Most people who read this site are in a relationship or a marriage with somebody from the Philippines. Myself, for instance, I have been married to a Filipina for nearly 26 years! My wife is Feyma, and we married in 1990 in General Santos City.
A big concern for a couple like us, or most readers of this site is citizenship of any children that come from your inter-cultural relationship. I mean, what is the citizenship of kids that come from a marriage where the father and the mother are citizens of different countries? Many people are confused about it. Let’s call this type of relationship “Double Citizenship Couples” for the purposes of this article.
Well, in the case of such children, their initial citizenship at birth depends on where they were born. For the purposes of this article I am going to use my marriage as an example, so we are going to talk about a marriage between a Philippine Citizen and an American Citizen. If you are from another country, it is likely that your child’s citizenship issues will be similar to ours no matter what country you are from, although there may be a few exceptions.
Children born in the USA
If you are a Double Citizenship Couple and you have a child together which is born in the USA, upon birth your child is a US Citizen automatically. Since the USA recognized citizenship based on the principle of “Jus Soli” any child born on US soil is a citizen of the United States.
However, that child also has the right to be classified as a Philippine Citizen as well, and it is not hard to do it. So, if you handle things properly your child will be a citizen of two countries at the same time, thus a Dual Citizen. Like in our case, our children are citizens of both the USA and the Philippines. They are considered “natural born” citizens of each country.
I have known many people over the years who were in the same situation as Feyma and I and said “who cares about the Philippine citizenship, we are not going to worry about it.” Why not? If your child has the right to have Dual Citizenship, why not preserve that right for your child, just in case that is ever needed? I believe in offering every opportunity that I can to my kids!
All you have to do in case of such a birth is to file a “Report of Birth Abroad” with the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC, or with the Philippine Consulate that serves the area where you live. You can just request the form for the report from the Embassy or Consulate,t hey will send it to you and you will fill it out and send it back in. After that, you will receive a certificate of recognition of Philippine Citizenship for the child, and he is instantly a Dual Citizen! It is all very easy, and the cost is minimal.
Children born in the Philippines
So, how about if you are an American man, like me, and you moved to the Philippines, and you and your partner had a child together? Now, here is something different from the USA, the Philippines recognizes citizenship based on the principle of “Jus Sanguis” which means the right of the blood. So, even if a child is born in the Philippines, that child may not be a Philippine Citizen. The child’s citizenship is based on the “blood” of his two parents. If both parents, for example, are American, but living in the Philippines, the child, even though it was born in the Philippines, has no right to Philippine Citizenship! That is because neither the blood of the mother or the father is Filipino blood, so the child has no right to Philippine Citizenship. However, as long as either parent is a Philippine Citizen, the child would automatically be a Philippine Citizen at birth. But the key is that at least one of the Parents MUST be a Philippine Citizen in order for the child to be a Philippine Citizen.
If your wife is a former citizen of the Philippines, maybe she became a US citizen and then moved back to the Philippines, and you are not Filipino, then the child, again, has no right to Philippine Citizenship. The child’s citizenship would depend on the citizenship of the parents.
Now, if you were a US citizen, your wife is a Philippine citizen and you have a child born in the Philippines, as I said, the child would be a Philippine citizen at the time of his birth. However, you (the American) could go with the child to the US Embassy in Manila and apply for a “CRBA” (Consular Report of Birth Abroad) for the child. You may be asked to take a DNA test to prove that you are the father, and if that comes back positive, the child will be given US citizenship, while retaining his Philippine Citizenship, thus a Dual Citizen.
One more scenario
There is one other way that your child could become a dual citizen! Let’s say that your wife became a US citizen while living with you in the States, and she had a child in the USA while she was only a US citizen. That child would be only a US citizen, and has no right to Philippine Citizenship, because he was born to two US Citizen parents. However, there is still one way to get that Philippine Citizenship for your child.
If at any time before the child turns 18 years of age, the wife (former Philippine Citizen) files for re-acquisition of her Philippine Citizenship under the Philippine Dual Citizen law, she can include any children that were born during her time as only a US citizen on the application for Dual Citizenship. When the wife is approved for Dual Citizenship, any children listed on the application will also become dual citizens of the USA and the Philippines!
So, based on the information in this article, it is not hard to protect your child’s rights to Dual Citizenship! Why not do it? It is easy and cheap to do, and you just never know when the child might want or need that Philippine Citizenship. For example, let’s say that at the age of 18, the child wants to come and study in the Philippines for college. As a dual citizen, it is very easy to do that, no visa to worry about, no hassles! Because the child has all of the rights of a Citizen of the Philippines, and also of the USA.. or whatever country you are from! With a few possible exceptions, of course.
I hope this article has been helpful to all of you parents out there!
Another excellent article Bob.
Thank you Greg, I appreciate that very much.
Fantastic find reading this! Answers my questions and sounds pretty easy to do. Thank you!
Hi can i ask question my child have a dual citizen nd we have agreement to her father a us citizen that he can take my child for vacation only in us qe have agreement but he never bring back my child my child always saying she really wants to go back home here in the philippines what i need to so with this to help my child bring back here..nd we are not married to her father ..keep upset me too much coz as isaw my child shes not happy nd shes only 5years old to take away with me the father did not follow agreement wat i need to do with this .im so depress nd stress thinking my child shes just a baby as for to take away with me as her mom
This clears up alot of confusion just like your other articles, I just go to you where it’s simply just the facts instead of the usual hoopla. …. thanks again and blessings always ~P
Thanks, Patrick. I hope that it is a useful article for you!
Although I am not married, their mother may want this useful information later. Thanks
I wasn’t married to a u. s citizen but we have a child… He died while our baby is 3 months old and now he is 9…I apply for my son u. s citizenship alone.With all my evidence U. S embassy approved my application for my son Consular report of Birth Abroad (CrBA) and U. S passport. I pass the interview. Thank God.
If I understand correctly, my wife was a naturalized US citizen living in the US when our children were born. She re-acquired her Philippine citizenship after our children turned 18,so the children are not eligible for dual citizenship, correct?
I’ve wondered about that thanks to your article, now I have my answer.
Hi Jeff – Unfortunately, what you said is correct. Given the way things happened, your children do not have any claim to Philippine Citizenship.
Hi Bob, another scenario which applied to us was we adopted a Filipino child (nephew) and once the adoption was finalized, he became a US Citizen while still retaining his Philippine Citizenship. Great article. Thanks.
Hi IB. Thanks for your comment. Adoption is a completely different can of worms. One that I didn’t really intend to get into with this particular article.
No worries, and yes, it was a very big can of worms. 🙂
Yeah, there is a can of worms on both sides of the ocean with that one! 🙂
Our children would qualify for Philippine citizenship… they would also qualify for military service. Something to consider.
Good luck Joop.
what happens to an unknown national baby abandoned by unknown national parents in the philippines? Then?……………………….
Also, if the birth is overseas, some countries permit “citizenship through descent” of their father, but limited to only one generation. For example, in New Zealand and Australia, citizenship through descent is permitted for 1 generation born outside those 2 countries. The grandkids therefore must be born in those nations in order to maintain citizenship, they can’t be born overseas and again inherit citizenship through descent for a 2nd time.
I really don’t know about the law in relation to abandoned children. It was a big issue in the recent presidential election though.
Yes, the Grace Poe issue.
Also like to correct you, it is not really “blood” in the sense of Racial blood, because Filipinos have Chinese Philippine Citizens and Indian Philippine Citizens, Korean blooded Philippine citizens as well, their children inherit Philippine citizenship.
It means, if your father or mother is a Philippine citizen, the child inherits it upon registration.
You are not correcting me. Blood is the direct translation of the Latin in the law.
In some countries, only certain “ethnic groups” can inherit citizenship, but in case of Philippines it is the “citizenship” of the parent, rather than the ethnicity. We must not confuse citizenship with ethnicity. Yes, when taken from the direct latin translation Jus-Sanguinis means “right of blood”, but it cannot be taken in the literal sense when it comes to Philippines. I only referenced to the line where you mentioned “both parents or one parent must have Filipino blood”. It should be “citizenship”.
Eg: Chinese Filipinos (Tsinoys) who are Philippine citizenship are not “ethnic indigenous Austronesian” Filipinos, they are descendants of migrants from China. Their children inherit Philippine citizenship. “Filipino” cannot be termed as a “blood”, but rather a national identity/binding citizenship. Same applies to Indian Filipinos, or Indians with Philippine Citizenship (naturalized ones). Their children inherit Philippine citizenship.
The things that you are bringing up go way beyond the scope that is necessary to inform site readers.
Always good to learn new things, readers won’t mind ;). They will love you for it.
Bob what if you adopted a child from Philippines that is your wife’s
Bob what if you adopted a child from Philippines that is your wife’s
Hi Mike, as I said earlier, adoption is not part of the scope of this article. I cannot answer the question, because I would need to research first. I will see if I can write another article about this later.
As I commented earlier, this article is not about adoption. I don’t know that information, so I will need to research, and I’ll try to write a new article about that at a later time.
I have a question, u said in article that the US parent can go to the american embassy to report the birth of the kid, what if the parent is in the states right now, can the filipino parent so it instead?
No. Only the American citizen parent can file the CRBA. Sorry.
Thank u
My wife was able to obtain my daughters U.S. Passport and CRBA without my presence at the embassy. I had to fill out and sign all the documentation, along with a copy of every page of my passport, and every one of those pages needed to be notarized by a U.S. Notary. I mailed these original documents to the Philippines and my wife took them to the embassy, and everything went off without a hitch.
Wow, that shocks me, because it is not supposed to happen.
I was able to get my son’s CRBA too while my partner is in the US. Same as what you did. He sent me notarized copies then I sent all the lhotocopies of our docs to get tje appointment, then appeared on the the day of the interview, after 10 days we received the CRBA and passport.
Wow, Rusty, they are not supposed to do that! Very strange.
Thats what i read online too that the filipino parent can do it but the american parent has to sign some paper work…
My son is a dual citizen, my thought is what if someday he wants to embrace his philippine heritage, well this way he is able to do just that, he can have the best of both of his worlds 🙂
That is how k felt about my kids as well.
Bob:
My son was born to an American Citizen and Philippine Citizen in the United States. His mother became a naturalized American Citizen three years after his birth. He is now over the age of 18. Can he still apply for dual citizenship as an adult?
Hi Joe – Since his mother was a Philippine Citizen at the time of his birth, he can still (probably) become a Philippine citizen. Your wife should file a “late report of birth abroad” with teh Philippine consulate that serves the area where your son was born. The report should have been filed at the time of his birth, but they will often accept late filings.
Good luck!
How long does the parent have to register a new born with the US embassy in Manila? Same question for Filipino citizenship. Does the parent have to go to the US embassy in Manila? Example: personnel from the US embassy in Manila, on certain dates, comes to Cebu. Can’t the parent take the new born/child there for the paper work, etc for US citizenship?
I don’t know for sure, Rusty. In my research I have found nothing about a time limit, and to me that means that there probably is no time limit.
I don’t think there is a time limit, but I was told when I was there that the longer you wait the more difficult it becomes. Better to start to file the CRBA as soon as possible. The Chinese government needed both the CRBA and Philippine passport for my daughter when I filed for my work visa here.
I totally agree with you, Kevin. The longer you wait the more difficult and complicated it gets.
I’m married and we have a child who is a Filipino citizen. Because of the right of blood, the child also acquired my citizenship. The child’s foreign passport is ready for collection in the embassy. My question is: Can the child leave the country with its foreign passport issued by another country ? Can we avoid the hassle with waiting for the baby’s Pilipinas Pasaporte ?
Yes, the child can travel abroad without his Philippine Passport. Where he can go depends on from what country his foreign passport comes. For more information on this, please read this article: http://liveinthephilippines.com/exit-procedure-for-dual-citizens/
Thank you Bob ! Seems everybody has a different story and different problems. I’m from Poland and my daughter’s passport will be ready in Kuala Lumpur. The embassy will print it within minutes. My Filipina wife and son will be there as well, they will be issued EU family visas. Then we return to Manila, General Santos City to collect our baby girl and we are free to fly out. I hope there won’t be any problems at NAIA.
Great article Bob. We got our Sons Philippine citizenship last year. We printed the application off the Philippine embassy web page. We did the whole thing by mail. It is very simple now. My wife was a Philippine citizen at the time of his birth here in the USA but is now duel. She had to go to the Philippine embassy in Washington to get her duel. It only took one day. I did get a $100 parking ticket there. LOL It’s best to use public transportation and bring a lunch. Parking is very limited.
Thanks for the tips
Very timely.
It’s 5 AM and my wife is queuing for the office. She says there are way over 200 people in the queue and new ones are joining…. Not only passports, but also other documents. It’s near Robinsons shopping mall in General Santos City. This is the reality there…
Dear bob,
My wife gave birth to our first child when she had only Philippine citizenship in 2012, in Sydney, Australia. We got that child Philippine citizenship (through his mother) and Australian citizenship. So the child is dual.
In 2014 my wife became an Australian citizen, and she now has dual Australian and Philippine.
In 2016, my second child is due. Can that baby get Philippine citizenship, as my wife is now dual?
Thank you
Hi Allister – Yes, your coming child is fully eligible for dual citizenship! Congratulations on the coming baby!
Hi Bob,
My wife is going though the steps to become a dual citizen. But when she asked about including our daughter they said she is already a Philippine Citizen. My wife is a US citizen at the time of birth of our daughter. But she gave birth in the Philippines and she has a Philippine Birth Certificate. And it has me greatly confused. I did go to the Bureau of Immigration and check on it. They list “Jus Soli” (right of soil) (Section 2 sub-sec 1 Par 2) also for being a Philippine Citizen. Think I am going to have her check again with BI office as we know the internet is not always reliable (even govt sites).
http://www.immigration.gov.ph/faqs/citizenship
Hi Scott. Wow, that is really interesting. In the past, Jus Soli has not been used by the Philippines to determine citizenship. In fact, quite the opposite… I know a number of people who were born in the Philippines and are NOT citizens of the country because neither of their parents were PH citize4ns.
If you can, would you please keep me informed as this goes on? I would like to follow your case!
Thanks!
You have to stay in the philippines for 2 years for adoption. i have a friend that was adopted by the husband of her sister. The american husband stayed in the philippines and the filipina america wife stay in chicago. after the petition approves he brought the adopted child who is the sister of of filipina american to chicago then the american husband went back to philippines to enjoy his retirement.
Hi, my family and I were wondering about this for awhile now. And since I haven’t read anything about it online, I’m clueless. Both my parents and I have dual citizenship (US and Filipino). We’ve been living in the Philippines for 8 years now. I am now 20 years old. My question is that, is it true that when a child who is a dual citizen turns 18, he/she has to choose which citizenship he/she wants to keep and just apply again for dual citizenship? Or Do I still get to keep my dual citizenship even after I turn 18 without doing anything? Thank you !
No need to choose. If you are a dual citizen you will always be one.
Hi Bob, I am trying to understand Dual Citizenship status for children born in the Philippines to a Philippine mother and American father. My children have Philippine passports, and later they obtained U.S. citizenship and passports. I was told that as soon as they became U.S. citizens they were no longer considered Philippine citizens and need to reacquire Philippine citizenship (Republic Act 9225). In addition, from the time they became U.S. citizens they have been staying in the country illegally without a visa and could be held responsible for back visa fees and penalties! Is there any truth to this? I hope not.
Hi Gary – Well.. everything depends on how your kids “later became US citizens”. They were born as dual citizens, all you had to do is file a CRBA at the US Embassy. If they went through naturalization to get the US Citizenship (which was completely unnecessary), then they did indeed lose their Philippine citizenship. If they became citizens through the CRBA process then they are still dual citizens. Since you did not tell me what process they used to become US citizens, I cannot answer your question. Either way they would not owe for overstaying/no visa because all you have to do is go file for re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship.
Thanks for the quick response. Yes it was via CRBA that they were recognized as US citizens. My son’s Philippine passport is about to expire and i was concerned about getting it renewed.
If it were me I would go renew and just not mention the YS citizenship because it really is not their business.
Apparently the problem occurs when the child does not have a Philippine passport or other proof of Philippine citizenship. If leaving the country immigration will require ECC (clearance) and may impose fees and fines for non visa. When entering the child will get a Balikbayan visa. To remedy this the child needs a “Recognition of Citizenship” P12,000. And then Philippine Passport. To avoid this hassle one should get the Philippine passport first before getting US passport.
As long as you have some kind of proof of the citizenship – a certificate, passport, or whatever, there whould be no problems, and no ECC necessary.
Our son was born in the Kingdom of Bahrain, I am Australian/Canadian and my wife is Filipino, we had no problem with getting him a Phillipines passport and a Canadian passport right away as there are consultant here but the Australian one is not so he will have to wait for that one and he will have three passports!
Hi Bob! I have a question which I hope you can answer. I am already a dual citizen (went through the hole reacquisition process when i was 18). Now I have a younger brother who is a us citizen and my mom is still not a US citizen (philippine passpport). Can we still process for CRBA while my mom is not a citizen yet although she is in the process of becoming one? I would like to have my brother stay with me here in the philippines during the summer without getting him extended visas.
Hi Jane – Either I am not understanding what you put, or you did not explain it well.
If your Mom is still a Philippine Citizen, that is good. You said your brother is already a US citizen. I assume that you want him to also be a Philippine citizen? If so, your mother needs to go to the Philippine or Consulate in the USA that serves the area where your brother was born. She will file a report of birth abroad. Then he will be able to be recognized as a Philippine citizen.
Hi Bob! Thank you so much for the note, it answered many questions to me.
Anyhow, I have 1 left question which I hope you could help to answer.
Im Filipino and my girlfriend is Vietnamese, we are both living in the Philippines as of now and not married yet. So if my gf deliver oud child in the Philippines, can my child has dual citizenship? As I heard from some of my friends, they said that the DFA requests parents to have marriage certificate when processing Filipino citizen for their child.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi David. I sorry, I don’t know anything about Vietnamese law so I don’t know the answer to your question this time.
As long as one parents is filipino citizen you child can get philippine citizenship.
Hi Bob. I am an Australian citizen by birth. My Filipina partner and I recently went through the process of acquiring Australian citizenship by decent for our 2 daughters aged 2 years and 6 months. My daughters were born in the Philippines and still reside there with their mother. I have read some opinions which state that our daughters have forfeited their Philippine citizenship upon becoming Australian citizens and I have read other opinions which state that the law was changed in 2003 so that their Philippine citizenship is not in jeopardy. Some opinions say that the procedure for re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship only applies to people who acquired foreign citizenship before 2003.
The short title of the REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9225 August 29, 2003 is “Section 1. Short Title this act shall be known as the “Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003.” Section 2 states: “Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy – 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.”
I am totally confused as to whether they have lost their Philippine citizenship or not. If they have, short of renouncing their Australian citizenship, can they re-acquire it without leaving the Philippines? If so, how? Of course they are both too young to swear an oath of allegiance !
I thought that I was giving my daughters a priceless gift by giving them Australian citizenship. I hope that I have not made a very poor choice.
I would really appreciate your thoughts.
Bill
Hi Bill,
Please understand that I am not an attorney, so this is only a layman’s opinion. As I understand it, the actions that an adult takes on behalf of a minor cannot take rights away from the child. I personally do not believe that the children’s citizenship was lost in the Philippines by your action. If it was, though, it is a simple matter of filling out a few forms to “re-acquire” Philippine Citizenship while keeping the Australian citizenship as well.
To be absolutely certain of everything and to do everything right, I would recommend consulting a Philippine attorney. It won’t be expensive and they can get it all sorted out for you.
Good luck!
Your child who is filipino citizen apply for austrialian citizenship he/she will automatically forfeit his/her philippine citizenship but you can apply your childs Dual Citizenship by re-acquiring again your childs filipino citizenship.
Thanks very much for your comments Bob. I will take your advice. I read on another blog hosted by Feyma that a Filipino/American who had lost her RP citizenship when she acquired USA citizenship went to the Immigration Office in Cebu, filled out some forms and took the oath. She was very quickly re-instated as a RP citizen. Maybe my partner can take the oath for the kids.
Keep up the good work. I only discovered your web site yesterday. I have become instantly addicted to it.
Regards,
Bill
Hi Bill, just to let you know, Feyma is my wife. She is rigjt, the reaquisition process us very quick and simple.
What about this Scenario.. I am a Naturalized USA Citizen, Filipino born with parents who were Filipino citizens at the time of my birth.. I am about to apply for my Philippine dual citizenship, but there is a section there for dependents…Both my kids are born in the Philippines with a Filipino mother. One of my kids is already officially reported as a USA Citizen, the other is only 10months and I have not processed his USA Citizenship. I was wondering if I need to include them when applying for my Philippine citizenship.
Your citizenship for your kids has multiple paths that you can take. If I were in your shoes I would include them on my application for Dual Citizenship, that should accomplish what you are trying to do. Just get the dual citizenship for your youngerst child first, and then apply with your dual citizenship application.
Hi Bob.
What about a Filipina (me) and my swedish bf bore a child?How can we get a dual citizenship for the child?I researched the internet about “CRBA” (Consular Report of Birth Abroad) for Swedish citizenship but cant find anything..Can u help me please?
Thanks.
P.S
Great article BTW 🙂
I am sorry, I know nothing about Swedish citizenship issues.
Every country has its own rules on citizenship and they are changing them very often. In my case our daughter got her Polish passport straight away at the embassy, because I’m the father and her birth was registered in my homeland. She also received her Pilipinas Pasaporte as her mother is a Filipina, so she left Manila airport with two passports. Polish nationality law states that even one parent, mother or father gives the child the right for Polish citizenship. And there is a good change with Pilipinas Pasaporte: Now one parent can apply and collect child’s passport. I think it is since September this year.
Hello Sir i have a question, i am a Filipina married to US Citizen, i am now a Naturalizes US Citizen, i am planing to apply a dual Citizen, i have kids born in USA and i am planing to put them on the Application can they become Dual Citizen if i got Approved? i am really confused right now. Thank you for your Help.
Hi Sheila,
Yes, if you include your children on your dual citizenship application, they will also become dual citizens when you are approved. This is what my wife and I did for our children, and they are all dual citizens now. Good luck to you.
Thank You very much Sir
You are most welcome, good luck to you.
Hello Bob,
Here’s my scenario. Me and my four kids went to Philippines last March 2016 my kids are all US citizens so when we entered the Phils they got Balikabayan stamp which they can stay for 1 year there since they travelled with me a Filipino citizen now they are going to be 1 year staying in the Philippines this March.Before going to Philippines i Already got them Report of Birth and planning to get a Philippine passport for all four of them since it is one of the reqmnt. Will there be a penalty or are they considered overstaying in the phils if for example they exit the phils after 6mos? If they got their Philippine passport and show both US and Phil passport when they exit the country? pls help im confused because my sister called BI and they said they just need to get “recognition as a filipino citizen” which cost a lot more (P12,000 per person)than getting them a Phil passport $90 what should I do?
See my answer on your other post,it seems you posted the same question multiple times.
Hello Bob,
Here’s my scenario. Me and my four kids went to Philippines last March 2016 my kids are all US citizens so when we entered the Phils they got Balikabayan stamp which they can stay for 1 year there since they travelled with me a Filipino citizen now they are going to be 1 year staying in the Philippines this March.Before going to Philippines i Already got them Report of Birth and planning to get a Philippine passport for all four of them since it is one of the reqmnt. Will there be a penalty or are they considered overstaying in the phils if for example they exit the phils after 6mos? If they got their Philippine passport and show both US and Phil passport when they exit the country? pls help im confused because my sister called BI and they said they just need to get “recognition as a filipino citizen” which cost a lot more (P12,000 per person)than getting them a Phil passport $90 what should I do?
If your kids have passports for both the USA and the Philippines, and show both passports when they exit there will be no problems with overstaying, no fees or penalties to be paid. Having the passport proves citizenship, and citizens cannot “overstay” in their country. Good luck to you!
Hello Bob,
Here’s my scenario. Me and my four kids went to Philippines last March 2016 my kids are all US citizens so when we entered the Phils they got Balikabayan stamp which they can stay for 1 year there since they travelled with me a Filipino citizen now they are going to be 1 year staying in the Philippines this March.Before going to Philippines i Already got them Report of Birth and planning to get a Philippine passport for all four of them since it is one of the reqmnt. Will there be a penalty or are they considered overstaying in the phils if for example they exit the phils after 6mos? If they got their Philippine passport and show both US and Phil passport when they exit the country? pls help im confused because my sister called BI and they said they just need to get “recognition as a filipino citizen” which cost a lot more (P12,000 per person)than getting them a Phil passport $90 what should I do?
Hi Loria – If your kids have passports for both the USA and the Philippines, and show both passports when they exit there will be no problems with overstaying, no fees or penalties to be paid. Having the passport proves citizenship, and citizens cannot “overstay” in their country. Good luck to you!
Thank you Bob for you quick response..one more thing so I do not have to get the “recognition as a Filipino citizen” since they can apply for Philippine passport? They will just apply right now and if the passport is issued after March and leave after six months which is over 1 year already..they will just show their Phil passport when they exit and I will not be penalized? Sorry to many questions..God Bless and thank you in advance!
If they have a passport then nothing else is needed.
I need to follow up my son’s dual citizenship application. I need a contact number if there is one assp
Hi Bob, hope you can help me out with my scenario. I am a US Citizen. Born here in the Philippines, but my parents got me a CRBA, US Passport, and I lived in the states until 2003. Since 2003, I’ve been living here in the Philippines and I have a 13G visa ACR. I have three children with my live-in partner of almost 10 years who is a filipino citizen. Since they were born, I wasn’t able to get a CRBA and US passports due to lack of knowledge and financial. Now, they all have a CRBA and US Passport since March of 2016. I am confused and don’t know where my kids would fall under. If they can get dual citizenship. Since my and my partner are not married, someone suggested that we get married, and the rest would follow? Our kids can become dual citizenship? Planning to go back to the states soon, but we want the option of having to come back to the Philipines with no hassle and having the same rights as a filipino citizen. Hoping for your reply. Thanks.
I do not believe that becoming married your partner would impact the children citizenship one way or the other. They should qualify to be dual citizens already, since they’ve already been recognized as US citizens, and their father is a Philippine citizen. If I were you I would go to the Bureau of immigration and final for their dual citizenship, see what happens. If you encounter problems you might want to hire a immigration attorney to help you out. Good luck to you.
Thanks for the speedy reply, actually i contacted the immigration via fb chat and they suggested recognition of filipino citizen. But when i wenton monday to immigration for the annual report, i mentioned my scenario to officer and he mentioned marrying my partner, that is why i am a bit confused.
Marriage should have no impact. I do not believe he knows what he’s talking about. However, I’ve already giving you my opinion, so no more to say. Good luck to you.
thas right your children can get dual citizenship because you where natural born filipino. Your children are eligible to become filipino citizenship.
Hi Bob I have a queston. I am a natural born filipino but my father is an american. I moved back here to the philippines from the US in 2005. During that time unfortunately I did not have a philippine passport since I was not able to get one cause my mother was already back in the Philippines. Now supposedly I owe taxes for overstaying as a US citizen from the time I entered the country as a minor. I just would like to know what can I do to clear this up because I have plans on going back to the US but unfortunately I cannot and believe I should not have to pay taxes since I am a born filipino citizen. What can I do? Thanks
Since you were a natural-born Philippine Citizen, and you are now a US citizen, you are fully qualified to become a dual citizen. Just go fill out an application at the Bureau of immigration to become a dual citizen, follow all the steps, and once you are a dual citizen you will no longer owe any taxes for overstaying. It’s all very easy. Good luck to you.
Hi Bob i am about to give birth to my child next month and i’m confused what citizenship should i put in the form when the hospital ask me, i’m a filipino citizen and my husband is US citizen and we live here in davao del sur, philippines. Hope you can help me
What I would do is put “Filipino” on the birth certificate. Then file CRBA with the US Embassy so your child can pick up his US Citizenship as well.
Good luck!
Thank you Bob for your response
One more thing Bob is it expensive to get that CRBA in the US Embassy?
Hi Ierc, I am in the process of filling for my daughter’s CARBS and the fee is right at $130 USD.
is there any other fees aside that $130? and another is do i need to apply my daughter her Philippine passport? she born here in the Philippines. Thanks
Good
day. I would like to query, I am married to American citizen and we got
married here in the Philippines. My question is, do we need to register
our marriage to US embassy? Is it valid
already in the US even we got married here.? For now me and my daughter still here in the Philippines Any requirements needed to register the marriage contract aside on NSO marriage certificate?. Thanks
As far as I know, there’s not even a process to register your marriage at the US Embassy. Don’t worry, your marriage is valid in the US.
Another one Sir.. We are planning to file CRBA for our daughter..Can i file it in US embassy in Cebu or just in Manila? Can i fill out all the form or it needs my husband to do it too.. He is very busy working for living ( Truck Driver) . Any requirements needed? And how much all in all the cost. Thanks!
I just read here the checklist for CRBA here it says…
“If the child was born out of wedlock
to a U.S. citizen father
, the U.S. citizenfather
must completeall parts of
Item 28, page 3 of the form DS-2029 and sign the form a
t the interview
the
U.S. citizen father
will not be
present at the interview, he must
complete all parts of
Item 28
and sign the form
in front of a U.S.-commissioned notary.”
The time we are not yet married when i gave birth to our baby.Since my husband so busy working for living can i fill out all the form?
can i print out/download the form here? or DO i need to call the Embassy for any forms to deliver here? Thanks
Good Day, I’d like to ask about the situation of my niece, she still a minor and have a dual citizenship, she was born in U.S. with Filipino Parents. My niece is here in the Philippines with my relatives for vacation but the parents are still in U.S. because of work, she both have U.S. and Philippine passport, but the Philippine passport is already expired, my question is can she travel back in U.S. even she have expired Philippine passport, her U.S. passport is still valid. She need to return to U.S. to attend school . Any thoughts? TIA.
She can leave, provided that she has not overstayed her visa. If she has overstayed she will owe penalties, I don’t know how long she has been here, so I don’t know how much she will owe.
If she has a current PH Passport, a Dual Citizenship Certificate or some other document proving Philippine citizenship all penalties will be waived.
Hello, I am a Us citizen and applied for dual citizen already, US and filipino. And I have a daughter that is born in the philippines and she is a filipino citizen. Can my daughter also have a dual citizenship like mine? since shes my daughter? Hope for your reply
When you applied for dual citizenship, you should have listed your child in the area on the application where you were to list minors that you wished to be included for dual citizenship. I am sorry, but as far as I know, your daughter will now need to wait until she is 18 to apply.
I’d just like to ask. Is phil passport and us passport enough for proof for dual citizenship?
If he needs passport is current and an expired then it would be proof.
Okay thankyou so much.
Is there other way for my daughter to have a dual citizenship?
My son was born in the Philippines. My wife (his mom) is a Filipino citizen and I am American. He was both an American and Filipino citizen. My question is, does this change when he turned 18 (he is now 19). He lives in the US and his Filipino passport has expired. Is he still considered a Filipino citizen?
It does not change when he is 18. You should keep the Philippine passport up-to-date.
Hi Bob. This was really helpful. We are in Malaysia and have adopted children here born to Filipina mothers.They don’t have any citizenship and we would like to see if we can get them citizenship from the Philippines. We’ve been searching online and haven’t found anything definitive yet (the embassy here have not been helpful, could be some language barrier issues when we call too). Wondered if you had any suggestions as to where we might look or avenues we can pursue? Thanks!
I am sorry, are you saying that the children are stateless? A person being stateless is very rare, are you certain? Wouldn’t they be Philippine citizens at this time due to the citizenship of their mother? When you say “the Embassy” what country’s embassy are you referring to?
hi my baby was born here in philippines and her dad was french .but were not married .. her dads parents want her to have a dual citezen for my baby and i dont know where to start and what are requirements about it and where to go first .. i really dont have an idea about this .i wish you can help me
The father should go to the French Embassy in Manila to start the process of recognition as a French Citizen.
oh i see so it really needs the father?can i just be the one to process it with the lawyer?
Sure, you can do it, as long as you are a French Citizen. Any attorney can do it only if his client is a citizen of France.
yes her dad was a french ciizen and me im philippine citizen and his parents want to have the dual citizen of my baby asap but her dad cannot come this year .. and they were asking if only a lawyer can recognize him?/
You already told me that you are Filipino and that the father is French, so I already know that. What I am saying, which I do not think you understand, is that only the father can establish French citizenship for the child. There is nothing that YOU can do, because you are not French. If you hire an attorney, the attorney can do nothing, because only the Father can file for French citizenship for the child. If you wish further assistance from me, let me know, and I can send you my rate sheet for consultation on this matter.
Hi there Bob just want to ask…I have a partner before and we are no longer together…And he is an American citizen…And I’m Filipino citizen…We had a kid under his last name but in my kids birth certificate he did not put his citizenship. My question is can I apply my kid to be an American citizen.
He can apply only if his father does the application and sponsors him. You cannot apply sine you are not a US citizen.
Hi Bob, I have 3 children with my Filipina wife, all born here in Canada. I understand they are dual citizens, as they were born before my wife became a Canadian Citizen. We did file the report of birth on them here at the Philippine Consulate, but never received the “certificate of recognition of Philippine Citizenship for the child” you mentioned. We do have copies of the report of birth from the nso.
Wondering if we still need to get that “certificate of recognition of Philippine Citizenship” and if so how to go about it?
I would recommend that you check with the Consulate about obtaining the appropriate documents. You should also inquire with them about obtaining Philippine Passports for your kids. With Passports, it cannot be denied that they are Philippine citizens.
Thanks Bob, we are in the process of getting them the passports.
When they travel to PH, would you recommend they travel using their Philippine or Canadian passports? Also my wife, which passport would it be best for here to travel with to PH, she has both.
When they travel into the Philippines, I would recommend that they show both passports. That is what my wife and family do when traveling, and others that I know as well.
Also, if they get Philippine Passports, there is really no need for any other certificates. The passports alone provide the proof of citizenship.
I’m a dual citizen by birth (born in USA to parents that were Filipinos). I am living in the Phils now and will be reporting my 3 kids Delayed Report Of Birth here in the Phils so they can get their Phil passports. In their applications for Report of birth, under my citizenship, what do you think I should put? Filipino, American, or Filipino American? The option you think will be the least hassles in the future?
My daughter was born in San Diego, CA, brought her here while she was only 3 months old. Never left the country, didn’t apply for her ACR icard because we were advised by the lady at the BI here in Cam. Sur that it’s not needed because I am an ACR i card holder myself, so she said my daughter was “carried over” by my ACR icard.
So to make my story short, can I apply for my child to be a dual citizen? Just her though.
And if I do, will I have to pay for her overstaying here in the Philippines if we decide to move out of the country?
I can’t imagine the BI telling you that an ACR I-Card was not needed because your daughter was a child. When we moved here I had a son who was just one month old, and also a 3 year old and an 8 year old, and they all needed I Cards. It is the law.
Yes, you can apply for dual citizenship for your child, but not by the same process as you would use. Since she is foreign born, her process to acquire Philippine citizenship is different, you must file a report of birth abroad through the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles and go through that process. If you do this, there will be no overstaying, no penalties for her when she leaves the Philippines.
Dual citizenship is not an option for me, Bob. Both my parents are US citizens and my baby daddy is Khmer, not sure if he became a US citizen since he’s in the military now.. anyhow, I processed my daughter’s papers and will be paying for the penalties. My problem now is, the waiting.. and how most of the government employees over in the Phil immigration don’t like to entertain calls… it ticks me off tbh. And I really hate how this “local number” (441) is ALWAYS busy. #bummed
I am sorry that it has been a hassle for you. It is unfortunate. I don’t see any options for you but to pay, though.
Hello there Bob! I have no issues paying, none at all.. but the communication between the Phil Immigration and us (immigrants) I have a huge problem with that… it is very vague… so vague it’s unreachable. Employees on the phone be passing my calls around like I’m not paying long distance calls… and the process takes forever. I don’t wanna rant on here (I already am lol) but like, can’t they just gimme the CORRECT and the most time efficient way to take our money we’re going to pay em so we can all move on and get on out of this country… ?
They unfortunately did give us the INCORRECT information …and now we’re the ones in the rut because of their negligence..
hi i have a child in the philippines, hes born there. his mother is a filipina and im dutch. i allready have a dutch passport for him but how does that work? do i have to apply for visa every time for him or can heb e considerd as a filipino because his mom is filipina and hes born there? how does it work for his school/work later?
Have the mother go file for his “recognition as a Filipnio citizen” and then he will be a dual citizen. He will be able to travel back and forth between the Netherlands and the Philippines with no visas involved.
Thank u so much for the quick reply! Where can i let the mother apply for that? Thanx again!
The application would be done either at the Bureau of Immigration or the Department of Foreign Affairs, to be honest I am not certain. If I were consulting you on a paid basis I would be happy to chase down the exact information for you, but since this is free, just tell the mother to check these two departments. Good luck.
Thank you very much for the info! I will get into this. Keep up the good work 😉
It’s through DFA, actually.
Really strange. My friend had a Filipino father and a German mother. They wouldn’t let him get his citizenship because his MOTHER was not Filipino. I always thought this was strange.
BOB,
First Off, Thannnks for all the information on your site, it’s a great resource for those who need it. It’s definitely useful to me.
Secondly, I have a Dual Citizenship question: Can I get dual citizenship? I am the son of two filipino citizens whom immigrated to the US, both acquired their US citizenship and recently required their (dual) citizenship to the Philippines. I was hoping that the Philippine Dual Citizenship act would apply to me, but I don’t think it does as I was never a Filipino citizen by birth. When I was born (1983), my mom was actually still a filipino citizen, but Unfortunately, she did not report me to the consulate/embassy which would have allowed me dual citizenship then. So here I am 33 years later, trying to explore my options how to acquire dual citizenship. Is it still possible for someone like me in my situation? I’ve emailed the Philippine Consulate that represents my area, but emails go unanswered. Any thoughts would be welcomed. Thanks in advance.
G
Since your mother was still a Philippine citizen when you were born, you do qualify for dual citizenship. You do not qualify, but instead you qualify for dual citizenship by birth. It’s a completely different process. Look into it, perhaps contact the Philippine Embassy or consulate that serves the area where you are. Good luck to you.
Thanks!
I did make a call to the consulate yesterday, they confirmed you response. For the reader’s reference, even though a delay in reporting birth, you still get to do it and after you can apply for a PH Passport. Easy peasy.
so my son already got his CRBA and uSA passport and left the the philippines to the usa for four month. now they are making me pay visa for him every month how can i stop paying and make him dual citizen?
Hi Bob,
Going through the various threads and I am a bit confused. My daughter was born in the Philippines 6 months ago. Her mother is my wife and a Philippine Citizen. I am a US citizen. If I get her CRBA certificate and U.S. passport prior to her receiving a Philippine passport, does that nullify her Philippine citizenship? As you know, getting an appointment at DFA is an exercise in futility, while the U.S. Embassy is fairly well organized.
Thanks in advance!
Hi I just got a daughter with my Filipina wife she was born in the Philippines so she can get both citizenship Dutch and Philippines and both passports?
Hi Daniel – Being born in the Philippines does not convey citizenship. It is possible to be born here and not be eligible for Philippine citizenship. You said your wife is Filipina.. if she is still a citizen of the Philippines then the child is eligible for Philippine Citizenship, and indeed dual citizenship, as long as it is allowed by your country.
Hello this is so informative:) I have a question I am going to apply for a dual Citizen next month. I became US Citizen since 2012. My son was born here in the US last 2009 and he is already 7 years old. My question is which Middle name am I going to use? my son’s American middle name or my Filipino maiden name? and do I need to submit for AFFIDAVIT FOR DELAYED REGISTRATION OF BIRTH since he is already 7? Thank you so much and your answer will be appreciated
Both of our children shared the exact situation you described. We gave them typical American names (first and middle) and neglected to keep my wife’s maiden name as is traditional in the Philippines. When we applied for their dual citizenship, they retained their middle names they were given at birth and the San Francisco Consulate automatically added their mother’s maiden name. I was grateful for that. As far as the Affidavit, we accomplished that using a template the Consulate provided me and had it notarized locally to save time and money. Hope this helps…
Hi Bob,
There is a paragraph in your article that interests me greatly.
The paragraph that begins:
“Now, if you were a US citizen, your wife is a Philippine citizen and you have a child born in the Philippines”
Me, my girlfriend (Filipina), and our son have lived in the Philippines for his first 10 years. We are getting his U.S. Passport and CRBA very soon. Almost all done.
But, now I have read that we have to get him an ECC from Philippine immigrations. The way I’m reading it is; we have to pay arrears for his 10 years in the Philippines. He was born in Davao City. I think the fees would be in excess of $5,000.00 USD.
Do you have any information about this?
We are considering bringing him out of the country on his Philippine passport if this is the case. Then I guess pick up his U.S. passport in some other country and travel onward to the U.S. But, he is on has traveled out of the Philippines a few times on his local passport.
But, if he is in fact automatically a Dual citizen . . .
Just wondering if you have any info about this.
Thank you,
If you get a US Passport and a Philippine Passport for your child there will be no fees for overstaying.
Wow! That’s what I was worried about too, if we will have to pay for my son’s overstaying in the Philippines since he acquired his US citizenship last year.
You’re a great help Bob, thanks again.
You are most welcome. As long as your son has a Philippine Passport or Certificate of Philippine Citizenship, you will not own anything for overstaying.
Hi Bob. I became a US citizen back in 2008 (procrastinating getting this), but my kids where born in the mid 90’s in the US. Their dad is an American and I am Filipino. My kids now are over 18. How can they become dual citizen? Thanks!
I am sorry, but you have probably procrastinated too long. Your kids are already over 18, and it will be much more difficult now for them to claim their Philippine citizenship. Best bet is to contact the Philippine Embassy or Consulate nearest you and ask if you can file a late report of birth abroad for each child.
Hi! Thank you for this article. I was looking for some answers regarding my son, if he does have a dual citizenship and you just answered my question with a perfect answer.
I have another question though, we are leaving for America next month, I am just wondering if there is anything else that he will be asked at the immigration? Do we only need to show his American passport?
To avoid penalties for overstaying you will need to show some kind of documentation of Philippine Citizenship along with his American Passport. A Philippine Passport or a Philippine Dual Citizenship Certificate will do fine for that.
Hello. My wife is a Philippines citizen, I am a USA citizen, we have been married almost 4 years. She will give birth to our first child next month. I am currently working in the USA and will not be present for the birth. I am worried about the birth certificate. My wife says she will just go to the civil register with our marriage certificate to register our daughter’s birth, but isn’t it a requirement that I sign the birth certificate for the purposes of getting her the CRBA? What is the correct process? Thanks.
I believe that your wife should be able to add your name to the birth certificate. When you apply for the CRBA at the US Embassy they are likely to require DNA testing anyway, so that should be no concern.
Do I need to ‘report birth abroad’ and ‘report marriage abroad’ before I could file for dual citizenship for me and my son?
Yep
hello i am a a female dual citizen of both US and Philippines and my husband is Philippine Citizen only. In our case if we were to have kids since im in the philippines will our child be automatic US citizen or Philippine Citizen OR Automatic Dual right at birth???
If you give birth in the Philippines, at birth your child will be a Philippine Citizen. You will need to go file a report of birth abroad (CRBA) at the US Embassy in Manila, which will then make your child both a US citizen and a Philippine Citizen.
Hi there Bob I have a friend he’s Australian who has a child born here in the Philippines. His child is obviously an Australian citizen. The mother of the child abandoned him when he was a baby so my friend end up raising his child by himself. Now here’s the problem. The child overstayed for two years. I have suggested that he should apply for dual citizenship for him. Can his child be eligible for dual?
I don’t know if he’s eligible, you didn’t tell me enough information. Being born in the Philippines does not give you the right to citizenship. What his mother of Philippine citizen? If so, he probably has the right to dual citizenship. It may be tough though since his mother is no longer around.
Yes the mother is of Philippine citizen. My friend has a business here in the philippines, can his child be under his visa as his independent?
sorry I should say dependent under his working visa. I’ve just found out that the child can. All good. Thank you.
Hi bob, i have a question, my baby was born in the philipines april 2016 and we report it crba after that. She was converted as us citizen now. How much is the penalty for overstaying in the philippines if i’m going to bring her this month in the uS? Thanks for the answer.
If it is me i would feel at ease name as it appears on his birth certificate. However my experience is that the philippine government will force you to also put your maiden name.
Thanks for the reply Sir,so your children used the mothers maiden as their middle name on their phil records?
Hi Bob, great job from what I read so far! I believe my son, born 1996, to me a US citizen, and his Mom a Philippine Citizen can be dual citizenship. Currently he was registered as a U.S. Citizen who never left the Philippines, and is now getting pinched for 70k P if he wants to leave even though he has no entry stamp because he never left. Is getting a Philippine Citizenship the answer to not have to pay the hefty fee? What are his best options please? Anxiously awaiting.
Yes if your son goes for dual citizenship he will no longer all any penalties. Just having go to the year with immigration and enquire about becoming a dual citizen.
Hi Bob, I am 38 years old and was born in the US. My parents were both naturalized in 1973 and 1977. They were US citizens when I was born. One parent reacquired their Filipino citizenship two years ago to become a dual (2015).
I recently visited the Consulate believing that I could acquire my own dual-citizenship because the Act retroactively made my mother a citizen of the Philippines again. Prior to the visit, they said that it would be okay in an email. Upon arrival, I was denied, but was instructed to go to the Philippines and visit the BI because there is somehow a way in my complicated scenario. I just don’t know what that way is nor how to prepare. Luckily, I am going to the Philippines in a few weeks anyway.
How can I accomplish getting my dual, despite being born right when both parents were only US citizens, being way over the age of 18, and having one parent exercising their reacquisition of their Philippine citizenship? What materials should I bring to help my case? (I have discovered many old PI documents and past PI passports of my parents.) And which BI office is the most appropriate to visit for my situation? Thank you.
You have no legal claim to Philippine Citizenship or Dual Citizenship. I would go to the BI and inquire while you are here, but it will only be granted if they are feeling generous or overlook something. Good luck.
Why doesn’t RA 9225 that retroactively works towards my mother’s reacquisition also cover myself? That seems like an oversight, being that the point of that Act was to essentially say “You’ve been a Filipino citizen all along.”
Would you suggest I pursue Philippine citizenship the traditional way then? That is, seeking out naturalization in the Philippines while retaining my US citizenship? What does this process involve?
All of this has mainly to do with having elderly parents now unable to travel and conduct business, being an only child and real estate in their names, necessitating my involvement in the handling of their affairs.
You can not reacquire. Reacquiring means that you used to have it, lost it and are getting it back. You have never been a citizen of the Philippines.
I see. So you’re saying that in order to achieve the desired end result of dual-citizenship, I will have to apply for Philippine citizenship as a foreign-national, yes?
Hello Bob, I live in Cagayan de Oro city with 2 children under 18 years old. I am Dutch and my children are born from a Filipino mother. She is already working in the USA for a few years and we will move the children to the USA to her mother. I will stay in the Philippines. Do you think it is easy or are there a lot of requirements necessary.
The mother has a job there and is busy with her USA citizen ship.
Thanks in advance, Paul
Hello Bob, I live in Cagayan de Oro city with 2 children under 18 years old. I am Dutch and my children are born from a Filipino mother. She is already working in the USA for a few years and we will move the children to the USA to her mother. I will stay in the Philippines. Do you think it is easy or are there a lot of requirements necessary.
The mother has a job there and is busy with her USA citizen ship.
Thanks in advance, Paul
Hi Paul – Sorry, I don’t think I am the right guy to ask. When it comes to answering questions about living in the Philippines, Philippine Immigration and such, I have the answers. But, I have not been to the States for 18 years, and I know little about the immigration there now. If I had the answers to your questions, I would be happy to help, but I just don’t know. Take care.
Salamat Bob. Nice website anyway. Good luck
Hello Bob, I am a dual citizen (US and Filipino acquired thru RA 9225). My questions is/are.., I am in process to submit a report of birth of child abroad to the US Embassy, but my marriage certificate citizenship indicated Filipino and on my children birth certificates indicates that my citizenship is American. Is there complications with the different data’s on both certificates in processing my children report of birth of child abroad.
It sounds like there will be some complications, but i really don’t know for sure. You just have to give it a try.
Does anyone know what hotel(s) is nearest to us embassy in manila?
Bayview is almost right across the road from the US embassy.
Thanks yea I saw that. that’s the one I’ll go with. Appreciate it. 🙂
Great info and answered my questions. I would like to know how I can get dual citizenship for my 18yr old. I fall in the One More Scenario category and this can apply for my 15yr old.
You waited too long, once the child turns 18 he is no longer eligible.
I wasn’t interested in getting dual citizenship until he mentioned it a few days ago. It’s not a loss to me. Thanks for the reply.
May i ask something is about my friend. I want to know if her father is German but her mother and her are filipino and her age right now is 19 , when she move to german she not allow to use her real age. It is true? I hear from her that they change her age and birthday…make her 16 year old…..it is true? If you 19 year old from filipino not allow to come to the German ?
Hello bob i have a question about the citizenship of my son i am a filipina and his father is chinese but i gave birth to him in the Philippines, now he acknowledged the child and submit all the requirements that will be needed to for his son’s birth certificate. But still my son is a filipino citizen and holding a philippine passport. But his father wants to apply a dual citizenship in the philippines for his son to have a Chinese passport is that possible or is there any other way to do it? If so what are the requirements or steps we need to do?
Should be possible, but to be honest there are always questions about Chinese citizenship in the Philippines. I don’t know why, but it is a longtime thing. Under the law, your husband should go file for Chinese Citizenship at the Chinese Embassy. Then, fill out the for to claim dual citizenship in the Philippines and go through the process.
Hello Bob, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.
My son was born in the US, making him a US citizen. I was a dual citizen of the Philippines and the US at the time of his birth. When I went to the Philippine embassy in NY the first time, I waited there for 3 hours just for them to tell me that he was automatically a dual citizen and that I didn’t need to get any paperwork. I brought my son to the Philippines to live with his father while I finished school here in the US. Now I am trying to get my son back to the US but when I mentioned this to the DFA in Lucena, Quezon, they said that he needs dual citizenship paperwork, otherwise I would be paying a hefty fee for overstay costs. I applied for his dual citizenship at the Philippine embassy but the one form that went to the NSO office in the Philippines had the incorrect birth date on it, which then went to the passport agency so now his Report of Birth Abroad and his Philippine passport have the wrong dates on them.
Should I even bother fixing these mistakes or should I pay the fee?
(please get back to me, even if it is with your rate sheet)
Thank you kindly,
Janelle Velasquez
If i were in your shoes and had all of the dual citizenship done but the dates were wrong, i would not worry about it. Please remember this is not legal advice this is only my opinion.
Hi Bob. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.
I’m a Filipina and my fiancé is American and we’ll be having a baby soon .Since me and the father isn’t married, when I give birth, our child will be considered as an illegitimate child however the father acknowledges our child and he would like to bring me and our child to the us. So my questions are
1st with regards to having a passport, will he have two passport and have dual citizenship?
And the last one is when our child finally has his/her American passport, our baby won’t be needing to apply for a visa anymore ?
hi , im syrian married ti Filipino i have one year old daughter was born in the Philippines and she holds Filipino passport
im going to get Algerian citizenship soon through my father if i applied for my daughter to get Algerian citizenship does she lose her Filipino citizen ?
Hello Bob,, this is Aurora. Thanks for this very informative article.
I was searching for this subject and your article came up.
My best friend married a guy from NY, and they both live in Cebu City for a while.
They had a boy together and the boy obtained US Passport while living in Cebu City. They were supposed to come to US but that did not happen as the father (petitioner died of cancer). Now the child and the mother remain in the Philippines.
The US child passport as now been expired for a while.
He is now 17 and wanting to come to US.
The question is is it best to get him a Phil Passport before he could renew his US passport? Could he leave the country under 18 with DSWD letter?
Will he have problem obtaining Phil Passport? thanks
The way that the Philippine government handles a situation like you describe is something that I really disagree with. Generally, once the child gets a US passport, the Philippines considers that the child his losses Philippine citizenship. So, the mother will have to file for dual citizenship and go through that process. After that, the child can get a passport in the Philippines, which is not so easy, as I’m sure you are aware. For me, renew the US passport, I see no advantages in waiting for the Philippine passport first.
I don’t really see any problems for the boy leaving the Philippines. If he shows his US passport, I would not expect that he would even need a DSWD letter. It would still be a good idea to get one, just in case. Last year, one of my sons, who was 17 at the time, traveled from the Philippines to the US, and from the US to the Philippines with no such letter.
Good luck.
Did he travel alone? Did he travel with his US passport?
He traveled with his brother carrying a US passport and dual citizenship certificate.
Bob, do you have a reference for dual citizenship when the Filipino mother gives birth in the US? Not doubting your information (always credible) but would like to research more. Just looking for a starting point.
Thanks for being an awesome source.
Mark
My own personal experience with my children who were all born int he USA is the best reference I can give… I’ve been through the process personally.
Take care, and good luck.
Hi Bob, Just want to confirm if my understanding is correct – I am Taiwanese citizen and my wife is a Filipino citizen. This means our daughter is Filipino citizen and i will need to go to the Taiwan Embassy to request for “CRBA” (Consular Report of Birth Abroad) so she will be a dual citizen?
That is exactly correct.
Thanks! I was thinking that CRBA might only be for US only and it may be called differently in Taiwan.. Appreciate the quick response. This article has been very helpful
Bob great article, here is my question. My son is 22 years old american citizen & a great athlete. Has a shot at making the Philippine national team for track. Is he still eligible at 22 for dual citizenship? Single & no kids. Mom is still a Philippine citizen we’ve been in the US for 25 plus years she never became a US citizen & chooses to stay a Philippine citizen
I am sorry, after the age of 18 he is no longer eligible. Sometimes you can convince the consular officials to extend eligibility to the overage people, but legally, no he is not eligible.
Hi Bob,Ive been following this article for a quiet a while now,My scenario is my son was born here in the Philippines last Oct and got his US citizenship last January,my question is what are we going to do now?Do we need to go to the immigration now to get him a visa extension just like his father?
You did not say, are you Filipino? If so, go to the Immigration and file for dual citizenship for your son. Then he will not need a visa to stay here.
hi! i am filipino and my husband is french. we live overseas but not in france. i am giving birth soon and planning to apply for dual citizenship. I am just wondering, for the name of the child bec in France they don’t use mother’s maiden name and in ph it is automatically used. will there be a problem if we dont use my family name for french docs (birth cert, passport, etc) or does it have to be same name written for same country legal docs. Thanks in advance.
You should keep the names the same on all documents.
quick question – what if both parents are unmarried and the child is born in the Philippines but is acknowledge by the Foreign national father, can the baby acquire dual citizenship too?
thank you in advance Bob 🙂
Of course.
May I ask, when I apply (mother) for dual citizenship and I claim my child also, does my child need to be present at the embassy or can i do it alone? Thank you!
When my wife did this, the kids were not required to be present.
thank you very much!
Hi Bob. Thank you for this article. It helped me understand about citizenship in Philippines. Just need to ask one thing though. I am currently a Japanese nationality (With passport), my Father is Japanese and my Mother is Philippine Citizen. I was born in Philippines in 1975. Am I an automatic Philippine citizen in this case? Does it mean I am an automatic dual citizenship? Do I need to apply to anything to prove that I am Philippine citizen or I can just show my birth certificate? Reply would be helpful. Thanks.
Probably you are not a dual citizen of the Philippines at this time. When you obtained your Japanese citizenship you lost your PH citizenship. You should be able to just apply for dual citizenship and then you will become a dual citizen. Good luck.
Thank you very much for the reply. Much appreciate it. I was searching about the citizenship because my Mother is thinking of transferring the ownership of the house to me but I have to be a PH citizen in order to be eligible. I will try for the dual citizenship.
Thanks again.
You may not need to be a citizen to own the house. Check out the heredity laws and how the effect former citizens.
My Fathers friend is helping me this matter. According to him, the deed to the house and lot can be transfered to me but my Father keeps saying that a foreigner cant own a lot in Philippine. Then my Fathers friend said in that case it will be transfered to my Mothers relative. This matter confused me so I searched the net. Well it does say that the law forbids foreigner to own a lot directly but if he marries a Philippine citizen then he and his child can inherit it regardless of the citizenship. I am still searching if this is true. Thanks for the reply~
I do have a question…say for instance the US citizen was on vacation in the Philippines and got his Filipina Fiance pregnant…and the fiance visa has yet to be approved and the interview hasn’t happened yet…and the baby was born in the Philippines before the fiance visa was approved for his fiance to come over to the USA…would The baby be an USA Citizen and if not….would the father have to apply for the dual citizenship for the baby?
Upon birth eh baby would be a Philippine Citizen. Father would have to file CRBA at the US Embassy. Then the mother would have to file for dual citizenship.
Hi bob. I am a filipino citizen, moved to america and been living here for 20 years and had a child with an ex american boyfriend… We were never married and he is not in child’s birth certificate. Now i am planning to move back home in the philippines with my child for good. Should i make him a dual citizenship or not… But i dont really want to come to u.s once in a year to maintain the citizenship in both countries because it can be expensive going back and forth… Or apply for philippine citizenship for my child? But i heard you have to lived in the philippines for 10 years before trying to become a philippine citizen… I dont really know what to do if i have to pay the extension for my child to live there which can be hard… Thanks!
Make him a dual citizen. I don’t know where you get the idea that he has to go back yearly to maintain US citizenship. That is completely false. I have not been in the USA for 18 years but am still a US citizen. Even if he never goes back for 100 years he will still retain his US citizenship.
Thank you! How do i make him a dual citizen? Do i have to wait until i’m in the philippines to process or i can process it here, so before we leave america he’ll be dual??? What happens after he become dual? Do i have to pay like every once in a while to maintain it? I just really want to stay in philippines with him for good but still be able to come to u.s in the future… And also i am a green card holder, what are the odds of staying for good in philippines while holding a green card? Thank you!
You pay once and that is it. Go file at the Philippine Embassy or Consulate in the US. Or you file at the Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines.
If you stay for good in the Philippines your US Green Card will no longer be valid.
Thanks! Another questions. Will i be able to do that online? Or go to the place…in washington cause i live in illinois. If you were me would you rather to process here it in here in u.s or the philippines?thank you!
You cannot do it online. You don’t have to go to Washington, there are Philippine Consulates all over the USA.
Much easier to do it there in the USA, there is a lot of hassle here in the Philippines.
Thank you so much!!! It helped alot!!! ?
Soo… If i make my child a dual citizen, he can stay as long in the philippines even if it takes more than one year? Soo… I dont need to comeback once in a while to maintain his dual?
He can stay as long in either country, even the next 100 years if he lives that long. You never have to go back, I already answered this exact question for you.
Hi! My children were born in the Philippines. Last year, my kids acquired US citizenship through CRBA. They still live in the Philippines. I (mother) am a dual citizen. They are planning to take a their first trip out of the country soon. Do they have to pay a fine? How will they (airport/customs staff) know if they are dual citizens or not? I have been a dual citizen since I was a child. I was born in the Philippines to a Filipino mother and and American father. My parents had to apply dual citizenship for me at the bureau of immigration in the Philippines. So do I have to do the same for my kids?
When your kids acquired US citizenship they lost their Philippine citizenship. If they have not been paying for a visa, there will be a fine.
“Now, if you were a US citizen, your wife is a Philippine citizen and you have a child born in the Philippines, as I said, the child would be a Philippine citizen at the time of his birth. However, you (the American) could go with the child to the US Embassy in Manila and apply for a “CRBA” (Consular Report of Birth Abroad) for the child. You may be asked to take a DNA test to prove that you are the father, and if that comes back positive, the child will be given US citizenship, while retaining his Philippine Citizenship, thus a Dual Citizen.” ————— this is quite confusing bob. I thought the child is still a philippine citizen even after the child applied for crba and got approved since she was born in the philippines, and with one filipino parent.. The only difference is i (mother) us citizen and the father is philippine citizen… right?
Hello! I actually have two questions first one: my daughter was born in the Philippines and got her CRBA certificate when she was 3 years old. Her mother was still a Philippine Citizen at the time of her birth so is she a Philippine Citizen as well as a US citizen since I (her father) am a US citizen? Question 2: I am now 31 years old was born in the US to a American father and Filipina mother so am I correct in filing for Recognition as Filipino Citizen in order to become a dual citizen?
Your daughter is no longer a Philippine Citizenship. When you filed the CRBA she lost her Philippine Citizenship. Just file for Philippine Dual Citizenship and your daughter will then be a Dual Citizen.
for you, you will need to file a late report of birth abroad at the Philippine Consulate that handles the area where you were born. Then you can obtain Philippine Citizenship.
My mentally disabled child had been residing in the Philippines with my in-laws since 2005. I would like to bring her in US but I just dont know where to start. She was born in 1996 and during that time I was still a Filipino citizen, didnt get naturalized (US) till 2000, so I would assume per RA 9225 that she acquire the Philippine citizenship when she was born. Do I go to BI or US embassy to renew her passport?
She did not automatically obtain Philippine Citizenship. You need to go to the Embassy or Consulate that covers the area of her birth and file a Report of Birth Abroad then you can begin the dual citizenship process.
hi bob, i am gilbert french guy living in manila strait since year 2000, i like to know if u could tell me if my boy who born in france in year 2000 , got already french and philpino citizenship at birth from his mother philipina my boy got already 2 times passport last time when he was 6 years old [ french .filipino ] now i am planing to renew his expired fil. passport , but now i am so confused at d BI OFFICE , they told me than i cant just simply renew like that at d DFA ,i need they said ‘recognition certificate’ some other told me i need dual citizenship certificate so many bla bla , so if u could help me to know what is d true and up to now i try to call d DFA but no body answer tk u in advance bob if u can give to me d right info.
Based on the limited information you gave me, I would guess that after the Philippine birth you filed a cRBA to make your child a French citizen? If so, your child lost his Filipino citizenship at that time. However, by applying for Dual Citizenship, he can reacquire his Philippine Citizenship and will then be a Dual Citizen.
hi bob its me again gilbert d french guy , i said my boy born in france in aug.2000, he got immediatly d french citizenship of course then later my wife went to filipine embassy in paris to get a birthcertificate [ child born abroad ] so he got his first fil passport to come back here in nov. 2000,together with his french passport, then when he was 6 years old i got a renewal of both [french and fil passport ] bcs he went to visit his mam in paris ,, so years pass so fast only now i plan to renew his two pass. who r expired, since 2011, that why i find out its more complicated than b4 apparently in my mind it was clear my boy is dual citizen, so easy procedure to renew, but like i told u so many people told me he need dual citizen certificate and some other told me recognition certi.. some other told me, just go to DFA and renew it,at d immigration no one can give to me d right info, that why i got crasy , and after 1 month he will be 18, so after that may thing change again , that why i am confused, tk u again bob to clear my mind to know wat to do excacly. sorry for my english and short writing like when i text on my celfone
I apologize that I misinterpreted your original comment.
Based on what you tell me, your son should be a dual citizen already, and he should be eligible to renew his Philippine Passport.
I would go renew at DFA. Don’t mention anything about the French citizenship. If he is asked about citizenship (or if you are asked) just say “he is a Philippine citizen” (which is true). His French citizenship is none of their business.
Gooc luck.
Hi Bob! Good day. I hope you could help me. Im a dual citizen mother (living in the Philippines) and I have a 6 year old son who I applied for CRBA and US Passport and was approved January 2017. My questions are,
(1) Is my son automatically a dual citizen since I am US citizen and his father is a Filipino citizen at the time of his birth?
(2) Or should I go to the Bureau of Immigration to apply for petition for inclusion of dependent under RA 9225? [Children below 18 of those retained/re-acquired Philippine Citizenship]
(3) Or theres no need to go to the Bureau of Immigration and just go straight to any DFA to apply for his Philippine Passport?
(4) Can he leave the country with only a Philippine Passport without paying any fees/penalties?
Thank you in advance ?
hi bob,
case: father is US citizen and married a Filipina here in the Philippines. They had children but then father went back in the US and communication lost. What if the father remarried in the US? How can the children in the Philippines acquire US citizenship?
The children can only acquire US Citizenship if the father claims them and applies for a CRBA (Consular Report of Birth Abroad).
Children are not allowed to apply for dual citizenship Bob. Need to update your info.
Hi Bill. Maybe you need to update your prescription for eyeglasses?
The way that children become dual citizens in the Philippines is that when their parents apply for dual citizenship they are included in the application. The second way is that the parents file a cRBA petition at the Embassy of their second country.
All of my kids are dual citizens and obtained their dual citizenship while still children. I know how the process works. Now you do too!
Bob, you are WRONG. Children born to 2 Americans can NEVER be Filipino. Re-acquisition ONLY applies to FORMER FILIPINOS! Cheers.
Again, you are wrong. One of our children was born to myself, a natural born American citizen, and my wife, who was solely an American citizen at the time of his birth, is a dual citizen. He obtained his Philippine Citizenship when my wife re-acquired her Philippine Citizenship under RA9225.
Hi Bob!
Thanks for this article.
This is my scenario: Now, if you were a US citizen, your wife is a Philippine citizen and you have a child born in the Philippines, as I said, the child would be a Philippine citizen at the time of his birth. However, you (the American) could go with the child to the US Embassy in Manila and apply for a “CRBA” (Consular Report of Birth Abroad) for the child. You may be asked to take a DNA test to prove that you are the father, and if that comes back positive, the child will be given US citizenship, while retaining his Philippine Citizenship, thus a Dual Citizen.
I am about to apply for a CRBA. After that, would you know the process i have to go thru here in the Philippines to apply my child for dual citizenship? Is it automatic or do i have to accomplish papers for dual citizenship as well?
Thanks in advance!
When you apply CRBA your child will lose his Philippine citizenship. just go to the bureau of immigration and apply for dual citizenship there. when that is completed your child will be a dual citizen.
Do I still need to accomplish a Bu.of Immigration document to include my kids born in the Philippines after I obtained my dual citizenship?? ?
When you apply for dual citizenship you should put your children’s names on the application. If you have already applied and did not do that, then you will need to obtain dual citizenship for them independently.
Thanks a lot Mr. Martin. So I need to accomplish with the Philippine Bu. of Immigration an application for inclusion of the minor kids and please advise on what requirements do I need to prepare. Again thank you very much and God bless.
This is great information, thanks so much for sharing. I do have one question though regarding my situation. I am a US citizen and my wife is a Philippine citizen, we had a kid in 2016 and I applied for a CRBA for him in 2018, which he now has a CRBA and a SSN and a US passport. my son has never been outside of the Philippines nor his mother, when we went to HONG KONG in February 2019, it was the first time my son will leave the Philippines and use his US passport, the Custom immigration asked me if the child was a dual citizen, we have nothing to prove he was since he has a US passport, we showed the immigration officer my Sons’ Philippine Birth Certificate and CRBA certificate, they told us that we still need to apply for a DUAL CITIZENSHIP for him or else he would be staying illegally in the Philippines when he came back from hong kong. But when I read your article, it says that the kid will be dual citizen once a CRBA was obtained. What proof do we give to the immigration when they ask if my son is a dual citizen? Should I still need to apply for a DUAL citizenship for my son? he is 3 yrs old.
What they told you is correct. When you filed for crba and your child became a US citizen, he lost his Philippine citizenship. your next step is to go and apply for dual citizenship at the bureau of immigration, when you have completed that your child will be a dual citizen.
Hi bob, according to the comments i’ve read so far, if a child is born in the philippines, from a u.s citizen(naturalized) and a filipino citizen, and the parent applied for his/her crba, she’ll ONLY be a u.s citizen. Now, would the child be penalized for over staying in the philippines, and will the fee be per month, until the parent aplly for her dual citizenship? Ex: foreign national who visits philippines can only stay for 30 days unless they file for extensions.
yes, that is correct. The child would lose its Philippine citizenship. The simple solution is to simply apply for dual citizenship after the crba procedure.
Hi, this is very informative and such a good read. I just have a question. My husband and I are both Filipinos. We had a son born in the US 6 years ago. We had a report of birth done in the Philippine embassy before coming back to the Philippines when our baby was 2 months old. We never applied for a Philippine passport for him but he holds a valid US passport ever since.Fast forward to present day. My husband and our 6-year old are about to fly to the US but the immigration officer stopped them and said our son overstayed in the Philippines and that he cannot go back to the US without a clearance exit.They were also looking for our son’s Philippine passport. Any thoughts about this?
Hi, thanks for your comment.
Your son is a Dual Citizen. However, the officer is right, he overstayed, since he entered the Philippines on a US Passport.
There are 2 ways that your son can avoid paying the fees for overstaying:
1. Obtain a Philippine Passport and show that when exiting the country.
2. He should have a certificate of dual citizenship, which was given when you reported his birth at the Philippine Consulate. If he shows that he will not have to pay any fines or penalties/fees.
My situation is more complicated. I’m an American man married to an American woman. I had an affair with a Filipina. A beautiful daughter was the result. I am on the birth certificate as her dad and she has my last name. I support them completely (and gladly) in the Philippines. I would like to get a US Passport and US citizenship for my daughter. I would like to do this without my wife in the US being made known of this. She will know eventually, but now is not the time. Is it possible to do this discreetly? Next question (because the first wasn’t complicated enough) We have a provincial Filipino girl staying with us from a broken and large family. My daughter consider her as a big sister. Is it possible to adopt her as well, my Filipino partner and I, so she can have the same type of life as my blood daughter?
Hi James – In terms of getting US Citizenship for your child, I am not certian, but you will probably have to travel to the Philippines and go to the US Embassy there for that. It is likely that they will require a DNA test. I cannot say whether your wife will find out or not, I don’t see any reason that the US government will report it to her.
It is very unlikely you will be able to bring the other child to the States. Doing a foreign adoption in the Philippines is very complicated and will take years. If you want information on that, please hire me for my consulting service. It will just take too many of my hours to do it for free.
https://liveinthephilippines.com/get-important-help-coaching/
Good luck.
Hi Mr. Bob, i just wanna ask. I have 2 yrs old baby now, i am a filipino citizen and her father is american. Our child was born here, and apply for CRBA and got approved. So we got the us passport This January 2019, were leaving the philippines this August 2019, i decided to get her philippine passport now. But i didnt able to tell them that she has us passport already. But they already issue her philippine passport. So now this is my question, is my child automatic a dual citizen? And can leave now the philippines without any certification from philippine immigration? Since she got us passport and philippine passport? You response will highly appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Sharina,
In the Philippines, if you do CRBA and get US (or another country) citizenship for your child, then they require you to re-acquire Philippine citizenship for the child.
However, if they issued a passport, that is recognition of Philippine citizenship.
If I were in your shoes, I would simply let things be as they are. Having a US passport shows that your child is a US citizen. Having a valid Philippine Passport shows that your child is a Philippine Passport.
I would not do anything more, but that is only my opinion.
Good day! I am a Filipino citizen and my boyfriend is a us citizen. Our son was born last August here in the Philippines. My question is can I get his Philippine passport first then apply for Crba after? Thanks
I have 2 children born in the US when both me and my husband were still filipino citizens but we did not report the birth to the Philippine Consulate. My children are already 26 and 16 yrs old and would like to be a dual citizen . How do we go about the application for such?
Make a late report of birth abroad to the consulate. They may or may not accept it at this point. If they won’t accept it, then there was really nothing you can do.