Dual citizenship: advantages and disadvantages

Dual citizenship, or dual nationality, is simply the act of being a citizen of two countries at the same time. People may be born in one country, making them a citizen by birth, but wish to move and become a legal citizen of the country they move to. This can be acquired by legal process and is called holding dual citizenship.

Is Dual Citizenship Allowed in the United Kingdom? 

The UK does allow people to hold both British citizenship and citizenship of another country. Rules do differ between countries though. People ci Rules do differ between countries but the UK does allow dual citizenship, meaning you are allowed to retain your birth nationality as well as applying for another.

Does South Africa allow dual citizenship? 

South Africa does also allow its citizens to hold dual citizenship, meaning you are able to retain your South African citizenship and also apply for British citizenship if you are over 18. You must however make an application to the South African government Home Affairs department to be able to retain your South African citizenship. If you do not make this application, you will be seen to be voluntarily giving up your citizenship to take up another foreign citizenship. Therefore it is extremely important to make this application first.

Advantages to Dual Citizenship

Having dual citizenship can give many advantages to the holder, despite being quite a long and complicated process.  They are:

• Political rights
• Right of Abode
• British Passport
• Cultural Education

Political Rights

As a citizen of any country, you then receive full social and political rights – to vote and be voted on in any election process. If you have dual citizenship, you will have the same rights as other British citizens.

British Passport

Obtaining a British passport can make travelling to certain countries easier. It could make travelling cheaper or just easier at the airport. Depending on a persons birth country, having a an additional British passport may open up new travel options without having to obtain a visa, or at least with fewer restrictions.

You may also be able to stay longer in any given country if you are the holder of a British passport. Therefore you could plan longer trips or even work remotely for a time from another country with more ease.

When travelling with dual passports it’s important to remember when travelling to one of your own countries, to use the correct corresponding passport to avoid any confusion. For example, it is an offence for a South African citizen holding dual citizenship to enter or depart the country using the passport of another country. This is so you cannot avoid any responsibilities you may have as a citizen while there.

If you are travelling to a third country without citizenship, you could use either passport to travel on that potentially grants you the best access. South African law allows a dual citizen to use their foreign passport freely in other countries as they please.

Right of Abode 

Perhaps the most exciting element to dual citizenship is being able to live in Britain and have full access to state support, education, healthcare and more. If you are over 18 years old, you can also stand for public office.

For example, a young person could then get access to education at top British institutions without paying the much higher fees that international students must pay. Having citizenship means you are a full resident of Britain and can live without and immigration or travel restrictions.

Cultural Education

As a dual citizen, you can benefit from the cultures of two countries. You can become fully immersed in another way of life and even become fluent in another language. Becoming a citizen could make you feel much more at home and able to engage fully with your community.

What are the disadvantages of dual citizenship?

While dual citizenship brings with it many advantages, it is also important to be aware of disadvantages that are part of such a process. If you’re considering making an application for British citizenship as a South African national, you should also weigh up possible drawbacks.

Dual obligations 

While you are citizens of two countries, you also must abide by any obligations that come along with it. Complications could crop up where for example one country you are a citizen of requires military service. If you don’t check the military requirements beforehand, you could break laws of one country by applying by the laws of another.

Consular protection 

It might be unlikely for an individual to need consular protection abroad, but having dual citizenship might present some complications. Consular protection means citizens are able to claim the protection of their home state in an emergency abroad, by going to an embassy.

You might need help from an embassy if: 

• You lose or have your passport or other identification stolen
• There is serious accident or illness
• Notify family in the event of death
• Relief or emergency travel, called repatriation, in the event of natural disaster or conflict

However, for people with dual citizenship, this could make things complicated. The Home Office states that they cannot help dual nationals in the country of their other nationality.

Complicated application 

For many foreign nationals, making a citizenship application via naturalisation can be a long process. Applying for British citizenship is not easy, and requires dedication on the applicants part. For some, it can take up to a decade before they can attain it. For others, you can apply after five years of residency in the UK and 12 months of holding Indefinite Leave to Remain status.

Other eligibility requirements for a British citizenship application are:

• No absences outside the UK longer than 450 days
• Meet the English language requirement at B1 level
• Pass the Life in the UK test
• Have not breached any immigration laws 

Furthermore, the entire process can take around 6 or 7 months to complete. While you could get your decision from the Home Office quicker, if you have a more complex case it could be a lengthier wait.

Applying to retain your South African citizenship 

As mentioned above, all South African nationals, including if you naturalised your South African citizenship must make an application to retain their South African citizenship before they make an application for another foreign citizenship.

It is incredibly important to plan ahead, as this can take between six and twelve months to process. There are specific forms to fill in and you must provide a copy of your passport pages. If you are naturalised, you must provide a copy of your Naturalisation Certificate. A fee of 33 Australian dollars must also be paid by postal money order or cheque.

Citizenship application costs

There will always be costs involved with any application to UK Visas and Immigration. An application to naturalise as a British citizen currently costs £1,709. Additional charges include:

• £19.20 for biometric enrolment
• £50 for Life in the UK test 
• £130 Citizenship ceremony fees

Other additional costs could come from paying for legal advice and document translations if necessary. Applying for a passport to be able to travel also comes with the extra cost of £102.

Applying for dual citizenship

Overall, having dual citizenship can be a very powerful tool and can bring with it some incredible advantages. It is a big decision to take and must be according to your personal circumstances.

If you’ve been residing in the UK for at least five years, with Indefinite Leave to Remain for at least 12 months, you could be eligible to apply for British citizenship via naturalisation. If you would like advice on making a citizenship application, our legal teams have decades of experience making successful applications on the behalf of clients. Give our dedicated team a call to arrange an advice session on 0333 305 9375.