**Discussion on Dual Citizenship for Filipino-Americans: Challenges and Experiences**
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**Post #2**
The important question is whether either of your parents was a Filipino citizen at the time of your birth. If they had taken US citizenship and did not reacquire their Filipino citizenship, you wouldn’t qualify for dual citizenship.
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**Post #9**
This is a very sad situation. I hope there is still a way. What documents do they require? I imagine they don’t even require a US naturalization certificate, as not all Filipinos get that, only some. Maybe if they require fewer documents, there’s still hope.
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**Post #3**
Welcome to the forum Times! Be sure to contact the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) in your area before making any big decisions. Just a late thought: nothing is easy here. Always keep that in mind.
*— Philippine Consulate Honolulu*
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**Post #4**
I’m a Fil-Am born and raised before 1973. I went to check on my status at the local Philippine Consulate in California and found out I didn’t qualify for dual citizenship. I’m really bummed out.
I grew up and went to school in the Philippines as a kid. My grandfather and great-grandfather were Philippine/Macabebe Scouts, and my parents were both born and raised in the Philippines. Yet, I am not a Filipino citizen!
Us Filipino Americans who are proud of our heritage and want to live in our ancestral home should be allowed to return without bureaucratic hurdles. I can speak, read, and write in Tagalog and Kapampangan.
Reviewing the law:
*“It is hereby declared the policy of the State that all Philippine citizens of another country shall be deemed not to have lost their Philippine citizenship under the conditions of this Act.”*
So, it seems people born in the Philippines who acquired US citizenship (which the US sadly requires citizenship renunciation for) have NOT lost their Philippine citizenship according to Philippine law. Now I just need someone who has gone through this process to share their experience and steps.
If anyone has, please share!
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**Post #25**
All of us Fil-Ams who can’t qualify for dual citizenship should join forces and petition the Philippines to grant us citizenship. Anyone interested?
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**Post #26**
Yes, I’m in!
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**Post #27**
Next time I visit the BI, I’m going to ask about getting dual citizenship. It’s worth a shot.
It still bothers me that I was born to my Filipino mom, who was still a Philippine citizen on my birth date, yet I can’t qualify because I didn’t declare at the “age of majority,” which is 21, not 18 as I recently learned per the 1987 Philippine Constitution versus the 1935 version.
It’s totally unfair that a person born to a male Philippine citizen is automatically a Filipino, but if born to a Filipina mother, you’re not automatically a citizen! That’s a big WTF moment.
Still, maybe there’s hope to get dual citizenship.
*Pilipino la reng pengari ku, pero sabi nila, e ku qualified? Takshapo!!!*
(That’s me writing in Tagalog and Kapampangan for dramatic effect, lol.)
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**Post #28**
This is how the 1987 Philippine Constitution complicated things for natural-born Filipinos like me. I was born in the US before 1973. My mom was still a Philippine citizen at my birth, and my dad became a US citizen in the 1950s (he was born in the Philippines). Under the 1973 Constitution, I qualified as a dual citizen.
I lived in the Philippines in the late 70s and early 80s as a citizen. However, with the 1987 Constitution, citizens like me got excluded. You’d think they would have grandfathered us in.
It’s ironic since the late President Corazon Aquino (1986–1992), who was Kapampangan like me, was a woman, yet this provision still affected Filipinos like us. The current president is Marcos’ son. You can’t make this up.
Here’s some background from Wikipedia:
*“After martial law was declared in 1972, a new constitution was enacted in 1973 that entrenched dictatorial rule led by Ferdinand Marcos. The citizenship provisions remained almost identical to those in the 1935 version but removed the requirement for children of Filipina mothers and foreign fathers to formally elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching legal age. Since the 1987 Constitution came into force, persons born to Filipina mothers before January 17, 1973, have again been subject to this formal election requirement. The 1973 constitution allowed Filipina women who married foreign men to retain Philippine citizenship even if they had acquired their husbands’ nationalities.”*
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**Post #29**
I went through the ‘Recognition’ process for my UK-born son (his mother is Filipina) when he was young. He now has a certificate, with photo and thumbprint, recognizing him as a Filipino citizen. He can use this to apply for a Philippine passport, though he hasn’t done so yet. Details for current ‘Recognition’ applications are on the BI website. Have you checked this route?
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**Post #30**
That’s a no for me, GrahamW57, but I will look into it. My dad’s neighbor here in the Philippines is in the same predicament. He is American-born and was denied dual citizenship.
I’m going to talk to officials at the local BI and then in Manila. After that, I’ll write to our senators about OUR situation.
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**Post #32**
The problem we have: my wife’s son has a British passport under her name and a Philippine passport under her maiden name. To reconcile the two, we have to adopt our 30-year-old son. WTF. This country can be so backward at times.
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**Post #33**
Is dual citizenship possible for a US-born with a Philippine parent?
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**Post #34**
Two days ago in the USA, I was talking with a friend of my sister’s friend, who wants to retire to the Philippines. Both his parents are/were Philippine citizens, and he has relatives living in the Philippines. I told him I’m not sure he can get Philippine dual citizenship if he wasn’t born in the Philippines. He will ask the Philippine Embassy.
It sounds complicated. I don’t understand why it has to be so complicated for Filipinos.
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**Post #35**
Tell your friend that since he has family here, they can find where the parents were born. Then he could request a copy of their birth certificates or baptismal certificates from the Catholic church in the municipality.
Even expats can become Philippine citizens, so someone with Filipino parents should too. It’s a lengthy process and can take at least 10 years.
Unfortunately, recent news shows increased scrutiny: there have been incidents of Chinese nationals caught with fake Philippine birth certificates, passports, and even elected officials. So, more red tape and bureaucracy are expected. Yet, the system still can’t fully stop fraud.
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**Post #36**
I just sent a letter to a Filipino-American online magazine, hoping they will publish an article about Fil-Ams unable to get dual citizenship. We need to raise awareness.
It would be great to have at least 100 Fil-Ams write to politicians in Manila urging that offspring of Filipino moms born before 1973 be granted dual citizenship.
Next steps: the BI, then Manila, then politicians in the capital. They need to understand the economic benefits of allowing this, as it would attract business.
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**Post #37**
Wow. Filipinos born outside the Philippines can’t qualify for citizenship, yet crooks working with corrupt officials secure fake identities.
The NBI found up to 1,200 fake birth certificates issued in Davao del Sur since 2016, allowing Chinese nationals to obtain passports and even public office positions.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), overseeing civil registrars, might have a syndicate engaged in fraudulent activities. The government is still trying to prosecute the so-called “Pastillas candy” bribery scheme, which amassed up to P40 billion.
Senator Risa Hontiveros noted that of about 4 million Chinese arrivals since 2017, only around 150,000 applied for the Visa Upon Arrival (VUA). The rest, some 3.8 million, likely paid bribes.
It’s frustrating for expats who follow the law and pay fees, yet such scams flourish.
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**Post #38**
I am grateful to be a guest in this country.
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**Post #39**
Greetings! Hopefully, I can add something useful here.
My wife obtained her dual US/Philippine citizenship about two years ago after naturalizing as a US citizen in 1996. We had two children before naturalization, both born in the US, and two after.
For the children born in the US before my wife naturalized, we submitted a Report of Birth (RoB) for each child. These children can request a Philippine passport using the RoB as proof. We were told that they have guaranteed dual citizenship.
Our two younger children are just US citizens like me.
We plan to build a house in the Philippines, so the two eldest children will be the rightful heirs to the property, assuming they acquire dual citizenship.
This is how I understand what the Consulate told us. If anyone knows otherwise, please share. Thanks!
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**Post #40**
Hi dtkenny09, I believe all your children, even American ones, can inherit property via intestate succession if there’s no will.
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**Summary**
The journey to acquiring dual Philippine citizenship, especially for Filipino-Americans born before 1973 to Filipina mothers, is fraught with legal complexities. Changes in the Philippine Constitution, bureaucratic challenges, and inconsistent application of rules contribute to confusion and frustration.
Many Filipinos and Filipino-Americans continue to advocate for clearer, fairer citizenship laws that recognize natural-born citizens regardless of parental gender or age declaration requirements. Engagement with the Bureau of Immigration, Philippine Consulates, and political representatives remains the key path toward resolution.
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*If you have any experience, advice, or insights about the dual citizenship process, please share below.*
https://www.expatforum.com/threads/dual-citizenship-possible-for-a-us-born-with-philippine-parent.1528647/