Dual Citizenship Philippines

CITIZENSHIP BY BIRTH

Philippine citizenship by birth is available to the following categories of persons:

• those born on or after October 15, 1986 to at least one Philippine citizen parent at the time of birth;
• those born on or after January 17, 1973 to at least one Philippine citizen parent at the time of birth or the person elected Philippine citizenship pursuant to the 1935 Constitution;
• those born on or after May 14, 1935 to a father who was a Philippine citizen, or a mother who was a Philippine citizen and the person elected Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of the 1935 Constitution;
• those born on or after August 29, 1916 and prior to May 14, 1935 and at least one parent was a resident of the Philippine Islands and a Spanish subject on April 11, 1899, or the person was a resident of the Philippine Islands and a Spanish subject on April 11, 1899, except in certain cases.

CITIZENSHIP BY NATURALIZATION

Those meeting the following requirements may apply for naturalization:

• He/she must not be less than twenty-one (21) years of age on the day of the hearing of the petition;
• He/she must have resided in the Philippines for a continuous period of not less than ten (10) years;
• He/she must be of good moral character and believes in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution, and must have conducted himself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of his residence in the Philippines in his relation with the constituted government as well as with the community in which he is living;
• He/she must own real estate in the Philippines worth not less than five thousand (5000) pesos, Philippine currency, or must have some known lucrative trade, profession, or lawful occupation;
• He/she must be able to speak or write English or Spanish or anyone of the principal languages;
• He/she must have enrolled his minor children of school age in any of the public or private schools recognized by the Bureau of Public Schools of the Philippines where Philippine history, government and civics are taught or prescribed as part of the school curriculum, during the entire period of the residence in the Philippines required of him prior to the hearing of the petition for naturalization as Philippine citizen.

REACQUISITION OF CITIZENSHIP

Since 2003, those who lost Philippine citizenship by naturalizing in another country such as the U.S. can reacquire Philippine citizenship by taking an oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines before a Philippine consular officer. Once Philippine citizenship is reacquired, all civil, economic and political rights are available as Filipinos. Minor children of those reacquiring Philippine citizenship will also become citizens.