Do you need to inform your old country that you are a US citizen?

**jack.k** · 14th April 2012, 12:35 AM

Once you become a US citizen, do you need to notify your old country's embassy that you are a US citizen now or it's not necessary and you 'automatically' lose your old nationality/citizenship?

**isitanylonger** · 14th April 2012, 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by jack.k

Once you become a US citizen, do you need to notify your old country's embassy that you are a US citizen now or it's not necessary and you 'automatically' lose your old nationality/citizenship?

depends on your home country. Some countries llet you keep both others you lose your original citizenship.

**Jackolantern** · 14th April 2012, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by jack.k

Once you become a US citizen, do you need to notify your old country's embassy that you are a US citizen now or it's not necessary and you 'automatically' lose your old nationality/citizenship?

Depends on the laws of your old country whether you have to notify them or not. However, even if you don't have to notify them, it would be illegal to use that country's passport after automatically losing that citizenship.

**cafeconleche** · 14th April 2012, 10:59 AM

Citizens of some countries, such as India, automatically lose their citizenship when they naturalise as a citizen of another country. However, this has to be acknowledged, so Indians have to apply to surrender their citizenship and have their passports canceled. Some countries require you to inform them even if you don't lose their citizenship, and some require you to inform them in order to retain citizenship upon naturalisation in another country (sometimes before, and sometimes after). There are many scenarios. The US does not inform the country of your former/other citizenship when you become a US citizen, so if it's anyone's responsibility to do it, it is the citizen's.

**Jackolantern** · 15th April 2012, 07:10 AM

Originally Posted by cafeconleche

The US does not inform the country of your former/other citizenship when you become a US citizen, so if it's anyone's responsibility to do it, it is the citizen's.

More accurately, the US doesn't proactively inform other countries of your US citizenship. However, if the other country is investigating you and they ask the US government about your citizenship, the US government may reply to confirm that you are a US citizen.