I picked up my EU passport via a Polish dual citizenship yesterday. Even though my photo was not super I am happy. I had citizenship just did not pick up the passport. I am also a US citizen. Many people ask me about the question of dual citizenship.
Dual citizenship
Rules of Dual citizenship
The rules of dual citizenship are quite easy to understand. Most countries neither deny or recognizes dual citizenship. However, if you are a dual citizen you must enter the country with the country’s passport you own. Therefore, as an American I must enter the US on my USA passport and the EU on my EU passport. Why? Because, the passport you enter determines the rules you will follow.
US dual citizenship holders must enter on their US passport to the USA
If I enter the USA on my Polish passport, which I am not allowed to do anyway, I would be a Polish citizen in the USA. I must enter on my US passport and I am subject to the laws of the USA and can not go crying to Poland if I get in trouble. Is this clear? You use your both your passports and must enter on the right passport, that is where you are a citizen.
Dual citizenship and taxes
What about taxes? Very easy and clear, as a USA dual citizen I am responsible for US taxes forever, not matter where I live or if I am a dual citizen.
The US government does not care. Yes this is true. Just because you have dual nationality the US tax office does not care. If you make 1 dollar in Siberia this must be reported along with all your bank accounts. I report to the US government and Polish government my pittance of teaching earrings I make in Poland teaching English. I must report all investments and bank accounts. However, most countries have treaties. The US will allow about a 90k exclusion on foreign income earned.
Which is a lot of money at least for me, so most people reading this do not have to worry. However, income in my US bank accounts I must pay interest on regardless as it is domestic income and the same rule applies for Polish income I have to report it to the Polish government. You should combine your world wide income and report it. You can not and should not hide anything.
Benefits of dual citizenship
Above is the worst part of being a dual citizen and most do not have to worry about it. Besides feeling like Jason Bourne or an International man of mystery, the best part is I get to live anywhere in Europe or American without a second thought about visas. I also get to work basically anywhere I want, the USA or in the EU as I am a “dual citizen”. This makes life very easy for me and my family. Further my family is a dual citizen so if I have children they can study in the EU or the USA and work anywhere. It makes life very interesting.
How to get a dual citizenship
Most people looking for dual citizenship are American looking to connect with their roots. The EU goes by blood or birthright jus sanguinis. This is in contrast to the US which goes by jus soli or by place of birth.
If you parents are citizens then you will be. It does not matter where you are born. However, if you are born in the EU it does not mean you will get citizenship.
Grandchildren get special treatment, but citizenship is not confirmed rather it is obtained through nationalization in most countries. So if your grandparents came from Poland for example, you can apply for naturalization but usually can not automatically get confirmed. I do not want to go into the law as it is very complex. However you ca ask question and maybe I might know. A lawyer can help but they are pricey. The law is the law, if you know it and apply you can get it. I do not think there are any loopholes.
I had a lawyer and I knew more than he did about the law. Really, I did it my way and got two citizenships.
The best place to check the law is at the consulate of your country you want to apply for double citizenship for. You need to apply.
How to obtain a dual citizenship
What do you need for dual citizenship?
- All documents translated by an official translator in the official language of the country.
- Birth certificates, marriage certificates, no exceptions.
- Official statement from your country that you are free from obligations of money or law. That is you are good standing.
- Visa for the current country.
- CV and other qualitative statements proving you will be a positive good citizen. Sometimes there is a language requirement. It does not hurt to learn the language to some level.
- Police checks
- Judge and court approval
- Application for citizenship.
This is similar in all countries.
Time for dual citizenship
Count on about ten years. Forget some express marriage stunt. Live in the country and work and apply and maybe you will get it.
UK dual citizen
My brother after 20 years of living in the UK got his citizenship. Perhaps he could have got it sooner but I guess he did not apply. But he worked under a work visa then green-card.
What about citizenship through marriage? That can be another post as it is a different type of citizenship application process.
Other citizenship considerations
Some exceptions to dual citizenship are countries like Ukraine. They do not allow dual citizenship but you know, what they do not know will not hurt them some people say. But I would double check this before I took a chance.
For immigration or visa or citizenship you will need a police check
I think countries like Italy,the Netherlands and Ireland have and perhaps the easiest dual citizenship laws. Immigration laws and nationality are always sensitive issues as the whole world wants to live in Europe and America. Maybe not the whole world but a lot of it wants to get a work visa.
If you are looking to get entrance to the US or EU for work from a Middle Eastern or African or Asian country I think you have a harder time now than say an American. Even though the law is the law, the EU has been flooded with Eu applicants and false marriages from the third world so the police and government does double checks on many people aspiring for EU citizenship.
My dual citizenship quest for jus sanguinis
I first came to Poland in 1999 and in 2009 I obtained my dual citizenship. I had Polish family, and in theory was a dual citizen, just not confirmed on paper. Then I got married lived here for many years to and EU citizen, I am still married and will be forever. I applied and waited and worked legally and did positive things for Poland. I also learned the language . But still look how long it took. So if you think you can just waltz into the EU with a marriage, think again. I knew a guy it took 19 years before he was citizen. Things have changed. I guess because I was an American and my family came to the USA with Polish passports it was easier, well over ten years latter.
But if you are looking for a wife for citizenship it is not legal and I would think again. Marriage is sacred. God sees all. You might rationalize it that you are doing it for work or money, but you can rationalize any crime like this. Marriage is sacred and forever.
If anyone has questions or comments about dual citizenship please let me know. However, please writing in full sentences without chat style, that is use proper punctuation and spelling.
EU dual citizenship is worth it
I think the benefits far outweigh the trouble so if you are patient and honest why not apply for dual citizenship.
53 responses to Dual citizenship
Hello!
I’m from Ukraine. I was born in the USSR on the territory of Russia. Currently I’m studying in Poland.
I would like to obtain Polish citizenship, but to hold the Ukrainian either. Is it possible to get Russian passport by the right of birth and apply with it for Polish citizenship? What is chance to be unweiled by Ukrainian officers? Maybe you know some other ways?
Thanks in advance!
Powodzenia!
I think you should focus on Polish citizenship as it is EU citizenship. It is a very good citizenship.
To achieve this is you have to concentrate on your grandfather and find out exactly all the information you can about him.
I am Ukrainian and Polish but got Ukrainian citizenship because my grandmother had a Polish citizenship.
It is in the Polish constitution that if you can prove you have Polish blood you can get a green card for Poland, which can lead to citizenship.
You have to go to the Uząd like I did and go to the office or foreigners. It is where you got your visa. Ask them for an application for a karta pobytu based on your grandfather. Explain to them that you had a Polish grandfather. Start the application process.
I find it rather odd that you talk about “EU citizenship” as if that was what you actually obtained. You are a Polish citizen with an additional “EU citizenship” rights.
If Poland left the EU/got kicked out you would have no right to live in any other European country.
If Greece was kicked out because of their problems, Greeks could have to apply for visas and work permits like non-Europeans.
The EU is not the federal government of Europe, that might change over time, but for now it doesn’t even cover all of Europe.
Oh, and plenty of European countries don’t allow dual citizenship. Children also have to make choices about their citizenship before [usually] they turn 25. YMMV.
Wrong. First the EU is not breaking up. The EU is here to stay. I know there is hysteria, but the USA and the EU are not falling apart because what the news stays. Everything now is crisis mentality.
Second, my child does not have to choose between her US and EU citizenship. It is not the law. At least where I am from.
Third, the EU is an economic Union, and interrelated but not interdependent on the right to live in various countries.
I have a question. I came to Poland in Feb. 2009, and instead of applying for a Polish Passport or Visa, I simply travel out every 90 days to UK or Ireland for my stamp, and then I return. My mother was born in Poland and holds a U.S. and Polish passport. My grandfather, strictly Polish. My grandmother emmigrated to the U.S. (chicago) and then came back to Poland for the rest of her life. So i have a lot of U.S/Polish blood mixed here. Will this make it any easier for me to get citizenship here? Because of my long-standing roots. Also, great grandmother and grandfather were strictly Polish citizens. Lastly, will something like unpaid parking tickets in the U.S lead to me not getting citizenship here? I left the U.S rather abrubtly because my mother has health issues and those were things I could not concentrate on. Any help would be appreciated.
Yes get a Polish citizenship or at least a green card as you have right to do. If you are of Polish blood you can get a greencard visa. Leaving the EU will not always work as in theory you can not be in the EU for more than 6 month out of the year even if you reset it every three months, and Ireland is EU so I do not know if you are legal at all now. If your mother is Polish just get a citizenship. You actually just need to be confirmed citizen rather than apply for it. I live in Poland and a dual citizen and it really is good. I can live in the US or Europe without a thought.
Hi. My son was born on 4/24/2010. I was born in the US and my husband was born in the UK. My husband currently is a legal resident of the US. How would I go about to get my son dual citizenship for UK?
Congratulations on your son being born. It is easy to start the process you need to go to the British Embassy and pick up the forms or download it from their website.
I have a friend from the US wanting to study over here in the UK. Both her parents are Polish and she’s going to get her Polish citizenship confirmed soon so she can obtain a Polish passport. The UK study system is very strict with non-EU students meaning if she’s classed as a US student it’ll be next to impossible for her to come over here. Do you think we have much of an argument that she’s a EU member? Her parents were both born in Poland but moved to Chicago shortly before she was born. She has never lived in Poland personally.
She is Polish and an EU citizen. Europe does not care where you are born as much as where you came from originally in terms of citizenship. I think she should apply as an EU citizen, which she is.
Great site,
So how much money one needs to open a Consulting Engineering business in Poland?
What is the tax rate?
If you are a one man shop, nothing really, you can pay a 19% flat tax. However, if you are employing say ten people you will have to pay Zus or half their pension and medical. We actually have a similar system in the USA, called ‘self employment tax’ which is 16% in addition to the income tax. However, when you work as an employee basically your employer pays half.
There is no state taxes in Poland of course.
If you are a new company you pay a lower Zus for the first few years. It would be like 100 dollars a month if you are self-employed. In my opinion 19% is not that bad and there are a lot of highly skilled people here.
You can expense everything from cars to offices to equipment to utilities if it can be argued that is it connected to your business. Just get a Polish accounting firm to help, I can recommend on. Of course, so you will live the entrepreneurial lifestyle.
I have a question,Im married to an US citizen who is currentlty station in
Honduras.Im in germany right now visiting my parents,Im german citizen,but my
home/house is in NJ,thats where I live.
I had our baby here germany and I have to get back to the states as soon as
possible.
Heres my question
Can I enter the US with the babys german passport and do the paperwork for his
US passport from over there?
The thing is I cant under no circumstances stay any longer in Germany..
Thank you in advance
I think you can enter the USA on normal German passports, but only for 3 months. You can start the paperwork for a visa anywhere I think. The best is to talk to the US embassy and start before. But do not count on anything, if they find something they do not like it could delay the visa process. I guess you are a German girl married to an American serviceman. I think if this is the case it should be pretty easy with the paperwork.
I’ve got a question too. I have 2 sons born by my Polish partner so my boys have Polish passports, & also i have very recently registered them as British citizens as well. Is it wise to give up their Polish citizenship (if i can) just for the British citizenship alone, bearing in mind that British or Polish, they;re all EU nationals?
Otherwise do u think i shd let them remain/keep both? And what could be the difference if any?
I really need an urgent answer please so i decide asap please.
In the Eu it does not matter today. As a British citizen or a Polish citizen, you can live and work in Europe. I have no idea why you would want to give up one citizenship. I have dual citizenship, I think it is a plus.
And Yes, they were both born here in the United Kingdom.
Why can the rest of EU countries can go to USA without visa except Poland and Romania and Bulgaria and if this true union why they don’t respect all member in the same way.
You know it is unfair, they say they have a certain limit for the number of not legal immigrants but at this point since Poland is in the EU it is silly.
Hi, my question isn’t about Poland but is about becoming dual citizen of an EU country. I am a US citizen (born in Hawaii), both my parents were born in the US as well but I know my great grand parents came from Europe- Denmark on my dads side and Sweden on my moms side (my grandmother was born there, but moved when she was young and married in the US to a US citizen). I am trying to live and work (as an au pair) in Europe and it would be a lot easier I found out since I am 25 and most countries have an age limit. Do you have any suggestions? Please help, I would really appreciate it!
Wow you want to go from one paradise to another, HI to Europe. Look, do not worry about age limits and things with dual citizenships. Why? You might no be able to get confirmed a citizen as your roots are too far back and your age is 25, however, that does not mean you can not apply for a visa based on your roots. This is what I did. You have to build a case. You have to document very well all your connections to the country you are applying for, including you learning the language and history etc. You have to make a legal case why they would consider you. Research the law in the country and even if you do not find a reason based on Jus sanguinis make a why you could be an exception. Once you have a visa, live and work legally and in a good way and in a few years you can apply for citizenship. So my advice is do not go directly for citizen, but start with a visa based on a case you prepare and put together. It might take years, but so what.
Hey Mark, thanks for the great thread. I am currently a Canadian Citizen looking to get duel citizenship in Poland. I have spent some time looking into the process of applying for a Polish citizenship. I was wondering primary about the negatives of having a polish Citizenship and what restrictions if any it would have on me. Some questions i had were:
1- Would I be faced with double taxation on my personal income?
2- If I got my polish citizenship and then applied for the “EU citizenship” as mentioned in the other posts. Would I had the right to live and work in all the other member countries in the EU? For example I read on another blog that Polish citizens with EU citizen rights are not given the rights to live and work in Germany without first expressly applying to Germany for a work visa. I was just wondering if similar restrictions to this one were true for other countries.
3-If I became a polish citizen does it limit me from becoming a citizen of another country in the EU at a later date. Example. If I were to marry someone from France could I hold both a French/Canadian and Polish Citizenship all at once or would I be forced to renounce one… or will getting one the polish citizenship prevent me from becoming a citizen of another EU country at a future time.
4- Lastly, I read before that mandatory military service is was required up until about 2009. I believe that this is no longer the case. Please correct me on this point if I am wrong. However I was just wondering if there are any other substantial commitments that Poland requires from there citizens that I should be aware of.
Thanks for the time and effort you have put into the blog. I look forward to hearing your response.
There are not negatives of Polish citizenship. Polish citizenship is EU citizenship. You will have the right to work and live in any country. You do not need another citizenship if you have this one.
Military service is out. They will not care about a foreign national who holds a Polish citizenship, many of my friends do and never had to serve, besides that law has changed I think.
Do not worry about double taxation. Only the USA does that and that is above the 90,000 dollar a year threshold, otherwise you can exclude income because of tax treaties.
There is no reason not to apply for repatrization in Poland. It will change your life.
Hello again, my question refers to the “personal questionnaire” that is supposed to be submitted with your application. On the website they do not elaborate on what this is. Clarification would be much appreciated. Thanks.
The general idea here is to give them as much paper as they can handle. More paper is better. If that is an outline of your life, give them something like a CV or Resume. Build a family tree in a spreadsheet and fill it in with details. I do not remember that exact phrase, but build a case. Nothing is clear, but rather, how much paper you pile on them. I highly recommend you build a case with a family tree and your life qualifications to support yourself etc.
Hello again Mark and thanks for your diligence in answering my questions. I have a concern that arrose when I started looking into the history of my grandfather.
During world war two my grandfather was forced to leave poland becuase he fled from German occupation. During the next year or so he went to England where he served in there military as a fighter pilot. He flew planes for a short period say a year or so and then the war ended. He then came to Canada where he lived, met and married my grandmother. They lived together and had 2 kids my father and his brother. They then divorced after a marrage of about 6 years and he returned back to Poland and became a Polish citizen. I have a concern as mentioned on the Polish website because it states that if you were in the military of a foreign country that you forefit your polish citizenship. That would mean that at the time of my fathers birth my grandfather was not a Polish citizen and therefore my father would have no claim to become a Polish citizen. I talked with someone at the Polish consulate and they said that because the period of time in which my grandfather served in the army was short ( 9 months i believe) as well as the fact that he did not choose another countries military over the polish miltary. ie he could not take part in the polish military because it was under German occoupation that in fact it would not affect my fathers claim to become a polish citizen. From your past responses I can tell that you have a strong understanding of Polish citizen process and was wondering what yuor opinion on the situation was. Furthermore in the case that the military service does affect the citizenship status what alternatives if any do I have? Thanks so much again and sorry for the long winded post.
Polish law makes allowances for its history. Since there was really no Poland historically for many years in history, Polish lawmakers had to take this into account. Therefore the consulate is right. That should not affect in any way your claim to Polish citizenship.
However, in the odd chance it does you would just get a Polish greencard as you have Polish blood. This would lead to citizenship a few years latter. A Polish greencard is easy to get if you have Polish roots it is in the constitution.
But again, each citizenship case is treated on a case to case basis and they would have a hard time rejecting you ased on the fact your grandfather was a freedom fighter against a common enemy.
Hi Mark,
I am an Italian citizen living in Ukraine with a Ukrainian domestic partner (we are not married yet). Since we are having a child very soon, we would like to understand which nationality our child will have in the two cases of having him/her born in Italy or Ukraine and whether there is a possible best case scenario in which he/she can legally hold the dual citizenship.
It looks like a complex situation because the legislation of the two Countries are completely different.
Thank you very much in advance for your time and your advice.
Piero
Ukraine does not have a dual citizenship so you need to go only for the Italian citizenship. It is the most important as it is EU. Maybe your child can have a dual citizen at first but needs to choose. But since Ukrainian does not allow dual citizen I think Italian citizenship is the choice as it is a full EU citizenship.
Greek EU status
I currently hold US and Greek citizenship. If Greece were to leave the EU, what options would I have to retain my right to work in the EU? Is there a general EU passport/citizenship I could apply for?
Thank you!
Greece might leave the Euro zone but not the EU. And even if it left the EU it would not end your right as a Greek Citizen as there is another treaty called the Schengen Agreement. The EU, the Euro and the Schengen Agreement are connected but three different ideas. Greece would basically have to pull out of all three before you were limited in your travel and life. I do not see that happening.
Look Norway is not an EU member, but Norwegian citizens share the right to live and travel and work in Europe.
Portuguese and Brazilian passport
Hi Mark,
My wife has Portuguese and Brazilian passport, we currently live in the U.A.E and her residence visa is in the Brazilian passport, as a Portuguese citizenship, she doesn’t need visa to go to U.S.A.
Since I’m crew, I’ll request her ticket and the details will be taken from the Brazilian passport, so I believe that she needs to show the Brazilian passport upon check-in and immigration in the U.A.E and when arriving in the U.S.A, she will show the Portuguese passport.
Do you know if is this the right way? I already call the American embassy, but I think the guy didn’t understand my question, he told me she will have to show the passport which has the U.A.E residence visa (Brazilian) and if she doesn’t have the American visa on the Brazilian passport, her boarding will be denied, which it doesn’t make sense, you can be a Portuguese tourist coming to the UAE (you get a visa on arrival) and afterwards go to USA without any problem using the visa waiver process.
If you can help me, I kindly appreciate.
Regards
Marcelo
Department of homeland security is strict for a reason - so triple check your documents and the law.
Although, well-intentioned, you are right the people at the US embassy do not always understand the questions. This has been my experience.
However, that being said, I highly recommend to ask again, as and call and write several people to get a clear answer. I do not assume anything with the US embassy and the department of homeland security. Their default reaction is ‘no’. That means the burden of proof is on your to legally get into the country.
Even me, I am an American and Polish citizen. Our daughter is also. My wife who I have been married to several years wants to come to the USA with us to live. I have income. But it does not matter, the US embassy will make sure everything is in order and there is no messing around. I have seen them deny Americans with foreign spouses without a second thought, because something was not in order.
I know this sounds unfair but they are really legalistic for security reasons.
Therefore, I would revisit the question until you get the exact steps needed to get your wife in the country legally. Technically if she is a Portuguese citizen she does not need a visa. You are correct. But I would not assume anything with the department of homeland security as they are very strict.
So get more information or you could get denied.
Dual Polish citizenship, bit no PESEL so no passport yet
Hi Mark,
So I have a few issues:
1) I am going to be attending a masters program in Poland this September and I have just obtained my Polish citizenship in February. However I am still waiting to hear back from the consulate with my PESEL number. Without it, I am not able to apply for a passport.
2) My issue is whether or not I should enter Poland on my US passport and leave every 3 months to reset it (I am not sure whether or not I can even do this) and keep doing that until my Polish passport comes through.
3) I cannot apply for a visa seeing that I am a citizen but I do not want to loose out on this opportunity to study abroad.
Do you have any advice in regards to the resetting of the passport and or another route on staying in Poland longer than the 3 months legally?
Thank you for your time,
Danielle
Polish citizenship is not determined by a PESEL
I am very happy to hear you have Polish citizenship. Poland is a great country.
OK, you are a Polish citizen. That is all you have to know. What is there is some homeless guy who has no Dowód Osobisty in Poland? Or an American that has nosocial security number or Passport in the USA? Does that mean you are not a citizen and can not stay in the country? Of course not. You are a citizen of the country. You do not need a PESEL or Passport to stay in the country you are a citizen of.
A PESEL is like a social security number. Many American do not have one for one reason or another. Amish people might not ever have a US passport but are they not Americans?
These things just make it useful for the modern system of records but has nothing to do if you as a citizen have the constitutional right to be in the country you are a memeber of.
Therefore, I would keep up the pressure on the urząd to get this PESEL. Once you have it all other doors are open to you. But you are a citizen and can live in Poland without a visa.
If you do not have it I personally would just enter on my US passport and once in Poland get your PESEL in person, if you do not already have it. It should only take like a month. Even if it takes 5 months I would not worry about getting stamps on my US passport as you are a citizen of that country. I am not a legal advisor of course but this is what I would do.
Marrying a Danish guy and US EU citizenship
My 4 yrs boyfriend and me are planning to married. He is from Denmark and I am american, we know how difficult is to married in Dk . So after some considerations he is planning to come to the united states works here and then get married. If we do that, he will lose his EU citizenship? He don’t like the idea, he prefer me to get dual citizenship that will be possible after we married.
EU countries and USA do not care too much about dual citizenships. I am a dual US EU citizen, it is not a problem. However, for you to get Danish citizenship you need to live and work in Denmark for nine years, or as little as six if you have been married for three years or more.
I personally would not worry about citizenship. I would live and work and be married where you want to live for your lifestyle. You can get a marriage visa of some kind after they review your finances in the USA (1.5 times the poverty rate with a US based job or lets say 25k a year income on last years 1040 tax return) etc. Then live in the USA. Or you can love in the EU after you get a visa. Citizenship is a secondary consideration and more a formality I mean as long as you are married what does it get you over a greencard except the right to vote?
Lost my Pesel No.
I recently got my Polish passport, however I gave the official my only copy of the document with my PESEL number. How do I get the number again?
Not a problem, you are in the system, they should have it in the computer at the office they issues it at. It should be on your Polish ID or at at the Passport office. Everyone has it in the computer believe me, if not, I can give you the exact office you got it depending on your city.
On my passport
it’s on the passport itself.
Yes that too your right, and if you look it contains your birth date as part of the Pesel so it is easy to remember.
Polish Passport once you have a Polish green card
Hi Mark, I’m not sure if this forum is still active as there are no dates, but I hope someone gets back to me.
I’m a Ghanian living in Poland with my Polish wife.
We’ve been married for 4 yrs, we got married outside Poland but have been living in Poland for the past two years.
I currently have a 2 yrs resident permit (second issue) which expires in June next year.
Already, I applied for a permanent residency and it went ok. I now have the decision, looking forward to collect my ID Card in few weeks.
My question is, what do I need to do to get a Polish passport.
It is a very easy think to get, however, you need to be a Polish citizen, not a visa holder. If you have been living in Poland with a permanent resident card, after three years you can apply, it might take a little longer to get it because of the bureaucracy , but once you get your Polish green card I would say five years later you can get a Polish citizenship generally, after that you just go to the passport office and it will take a couple of months.
Citizenship and birth UK and Ukrainian citizen
I have a Ukrainian fiance (I’m from the UK), we’ve been together for 6 yrs, and we just found out she is now pregnant with our 1st child.
If we elect to have the baby born in the Ukraine, what will the citizenship of the child be? dual? UK? Ukraine?.
Also what are the options available for us to elect to have the baby born in the UK? Can my fiance come and reside here with me, with a look to marry in the UK? or would not be better to marry (in the Ukraine) before she came to the UK? or can she simple come here to have our child, and then process the necessary to remain here in the UK.
I ask for the most apt way forward, a speedy process, as our child is due in May ’11, and given it will be Christmas soon, any delays during the festive season will impact on document delivery and process.
Any and all advice will be appreciated.
Thanks
Ukraine marriage and birth to a UK citizen
Great news on the baby, being a parent is easier than people tell you, you will see. And marriage is great. I am not joking. I would 100 time rather be married than single or have a girlfriend. There is no comparison.
OK Ukraine does not allow dual citizenship and Europe bases citizenship based on blood not place of birth so it does not matter where the baby is born. My daughter was born in Poland and the medical care is fine. Ukraine or UK it is your wife’s choice, she might have more help from her family the first few weeks there but the UK is very nice. You can double check with the UK embassy but the child will be a UK citizen at birth because you are a UK citizen. You will have to file an report of a child born abroad, then the child will get it by descent. The UK is less complicated than the US about this. You would have had to live in the UK for 3 years before all this happens anytime in your life and I do not think you even need to be married. Check this with the British embassy they will be helpful. But in my opinion you are good to go no matter where the baby is born and if you are married or not. Look up “Legitimation and Domicile” rules if you want to get technical.
Marriage in Ukraine or the UK is recognized anywhere in the world. You are married in one country you are married all over the world. I think it does not matter where you get married. The UK will let her in if you have everything in order. Marry based on life and expectations church or civil or family or how she the bride sees the wedding as it is her day. A simple civil marriage by the ocean in the UK or a church wedding in Ukraine, it does not matter it is based on your vision of how you want this special day.
The governments will work with you as long as you have the documentation.
I was married in Poland and had no major problem but waiting to move back to the USA. I lived in Poland for many years, it was no big deal. The UK and US and Ukraine have seen this scenario a lot. We live in an international world.
However, if you want to make things easy as possible I tend to think the UK marriage and birth would make things the smoothest to get married and citizenship. There would be no confusion. Let me know if you have any questions.
Dual citizenship
Taxes and three citizenships?
I am a half Greek half Filipino person who is looking to marrying an American, my fiancee for quite some time.
Since this is most likely a reality.. what is going to happen to me? Will I drop my one of my citizenships? The Greek? The Filipino? Or have them all? I once entered USA with a Greek passport under the Visa Waiver Program. So am I allowed to enter with the Filipino passport (with all the visas etc.) if ever Greece got kicked out of the EU?
And finally.. does the US government care about my taxes in Greece or Philippines before I get married? Or will they care about that when I am finally a US citizen?
Hoping for you kind response,
Niko
Hi Niko, keep all three citizenships no problem. The USA will require all citizens and greencard holders to report all world wide income forever and bank accounts of 10,000 dollars or more worldwide. I am a dual citizen and even living in Europe I report every penny as most if not all of it is excluded as foriegn income. Even if I get paid cash for something I report it. Unless you make over 90,000 dollars it really is not that taxable.
So the good news is there is nothing to worry about, come and relax and enjoy the wonderful USA, just pay your taxes. Once you live here all year and if you have children you might even get money back though an earned income tax credit.
Generally the US is a great place to live.
Tax questions and citizenships
Mark, I apologize I didn’t even say thanks in my first post. When I was typing that I was sort of in a hurry.
But I’ll take this time to say thank you for your reply. I appreciate it. It actually made my day (in a good way)
I certainly want to try living there because I will be with my fiancee and of course USA seems like a fantastic place to be in. I’ve had stays in both Greece and the Philippines, but although they are my homes I really enjoyed when I was in the USA.
So are you saying that for me to get married with my fiancée I am not obliged to report my worldwide income just yet? I understand that once you marry an American citizen you will be a lawful permanent resident there (Green Card holder) and therefore you will be obliged to pay taxes and all those responsibilities (which obviously I will). My question however is, do they do a background check up before I get married with her? (specifically about taxes)
Right now I am taking up my Masters Degree and I have 2 years to complete it. Can I get married and be given the “choice” to stay here and finish my degree? Or from what I’ve heard, I have to stay there for 4-5 years?
And yes I would love to keep the three citizenships. Its something that could come in very handy for me.
Once again, hoping to hear a response from you
I appreciate your efforts in answering all these queries, good job.
US taxes for spouses of US citizens
If you are married and not living in the USA but file a separate tax return as and NRA or non-resident alien, you do not have to pay taxes.
You are obligated to pay taxes to the USA if any of the below is fulfilled:
If you are not married and have no US income or assets, and do not live in the USA and are not an US citizen, you are not required from my understanding to pay taxes. I would look up these things on the IRS website before you take my word on it.
But if you want to finish your degree abroad and do not file joint and have no US income etc, you do not need to file taxes with the USA.
But there is no way you can get a citizenship from the USA unless you live Physically in the USA with a permanent residence status for at least three years, this includes paying taxes. You can be married for twenty years abroad but will not ever get US citizenship.
Greek and Canadian passport
I want to go to China and work there.I am wondering whether I can enter China with a tourist visa issued on my Greek passport and then get a working visa through my Canadian passport when I arrive in Beijing. The problem is that my Canadian passport is currently being renewed,and my Greek passport will expire within less than one and a half years so I cannot get a job with such a passport. My passport has to be valid for more than one and a half years in order to get a job there. Can anyone help me with this situation?
I think the law is on paper. I know no way around what is written on paper. I know few countries would bend the law with regards to passports. But the Canadian embassy should get you a passport in weeks. My US one took days so I do not know what the problem is, and I lived in Europe. In days the passport came.
Applying for certificate of Citizenship
I just stumbled across your website and am thrilled with your wealth of information.
My mother is from Poland, was born there, and came to the U.S. as a child. My grandparents were also from that region and got married there in the early 1930′s. I have most of the documentation verifying my Polish lineage via their journey to America. I do know however, that parts of Poland were previously under Soviet occupation, and those areas are where my grandparents were from. But between WWI and WWII that area was Poland, and my mother was born in Poland.
I am about to apply for my certificate of citizenship and am wondering if territorial changes in the border will have any effect on my application. All of my family’s paperwork comes from the Polish government, and today on my mother’s passport (and my birth certificate) her birthplace is listed as Poland.
Also, how long (roughly) will the whole process take – from applying for my certificate of citizenship and then applying for my passport?
Thanks for any and all help you can provide!
Good question, however, territory has little to do with citizenship. Polish citizenship is defined by blood not boundaries as for may years there was no Poland.
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