a US citizen and resident before birth.
How does birth citizenship work?
Birthright citizenship works by either granting citizenship to a person born in the country or granting it to a person with blood relatives who were born in or are citizens of the country.