The U.S. allows for its citizens and citizens of other nations who qualify for U.S. citizenship to hold dual citizenship. While the United States permits citizens to hold dual nationality, there are nations that do not. If you are from a country that does not allow dual citizenship and you wish to obtain U.S. citizenship, you will lose your current citizenship when you become a U.S. citizen. Check with your department of state to verify whether or not you can hold dual nationalities. The application process for dual citizenship in the U.S. is no different than the regular application for citizenship.
Instructions
1. Identify a connection. You cannot just "apply" for dual citizenship to the United States, or any country for that matter. You must have a connection in order to apply for citizenship. In the United States, you can apply for citizenship either through family connection, marriage, or by a minimum length of legal residency (legal through a work or residency visa for at least 5 years). If you do not qualify under one of these connections, you are not eligible (yet) to apply for U.S. citizenship.
2. Apply for citizenship through family connection. Children under the age of 18 adopted by a U.S. citizen automatically gain U.S. citizenship, as do children born to a U.S. citizen on foreign soil. However, for those who wish to immigrate into the United States as relatives of U.S. citizens who are either above the age of 18 or are a non-immediate family member, application for citizenship cannot occur until the Petition for Alien Relatives, form I-130, has been both filed, granted, and followed by the I-485 application which grants permanent residency. Only after 5 years of permanent residency can an immigrant to the United States apply for citizenship.
3. Apply for citizenship through marriage. Spouses of U.S. citizens who are living in the United States can apply for citizenship after 3 years of marriage. If you are neither married nor in the United States yet, you will need to file a petition to receive the K-1 fiancé visa, marry the U.S. citizen within 90 days of entry on the visa, and apply for permanent residency (also the I-485 form). After three years of legal permanent residency you can apply for citizenship.
4. Complete the N-400 form. The form can be found at the USCIS website (refer to resources below) print and complete the form. Never lie on a government form. Attached with your application form, you must include a $595.00 application fee in the form of check or money order made payable to the Department of Homeland Security. At the time of your interview, you will also be required to submit a biometrics fee of $75.00.
5. File the application for citizenship. You must file your N-400 application for naturalization with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) filing center that holds jurisdiction over your area. There are two filing centers in the U.S.: if you live in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Guam, or the Northern Mariana Islands, file your application through the Phoenix, Arizona center, all others file through the Lewisville, Texas center.
USCIS
P.O. Box 21251
Phoenix, AZ 85036
USCIS
P.O. Box 299026
Lewisville, TX 75029
6. Attend the appointed interview and examination for naturalization. After submission of your N-400, it will be reviewed and you will be scheduled to attend an interview at the nearest USCIS center. At the interview, you must pass an English and civics exam as well as provide biometrics data. Upon completion and satisfactory results of the exam and interview, you will be asked to swear an oath of citizenship, and will then be granted documentation of U.S. citizenship.
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