More Fil-Ams are applying for dual citizenship

A trend has emerged among naturalized American citizens of Filipino descent since the COVID-19 pandemic: An increasing number of dual citizenship reacquisitions and applications.

Ricarte Abejuela, head of the Legalization Department and Dual Citizenship Section at the Philippine Consulate in New York, told Inquirer.net USA that the surge of dual citizenship applications began during the pandemic.

Abejuela said the increased demand for dual citizenship was “an immediate effect of the lockdown in the Philippines during the height of the (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020.”

The Balikbayan program by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Disease, which allowed former Filipino citizens to visit the Philippines without the requirements for foreign nationals, was halted to alleviate COVID-19 risks. 

The Balikbayan privilege was suspended and “only Philippine citizens were allowed entry into the Philippines,” Abejuela said. “US citizens who were former Filipinos could not enter the Philippines as balikbayans, thus the surge in the increase in dual citizenship petitions.” 

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The demand decreased when the Philippines eased the restrictions and once again allowed the entry of foreign visitors, but there has been sustained interest in dual citizenship, with an average of 5,000 per year since 2022, Abejuela said.

Navigating the dual citizenship process

Under Republic Act No. 9225, natural-born Filipinos who lost their Filipino citizenship through naturalization in a foreign country may re-acquire Filipino citizenship by taking the Philippine Oath of Allegiance before a duly authorized Philippine official. 

Filipinos who have re-acquired their Filipino citizenship under this Act may once again enjoy full civil and political rights under the Philippines’ existing laws, including the right to:

• Vote in the Philippine national elections  
• Own land and property in the Philippines  
• Engage in business or commerce as a Filipino  
• Travel bearing a Filipino passport  

More information on how to apply for dual citizenship is available here.