how to get philippine citizenship

You and your family can reap the opportunities and benefits of Philippine citizenship for generations to come. ​

Boracay, Philippines. If you have any familial connection to the Philippines you probably have or are eligible for dual citizenship.

Dual citizenship offers opportunities to live, work and reside in another country. Countries such as Cyprus and the Comoros offer economic citizenship (and passports that come with citizenship) as an insurance policy that is one of kind. Whatever happens, it means that you will always have a place to go live, work, invest and raise a family. There are new doors opened to you that might not be available to anyone else. Best of all, your descendants, like your children and your grandchildren might benefit too.

Increasingly in multicultural societies, many people will have been born overseas or have at least one parent born in another country. This would be the case for many families with Filipino heritage. If you have any familial connection to the Philippines you probably have or are eligible for dual citizenship. So how do you get Philippine citizenship?
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Am I eligible for Philippine citizenship?

There are two main ways to get citizenship. You should note that the jus sanguinis (right of blood) principle of citizenship is adhered to in the Philippines. It means that Philippine citizenship is inherited through your parent’s citizenship of the Philippines. This principle is  reflected in the Philippine Constitution of 1987. It states that someone is a Filipino if their mother or father are citizens of the Philippines.

Citizenship by Descent

Let’s explore how this is effected for someone interested in gaining citizenship by descent. In the Philippines, someone who is eighteen years of age or over, and was born to at least one parent who was a Filipino at the time of their birth may be recognised as a dual citizen. Someone born before January 17, 1973, to Filipino mothers who elect Philippine citizenship when they are eighteen are also recognised as citizens.

Reacquisition of Citizenship

What if you gave up Philippine citizenship? You can get it back. Up until 2003, natural-born Filipinos who acquired another nationality through naturalisation automatically lost their Philippine citizenship.

However, the Republic Act No. 9225, known also as the Dual Citizenship Law allowed former Filipinos to re-acquire or retain their Philippine citizenship. Republic Act No. 9225 specifies that natural-born citizens of the Philippines who become citizens of another country have not lost their Philippine citizenship. Former Filipinos only need to apply to re-acquire or retain their Philippine citizenship and take an oath of allegiance. (This includes former Filipinos who, after Republic Act No. 9225 started acquired citizenship of another country; in this case, former Filipinos must apply to retain their Philippine citizenship).
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You can include your children in your application to retain or reacquire Philippine citizenship, which is consistent with the principle of jus sanguinis citizenship. For this reason, spouses who are not Filipino by descent cannot apply for citizenship by way of marriage but must naturalise instead.

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