# Dual Citizenship Post Brexit



## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

It has been reported in the PT media that Angela Merkel has told UK expats living in Germany that she will give them dual citizenship following the Brexit decision. She has also told Hollande that France should do the same.

So how about it Portugal?


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Your assumption is that the UK will allow expats to have dual citizenship in these specific cases whereas they may force them to relinquish their UK citizenship.


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## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

Strontium said:


> Your assumption is that the UK will allow expats to have dual citizenship in these specific cases whereas they may force them to relinquish their UK citizenship.


Can they do that? Surely as a person born in the UK I am entitled to UK citizenship. If it so easy for them to deny me my birthright, why on earth is it that there are so many illegals in the country that we are not able to deport as they claim to have 'lost' their papers?

I do not want to get into an us and them argument here. I am genuinely asking, how a government can relinquish citizenship to someone born in the country with pure British lineage. Well as far back as the Huguenots anyway!


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Some countries do indeed forbid dual citizenship but I don't think the UK is one of them.


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## RichardHenshall (Jul 26, 2009)

JohnBoy said:


> ... I am genuinely asking, how a government can relinquish citizenship ...


The government makes the rules but the individual takes the action. The US Dept of State, for example, says


> However, a person who acquires a foreign nationality by applying for it may lose U.S. nationality. In order to lose U.S. nationality, the law requires that the person must apply for the foreign nationality voluntarily, by free choice, and with the intention to give up U.S. nationality.


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## HKG3 (Jan 11, 2015)

JohnBoy said:


> Can they do that? Surely as a person born in the UK I am entitled to UK citizenship. If it so easy for them to deny me my birthright, why on earth is it that there are so many illegals in the country that we are not able to deport as they claim to have 'lost' their papers?
> 
> I do not want to get into an us and them argument here. I am genuinely asking, how a government can relinquish citizenship to someone born in the country with pure British lineage. Well as far back as the Huguenots anyway!


The UK government can remove British Citizenship from those who were born in the UK - 

https://www.thebureauinvestigates.c...zenship-was-everything-to-me-now-i-am-nobody/


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## azoreseuropa (Nov 10, 2013)

I born in Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal and a Portuguese Citizen but I have an American Citizen too that I passed the test in 1999 when I was young. Yes, I have dual citizenship.


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## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

Thanks everyone for your interesting replies.

HKG3, the article states, "Under current legislation, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has the power to strip dual nationals of their British citizenship if she deems their presence in the UK ‘not conducive to the public good’, or if their nationality was gained on fraudulent grounds." It continues, "[Theresa] May recently won a Commons vote paving the way to allow her to strip the citizenship of foreign-born or naturalised UK nationals even if it rendered them stateless."

From that, I can't see that any true Brits have anything to worry about for now at least.


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Presently the UK allows dual citizenship but, as noted above, some other countries forbid it.

With the idea of Brexit partly being to have more control over their UK borders and who can enter and leave then after the UK / EU separation it can be seen that acquiring dual UK / EU citizenship will be one way to not being subject to the new border controls, ie. being a loophole which needs to be closed. As a sovereign nation the UK Gov can then enact a new law forbidding dual EU / UK citizenship and/or modify the present reason for removing UK citizenship "not conducive to the public good or bypassing UK national border controls " .


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

As an addendum.......have a look at the British Forum on this very website for the confusion/despair the present UK border and immigration processes produce for present non EU nationals. It would be quite feasible that each separate negotiation between each EU nation and the UK produce 27 differing sets of immigration rules.


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## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

Strontium said:


> Presently the UK allows dual citizenship but, as noted above, some other countries forbid it.
> 
> With the idea of Brexit partly being to have more control over their UK borders and who can enter and leave then after the UK / EU separation it can be seen that acquiring dual UK / EU citizenship will be one way to not being subject to the new border controls, ie. being a loophole which needs to be closed. As a sovereign nation the UK Gov can then enact a new law forbidding dual EU / UK citizenship and/or modify the present reason for removing UK citizenship "not conducive to the public good or bypassing UK national border controls " .



An interesting and cleverly developed thought Strontium. Are you a lawyer by any chance?


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

A vile accusation - now go wash your mouth out. I have lived/worked/studied in many places over many years so have endured the meaningless vulgarities of immigration officers of many regimes. And managed to be classed as an illegal immigrant in the good ole US of A.


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## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

Strontium said:


> A vile accusation - now go wash your mouth out. I have lived/worked/studied in many places over many years so have endured the meaningless vulgarities of immigration officers of many regimes. And managed to be classed as an illegal immigrant in the good ole US of A.


Mouth washed out, wrist well and truly slapped. Can I come back in now please, pretty please?

You and me together as far as the US is concerned though they did let me in again this year. A couple of years ago they tried to deport me for under staying on a visa. Yes, you did read that correctly. UNDER not over, but they were wrong anyway. I was trying to enter via Orlando when I was led away to be interviewed. Several years previously, I had a three week study visa and they claimed that I had left the US after only 10 days. How dare I! As it happened, I had fallen ill after 10 days and was unable to complete the course but still stayed on for the three weeks. Thankfully, the college had sent an email to them to that effect. It took them three hours to realise the mistake and set me free rather than put me on the next plane back.


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