No more dual Nationality?

[Crevette]

I have heared (perhaps falsely) that if Sarkozy gets into power (looking very likely) then he will look to change the laws on nationality in that you may need to choose either French or British nationality, but cannot have dual nationality.

Can anyone confirm this?

-Rob-

[Cat]

I thought that it was Le Pen who wanted the abolition of dual nationality?

[MrCanary]

I believe it was Le Pen - and he has now been abolished!

[Tag]

Isn't dual nationality a right under European law?

[TreizeVents]

Having two passports, I can say that at present, I believe it is simply illegal for any other country to have any kind of jurisdiction over one's passport from yet another country.  But I shall try to look that up.  In addition, I think its something that is so imbedded now, in daily life, that it would be a mess to chagne it.  Perhaps the poster is right that it is against European law as well.  It would be a bit like "leaving Europe".   Pretty hard to do.  I know one person with a French, British and American passport.

I heard the same rumour.  But candidates often make statements which are simply not possible in France, when France is part of Europe.  They forget that France doesn't make all the laws now.  Usually right wingers.

[Marc]

So is there any benefit to dual nationality?  I didn't realise that any European citizen could gain French nationality surely not !!

This subject does interest me  as we have just has completed a new build after 24 months and having heard horror stories of properties in Cyprus I thought having French nationality may provide some protection against any future changes in legislation, you never know what's around the corner.

I wondered if I had a good case for getting a French passport as although British, born in the UK and lived in the UK all my life my mother is French and I was on her passport until the age of 5.

At the age of 17 I thought it was a bit of a joke when I received my papers for national service posting in Perpignan along with train ticket (managed to Blag my way out of that one thankfully), but now at 47 a French passport seems like a good idea.

I am not sure how to go about getting or attempting to get one though, any ideas?

Marc

[Gardian]

[quote user="Crevette"]

he will look to change the laws on nationality in that you may need to choose either French or British nationality, but cannot have dual nationality.

[/quote]

Surely he's got bigger fish to fry?  Hardly top of the agenda stuff for him, eh? (even if, maybe, he did say it once upon a time). 

[TreizeVents]

[quote user="Marc"]

I am not sure how to go about getting or attempting to get one though, any ideas?

[/quote]

Go to the local police station and ask for the form.  Fill it out, get a certificate from your county police that you have no criminal record, bone up on your French a bit, learn the words to the Marseillaise and you should be fine.  Being white, with an income and a property owner will be of some help.   If your mohter is still alive, ask her for the livret de famille. 

Why get one?  Why not?  As you say it could offer you a bit of protection, plus there are some advantages, especially if you live here.

[chessfou]

[quote] I am not sure how to go about getting or attempting to get one though, any ideas?[/quote]

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/N15828.xhtml

is the relevant page of service-public.fr which outlines what is needed and how to go about it.

[allanb]

[quote user="Marc"]So is there any benefit to dual nationality? [/quote]

I would also be interested in this, if anyone knows the answer.

I do know a few people who have dual nationality, but I think they all acquired it by an accident of birth or parentage.  I don't know anyone who chose it deliberately.

I also know one or two who have two passports, because they adopted a new citizenship and simply kept their original (UK) passport.  (They say it is sometimes useful when travelling in certain countries.)  I don't know whether this is quite the same thing as having dual nationality.

[cooperlola]

I'll be seeking dual nationality.  I want to vote here in France where I live so I need to apply for citizenship.  However, soppy sentimental me would like to hang on to my UK passport too.  I'm certain at the moment that I will never return to the UK to live but will I feel the same if my o/h weren't here and I lived to a ripe old age?  I don't know but I'd like to be able to keep the option open.

[Tony F Dordogne]

Me too cooperlola, want to vote for he/she who puts their hand in my tax pocket.  I also belive in Republicanism - not the US sort - and would rather be a citizen than a subject.

[TreizeVents]

[quote user="allanb"]

I also know one or two who have two passports, because they adopted a new citizenship and simply kept their original (UK) passport.  (They say it is sometimes useful when travelling in certain countries.)  I don't know whether this is quite the same thing as having dual nationality.

[/quote]

When I applied for and got my British passport, I also got a certificate saying I was a citizen.  I had applied to be British.  I have not heard of a reason why any government would give a passport to someone who is not a citizen.  Although of course one can be a citizen without a passport.

[TreizeVents]

[quote user="allanb"][quote user="Marc"]So is there any benefit to dual nationality? [/quote]

I would also be interested in this, if anyone knows the answer.

I do know a few people who have dual nationality, but I think they all acquired it by an accident of birth or parentage.  I don't know anyone who chose it deliberately.

[/quote]

While you have not met me, but you now "know" someone who applied deliberately for British citizenship.  Do you not have any freinds who are immigrants?  I also retained my previous citizenship.  My reasons where complicated, but basically, if you are "bad", a country can send you away, back to where you came from.  My "badness" had previously been protected by a large institution who approved of the things I did (I was an academic teaching a controversial subject).  When Ieft the institution I realised, partly due to some quite horrible experiences of two foreign freinds, that the UK could just boot me out anytime it wanted, for nearly any reason (you would be shocked how fast it can happen and for what essentially silly reasons).  As a Brit, the state could put me in jail, but not send me away.  Since my whole life, money, house, freinds and adult history was in the UK, being sent away was a disaster in the making. 

So one benefit is that you can stay forever in a country if you are a citizen, there is no "back" to send you to.  Another is that you can vote and participate politically, for example sit in the mayor's office and count votes like they do.  You can also apply for certain grants for research or whatever.  In Britain, for example, many are open only to British citizens.  Also you can have a big party when it happens and invite your formerly foreign neighbours and watch them try to pretend they think you are French, when in fact they never will.  Any more than Brits really thought I was British.

[allanb]

[quote user="TreizeVents"]

So one benefit is that you can stay forever in a country if you are a citizen, there is no "back" to send you to.[/quote]

Of course I can see many benefits of being a citizen of the country in which you live.  However, if I may ask: was there a benefit in retaining your original citizenship? 

Of course, it's none of my business and you should certainly ignore the question, if you wish.  But that was really my point about dual nationality.

[Catalpa]

For me, it's what Cooperlola said - it's pretty much how we (TOH and me) are thinking. I want more "commitment" to my country of residence but I would never want to give up British citizenship. I'm never going back to live in England... except, like Cooperlola, I can see reasons why I might change my mind... Options are always good things to have.

[5-element]

[quote user="allanb"]  

 Is there a benefit in retaining one's original citizenship? 

[/quote]

As someone with dual nationality (having chosen my second one) I will state what seems to me the obvious: family. I cannot see what I would have achieved by opting out of my parents' and siblings' nationality, unless, perhaps, if I had been trying to make a big negative statement to them!

 

Also, it is actually EASY to retain one's initial nationality, as you have nothing to do. If you elected to abandon that nationality (and there I am at a loss of knowing why I would want to do that), then it would be quite a big hurdle and official forms etc.... It is MUCH easier to do nothing....

[5-element]

EDIT: posted twice, no idea why, and how it happened, I am sure I pressed the button ONLY ONCE[:P]

[TreizeVents]

[quote user="allanb"] However, if I may ask: was there a benefit in retaining your original citizenship? 

Of course, it's none of my business and you should certainly ignore the question, if you wish.  But that was really my point about dual nationality.

[/quote]

Well the truth is that long ago what I really wanted was a world passport and world citizenship. There are reasons for all that, but anyone can guess easily enough.  I wanted a passport  that meant that I was attached in no formal way to any nation-state, but to the planet.  So far there is no such passport that works, so I use the ones that do work for travelling.  There are benefits for retaining old passports and citizenships, athough sometimes they are not awesome.  Being a citizen of both countries I can apply for grants or prizes in each.  Also I did not take citizenship to "reject" my other countries even though the USA and Britain certainly have bad behaviour which one could reject.  I took the new citizenship to belong to the place I had my life.  I can go from one to another without having to apply for visas.  I can choose the shortest queue at the airports.  Neither country can keep me out.  I should think that at certain historical times it might be easier to travel in some countries with one passport or another.  The British one opens up all of Europe to me, whereas the American one does not.  But I feel quite strongly that I belong to and have been formed by more than one country, and don't have any particular feeling that I want to reject any of them.  If either of my countries ordered me to do something I thought was awful I would not.  So far there is no problem that has arisen.  Also it confuses people a bit when they try to simplify life too much.