Can you keep your Philippines citizenship when you become a U.S. citizen?
Allowed with conditions
Only in some cases
Filipino citizens who become U.S. citizens generally lose Philippine citizenship, but may reacquire it under the 2003 Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act.
What the law says
- Philippine citizenship is automatically revoked when a citizen swears an oath of allegiance to another country.
- The Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 allowed any person who lost Philippine citizenship due to naturalization in a foreign country to reacquire citizenship and halted further revocations in such cases.
- Natural-born Philippine citizens who lost citizenship after naturalization in a foreign country before 2003 may reacquire it by taking an oath of allegiance to the Philippines.
- Philippine citizenship can also be relinquished by making a declaration of renunciation, though voluntary renunciations are prohibited while the country is at war.
“automatically revoked when a citizen serves in another country's armed forces, swears an oath of allegiance to another country”
What about the U.S. side?
The United States allows dual citizenship. At the oath ceremony you promise to renounce allegiance to other countries, but U.S. law does not make you formally give up your other passport. The question is only whether Philippines lets you keep yours.
Source: Philippine nationality law (Wikipedia, summarized on 2026-11-11). Laws change — confirm with the Philippines embassy or consulate before your oath ceremony. This is not legal advice.
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