> [mailto:CONLANG@listserv.brown.edu] On Behalf Of ROGER MILLS
> The only case I know of was a friend who had (while a teen-ager)
dual
> British/American citizenship--
> father was Brit (Scottish, actually), Mother was American,
> and IIRC he was
> born in the UK. IIRC when he reached age 18 he would have had
> to declare
> himself one or the other. But this was in the 1950s, so
> likely the laws
> have changed since then.
>
> I think Americans who emigrate to Israel and become citizens
> can retain
> their US citizenship, but I could be wrong.
Citizenship isn't who you claim, but who claims you. If multple
nations consider you a citizen under their laws then you are a
citizen of all those nations. Since each nation has its own unique
laws as to what they call a "citizen" it can be very complicated.
Birth, ancestry and residency all play into it and some countries
require an oath of allegiance for citizenship which could nullify
the ability to obtain citizenship in some other country.
> I do believe it is (or used to be) possible to renounce one's US
> citizenship, but again, this is remembered from the warning
> material that
> came with my passport 50-some years ago. Also, serving in a
> foreign army
> jeopardized one's US citizenship. Hadn't John Walker Lind
> (sp?)-- the
> "American Taliban" who was tried and convicted in this
> country and is now in
> prison-- renounced his citizenship?
Yes, you can renounce US citizenship but they don't consider it
valid unless it's done while out of the country. There are
advantages to doing so as US citizens still have to pay taxes even
when living outside the US.