Filipino Passport/ Regain Citizenship

[Mr Lee]

I have been wondering, if a Filipino citizen never has to give up their Philippines passport to become a citizen of another country, then would they not still be a citizen of the Philippines too, and how would the Philippines even know about their other passport except based on their entry to the country?  So where am I going with this, if a Philippine citizen just renews their passports then they should be able to own land and then be considered a dual citizen and dual passport holder and therefore not have to go through the red tape of getting dual citizenship again the other way. Am I wrong? and if so why? 

[Tom in Texas]

I have been wondering, if a Filipino citizen never has to give up their Philippines passport to become a citizen of another country, then would they not still be a citizen of the Philippines too, and how would the Philippines even know about their other passport except based on their entry to the country? So where am I going with this, if a Philippine citizen just renews their passports then they should be able to own land and then be considered a dual citizen and dual passport holder and therefore not have to go through the red tape of getting dual citizenship again the other way. Am I wrong? and if so why?

Hi Lee,I have wondered the same thing. When my wife acquired her U.S. citizenship about a year ago, at no point in the process did anything appear to have occurred that would have impacted her RP citizenship. She still has her RP passport, although it has since expired.When we were last in the RP she simply entered and left on her U.S. passport... no problems.I had intended to jump through the hoops to get her dual citizenship (i.e., reacquire her RP citizenship)... but then, I began thinking the same as you... how and when did she lose her RP citizenship?? Why not just renew her RP passport??The following info was posted elsewhere... and I have not looked into its veracity or its impact on this question... but if correct, it would seem that RP citizens naturalized post 2003 in the U.S. would instantly become "dual citizens" without taking any action whatsoever:In September 2003, President Arroyo signed the Dual Citizenship bill, Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 (Republic Act No. 9225). So maybe if you became a US Citizen after 2003, you don't automatically lose your Philippine Citizenship.quote from: http://www.usimmigra...itizenship.html"The U.S. government allows dual citizenship. United States law recognizes U.S. Dual Citizenship, but the U.S. government does not encourage it is as a matter of policy due to the problems that may arise from it. It is important to understand that a foreign citizen does NOT lose his or her citizenship when becoming a U.S. citizen. An individual that becomes a U.S. citizen through naturalization may keep his or her original citizenship. However, as some countries do not recognize dual citizenship, it is important to consider it carefully before applying for U.S. citizenship."Tom in Texas

[stef]

I have been wondering, if a Filipino citizen never has to give up their Philippines passport to become a citizen of another country, then would they not still be a citizen of the Philippines too, and how would the Philippines even know about their other passport except based on their entry to the country? So where am I going with this, if a Philippine citizen just renews their passports then they should be able to own land and then be considered a dual citizen and dual passport holder and therefore not have to go through the red tape of getting dual citizenship again the other way. Am I wrong? and if so why?

i think you are wrong ( but then again so could i) when my wife got her British citizenship she had to inform the Philippine embassy and then take a oath of allegiance to the republic of the Philippines she was then issued with a new Philippine passport ( her old one was still in date ) this made her a dual citizen . this took all of 5 mins to do the oath and cost around £50 + cost of new passport . at the time i also found this strange why not just keep renew your Philippine passport ?but the British government will inform the Philippine embassy that she is now a British citizen as the home office has been making checks with them regarding the application for British citizenship.(so if you do not take the oath your passport renewal will be refused and the one you hold becomes invalid)You will also find when buying land here if the seller knows you hold a foreign citizenship they will ask to see your Philippine passport and oath of allegiance document.so to sum up i think it is easier to just get it done while in your home country.hope this helps

[stef]

I have been wondering, if a Filipino citizen never has to give up their Philippines passport to become a citizen of another country, then would they not still be a citizen of the Philippines too, and how would the Philippines even know about their other passport except based on their entry to the country? So where am I going with this, if a Philippine citizen just renews their passports then they should be able to own land and then be considered a dual citizen and dual passport holder and therefore not have to go through the red tape of getting dual citizenship again the other way. Am I wrong? and if so why?

Hi Lee,I have wondered the same thing. When my wife acquired her U.S. citizenship about a year ago, at no point in the process did anything appear to have occurred that would have impacted her RP citizenship. She still has her RP passport, although it has since expired.When we were last in the RP she simply entered and left on her U.S. passport... no problems.I had intended to jump through the hoops to get her dual citizenship (i.e., reacquire her RP citizenship)... but then, I began thinking the same as you... how and when did she lose her RP citizenship?? Why not just renew her RP passport??The following info was posted elsewhere... and I have not looked into its veracity or its impact on this question... but if correct, it would seem that RP citizens naturalized post 2003 in the U.S. would instantly become "dual citizens" without taking any action whatsoever:In September 2003, President Arroyo signed the Dual Citizenship bill, Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 (Republic Act No. 9225). So maybe if you became a US Citizen after 2003, you don't automatically lose your Philippine Citizenship.quote from: http://www.usimmigra...itizenship.html"The U.S. government allows dual citizenship. United States law recognizes U.S. Dual Citizenship, but the U.S. government does not encourage it is as a matter of policy due to the problems that may arise from it. It is important to understand that a foreign citizen does NOT lose his or her citizenship when becoming a U.S. citizen. An individual that becomes a U.S. citizen through naturalization may keep his or her original citizenship. However, as some countries do not recognize dual citizenship, it is important to consider it carefully before applying for U.S. citizenship."Tom in Texas

tom this is the same in the UK but the Philippine government does not agreed with this statement as it is the British government who States this not them. ( maybe different in the USA ) so you have to take the oath of allegiance to be a dual citizen (Philippine/British)

[Mr Lee]

I have been wondering, if a Filipino citizen never has to give up their Philippines passport to become a citizen of another country, then would they not still be a citizen of the Philippines too, and how would the Philippines even know about their other passport except based on their entry to the country?  So where am I going with this, if a Philippine citizen just renews their passports then they should be able to own land and then be considered a dual citizen and dual passport holder and therefore not have to go through the red tape of getting dual citizenship again the other way. Am I wrong? and if so why?

i think you are wrong ( but then again so could i) when my wife got her British citizenship she had to inform the Philippine embassy and then take a oath of allegiance to the republic of the Philippines she was then issued with a new Philippine passport ( her old one was still in date ) this made her a dual citizen . this took all of 5 mins to do the oath and cost around £50 + cost of new passport . at the time i also found this strange why not just keep renew your Philippine passport ?but the British government will inform the Philippine embassy that she is now a British citizen  as the home office has been making checks with them regarding the application for British citizenship.(so if you do not take the oath your passport renewal will be refused and the one you hold becomes invalid)You will also find when buying land here if the seller knows you hold a foreign citizenship they will ask to see your Philippine passport and oath of allegiance document.so to sum up i think it is easier to just get it done while in your home country.hope this helps

Thank you for the information. In my wifes case I had her renew her passport years ago while we were in the Philippines for the just in case of it, and they renewed it with no problem. My wifes is a US citizen and her Philippine passport showed entry stamps into the US but no entry stamps back into the Philippines. Her passport has now expired again and I am thinking of having her renew it again on our next trip over and no matter what the situation might be, having her Philippine passport for id cannot hurt her in any way that I can think of (anyone know otherwise?) and then the next time we enter the Philippines I was thinking of having her show her Philippine passport once the office stamps her US passport and mine Balikbayan, and ask him if he needs to stamp that as well. I am not sure what will happen but I have been told by others that is what they did and both passports were then stamped upon entry.  Question for all who might know, is the new Philippine dual citizen passport a different color than the regular Philippine passport? 

[stef]

I have been wondering, if a Filipino citizen never has to give up their Philippines passport to become a citizen of another country, then would they not still be a citizen of the Philippines too, and how would the Philippines even know about their other passport except based on their entry to the country? So where am I going with this, if a Philippine citizen just renews their passports then they should be able to own land and then be considered a dual citizen and dual passport holder and therefore not have to go through the red tape of getting dual citizenship again the other way. Am I wrong? and if so why?

i think you are wrong ( but then again so could i) when my wife got her British citizenship she had to inform the Philippine embassy and then take a oath of allegiance to the republic of the Philippines she was then issued with a new Philippine passport ( her old one was still in date ) this made her a dual citizen . this took all of 5 mins to do the oath and cost around £50 + cost of new passport . at the time i also found this strange why not just keep renew your Philippine passport ?but the British government will inform the Philippine embassy that she is now a British citizen as the home office has been making checks with them regarding the application for British citizenship.(so if you do not take the oath your passport renewal will be refused and the one you hold becomes invalid)You will also find when buying land here if the seller knows you hold a foreign citizenship they will ask to see your Philippine passport and oath of allegiance document.so to sum up i think it is easier to just get it done while in your home country.hope this helps

Thank you for the information. In my wifes case I had her renew her passport years ago while we were in the Philippines for the just in case of it, and they renewed it with no problem. My wifes is a US citizen and her Philippine passport showed entry stamps into the US but no entry stamps back into the Philippines. Her passport has now expired again and I am thinking of having her renew it again on our next trip over and no matter what the situation might be, having her Philippine passport for id cannot hurt her in any way that I can think of (anyone know otherwise?) and then the next time we enter the Philippines I was thinking of having her show her Philippine passport once the office stamps her US passport and mine Balikbayan, and ask him if he needs to stamp that as well. I am not sure what will happen but I have been told by others that is what they did and both passports were then stamped upon entry. Question for all who might know, is the new Philippine dual citizen passport a different color than the regular Philippine passport?

the passports are the same be it dual or not but they did all change color to purple from green about 2 years ago

[stef]

when applying for a passport here make sure you apply for the one with a chip in it as you can also get the old style with no chip which i think some counties may no longer allow entry on these .This was at the beginning of this year when the wife renewed hers may of changed now.prices are p750 no chipp950 with chip( if they have stock) but you must go to the DFA yourself as they take your photo there .the best way to apply is on line as you will get a set appointment time and will be in and out of the DFA within half a hour.http://dfa.gov.ph/main/

[stef]

this is the link you should all check out http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=163&Itemid=83this is from the FAQCan I now acquire land and other properties or engage in business?As provided for under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, a Filipino citizen is entitled to purchase land and other properties and engage in business. There is no limit in terms of area or size of land or real property he/she could acquire/purchase under his/her name. This right would now apply to former natural-born Filipinos who have re-acquired Philippine citizenship under RA 9225.i believe i read somewhere if you do not re-acquire your Philippine citizenship you can only own up to 150 sq mtr of land (just need to find were before you all start having a dig at me)

[stef]

OK i got the 150 sq mtr wrongi found this May former Filipinos acquire land in the Philippines?Yes, subject to certain limits listed in Batas Pambansa Blg. 185 (BP 185), which was enacted in March 1982, and Republic Act 8179 (RA 8179), which amended the Foreign Investment Act of 1991.

• BP 185 – Residential Land
  • Urban land – maximum of 1,000 sq meters
  • Rural land – maximum of 1 hectare (10,000 sq m)
  • Cannot own both urban and rural land. Choose one type only.
  • Previous ownership (when still a Filipino citizen) of residential urban or rural land will lower the 1,000 sq meter and 1 hectare limits above.
  • Can own a maximum of two (2) lots only.
  • Those lots must be in different cities or municipalities in the Philippines.
  • A transferee of residential land acquired under Batas Pambansa Blg. 185 may still avail of the privilege granted under RA 7042 as amended by RA 8179.

  [*]RA 8179 – Land for Business/Commercial Use

  • Urban land – maximum of 5,000 sq meters
  • Rural land – maximum of 3 hectares
  • Previous ownership (when still a Filipino citizen) of urban or rural land used for business purposes will lower the 5,000 sq meter and 3 hectare limits above.
  • Cannot own both urban and rural land. Choose one type only.NOTE: But if you dispose of your rural land, you can acquire urban land, and vice-versa, provided the new acquisition will be used for business.
  • Business use is defined in Section 5 of Rule XII as: “the land should be primarily, directly and actually used in the performance or conduct of the owner’s business or commercial activities in the broad areas of agriculture, industry and services including the lease of land but excluding the buying or selling thereof.”
  • Can own a maximum of two (2) lots only.
  • Those lots must be in different cities or municipalities in the Philippines.