Ana Gabriela Verotti Farah

Ana Gabriela Verotti Farah

Staff Writer
The Brazil Business

Updated

Dual Citizenship in Brazil

Ana Gabriela Verotti Farah

Ana Gabriela Verotti Farah

Staff Writer
The Brazil Business

Updated

Brazil is one of the countries that allows people to have two citizenship without having to renounce one of them. Here you will find more information about multiple citizenship in the country.

The dual citizenship, also known as multiple citizenship, is the process of acquiring a different citizenship than the one which is originally yours. To have a dual citizenship means that you are a citizen of two different countries and, therefore, are subjected to two different juridical systems and have two different groups of rights and duties.

However, dual citizenship usually considers that the point of reference is the country where the person has established domicile, which means that this defines what law applies to matters such as requiring a passport or having diplomatic protection, labor rights and military obligations.

Thus it is not possible for one of the countries to give diplomatic assistance to people who are in a country where they are nationals. For example, if you hold both British and Italian citizenships, the United Kingdom won't be able to provide diplomatic help if you are in Italy, and vice versa.

There is not an internationally law or standard when it comes to dual citizenship. There are countries that allow it, but some other don't permit that a citizen from their country becomes a citizen for another country as well. In some cases, it is necessary to renounce the original citizenship in order to get a new one.

Countries That Allow Dual Citizenship with Brazil

It is not necessary to renounce your original citizenship if you want to become a Brazilian citizen and belong to one of the following countries:

  • Armenia
  • Australia
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Canada
  • Colombia
  • Cyprus
  • Dominica
  • El Salvador
  • Finland
  • France
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jordan
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Macedonia
  • Malta
  • Mexico
  • Montenegro
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Sierra Leone
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia – the country generally allows the dual citizenship; however, there are cases in which the Slovenian citizenship may be deprived for the person holding another citizenship
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • St. Kitts & Nevis
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Syria
  • Tonga
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • Vietnam
  • Western Samoa.

Countries That Disallow Dual Citizenship with Brazil

If you want to become a Brazilian citizen but your country does not allow the existence of a dual citizenship, you will have to renounce your citizenship of origin.

  • Andorra
  • Argentina
  • Austria – the Austrian citizenship will only be maintained if the maintenance is in the interest of the Republic of Austria or if personal reasons are worth considering
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei
  • Chile
  • China
  • Denmark
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • Estonia
  • Fiji
  • Germany
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Japan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Kuwait
  • Lithuania – dual citizenship only allowed to those who fled Lithuania before March 11, 1990, when the country regained independence
  • Malaysia
  • Mauritius
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Pakistan
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Peru
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Korea – the dual citizenship is only allowed until the person is 21 years old; after reaching that age, it is necessary to choose between one nationality or the other.
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Venezuela.

If you become a citizen of another country and your country of origin is on the list of nations that doesn't accept the dual citizenship, it is possible that the authorities from your country of origin consider that you lost you original citizenship, or that they refuse to recognize your new citizenship.

It is also possible to renounce a citizenship even when it is not required by law. The laws for citizenship vary according to each country, but in the United States, for instance, it is determined that North American citizens can only lose their citizenship if they pass through a process of renouncing it.

It is important to notice that these laws may change from time to time, being therefore necessary to consult the most recent legislation of the countries in order to know if the dual citizenship is allowed or not. You can learn how to acquire a Brazilian citizenship in this article.