Which Country Do You Claim Citizenship?

Posted:
in AppleOutsider edited January 2014
U.S. here.



Third generation on the Italian side; quite longer on the Irish side. I might be able to claim Italian citizenship on my paternal great-grandfather's side. My grandfather was born in 1916, shortly after his parents arrived from Naples (big city near Mt. Vesuvius). Italian nationality law would consider me an Italian citizen *if* my grandfather was born before his parents became nationalized U.S. citizens. So, something to research for a rainy day.



I think it's interesting to know what your nationality options are. It might make extended vacations a little easier.



Neapolitan flag:







Sicilian flag:



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    You forgot this one...
  • Reply 2 of 22
    shawnjshawnj Posts: 6,656member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Guybrush Threepwood View Post


    You forgot this one...







    No, I don't think I did. But extra points for creativity instead of the standard mom joke.
  • Reply 3 of 22
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    I'm pretty much stuck in the US unless I marry some foreign bird or pay-off the authorities of any given developing nation that accepts bribes. I have a list of good tax havens in case I need to make that happen.
  • Reply 4 of 22
    bclapperbclapper Posts: 237member
    UK, but bloodline is Irish all the way



    Should really sort that passport out sometime soon
  • Reply 5 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Splinemodel View Post


    I'm pretty much stuck in the US unless I marry some foreign bird or pay-off the authorities of any given developing nation that accepts bribes. I have a list of good tax havens in case I need to make that happen.



    You could apply for citizenship in Forvik Island.
  • Reply 6 of 22
    I'm a US citizen and Hong Kong resident.
  • Reply 7 of 22
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    Dual US and Canadian citizenship - I was born in Canada with American parents.



    My youngest daughter actually has those two plus Russian citizenship - and she is an avid gymnast so she will have the choice of three Olympic teams if she gets good enough...
  • Reply 8 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by e1618978 View Post


    Dual US and Canadian citizenship - I was born in Canada with American parents.



    My youngest daughter actually has those two plus Russian citizenship - and she is an avid gymnast so she will have the choice of three Olympic teams if she gets good enough...



    My daughter has dual HK and US. It's nice to have the unrestricted choice of where to study/work/settle/retire.
  • Reply 9 of 22
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    I'm a US citizen and Hong Kong resident.



    Thanks for being our 'man on the street' in HK.
  • Reply 10 of 22
    @_@ artman@_@ artman Posts: 5,231member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ShawnJ View Post






    No, I don't think I did. But extra points for creativity instead of the standard mom joke.



    No offense, but I just think of this when someone mentions "Sicilian".



    Me? American. Mother's Irish/French. Father was German.
  • Reply 11 of 22
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Let's see... I have Malaysian citizenship from being born there (1978) and living there until 12, studied in Singapore until 16 (student visa), Australian permanent resident since 1996 or so... expires in 2011, had a USA Internship then USA H1B visa (2000-2002), now in the UK on UK working holiday visa.



    Why do they make it so hard for honest folk like me to live and travel around the world?
  • Reply 12 of 22
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    US



    Mother's side was Czech. Great grandparents were literally off the boat, as it were. Their last name WAS "Check."



    Dad's side is English+German, which explains my love of beer and disdain for brushing my teeth.



  • Reply 13 of 22
    100 % Swiss Made



    (my ancestors on the mother's side where robber-knights, the folks on the father's side smugglers in world war II)
  • Reply 14 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    Let's see... I have Malaysian citizenship from being born there (1978) and living there until 12, studied in Singapore until 16 (student visa), Australian permanent resident since 1996 or so... expires in 2011, had a USA Internship then USA H1B visa (2000-2002), now in the UK on UK working holiday visa.



    Why do they make it so hard for honest folk like me to live and travel around the world?



    How is it "permanent residency" if it expires?
  • Reply 15 of 22
    shawnjshawnj Posts: 6,656member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by @_@ Artman View Post


    No offense, but I just think of this when someone mentions "Sicilian".



    Me? American. Mother's Irish/French. Father was German.



    Yeah, I think sicilian-style pizza and mobsters.



    Quote:

    I know now that it's over; I knew it then. There would be no way, Michael. No way you could forgive me. Not with this Sicilian thing thats been going on for 2000 years."



  • Reply 16 of 22
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    How is it "permanent residency" if it expires?



    Yup. I guess "permanent residency" is now a fairly loose immigration concept. I can stay there indefinitely but if I leave the country or have been out of the country for a while I need a resident return visa to "keep" my residency status.



    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austral...anent_resident



    "...Holders of permanent residency visas may remain in Australia indefinitely. These visas last up to five years from the date of grant. Until the permanent resident visa expires, the visa holder may leave and re-enter Australia freely. A notable feature of the permanent residency visa is that, even after the initial visa expires, the holder is entitled to stay in Australia indefinitely without breaching immigration regulations...After the initial visa has expired, if the holder wishes to continue to travel to and from Australia as a permanent resident, he/she must obtain a Resident Return Visa (RRV). [2]However those who live for too long outside Australia may lose their permanent resident status..."



    For Australia, only citizenship right now is a full and "permanent" guarantee of a right to live and work there. However, it is not compatible with Malaysian citizenship (Malaysia will remove your Malaysian citizenship if you become an Australian citizen). Though US-Australia dual citizenship is allowed, UK-Australia is allowed. I wonder if someday I can be a citizen of the USA, UK and Australia. And the European Union. That would be cool. I guess UK citizenship covers the Euro area appropriately.



    Clearly this is still many world leaders' concept of citizenship:



  • Reply 17 of 22
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    Clearly this is still many world leaders' concept of citizenship



    You mean that you have to serve in the military before getting citizenship, even if you are born there? That's how it was in the Starship Troopers book.
  • Reply 18 of 22
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by e1618978 View Post


    You mean that you have to serve in the military before getting citizenship, even if you are born there? That's how it was in the Starship Troopers book.



    Yeah, while not all countries require conscription, it is still held in many countries, that you have to be born somewhere and be of outstanding character to be a citizen, having lived there for a long time, and so on.



    I admire the ideal of citizenship (not in the extreme of Starship Troopers) but in today's world it doesn't really pan out like that. If I am a generally responsible member of society, why don't I have a right to live and work somewhere? And if I am in trouble mentally, or healthwise, who should be the country that provides me a safety net? Somewhere where I have paid taxes? Or not? Or somewhere I was born but never lived or worked and never paid a single tax dollar my whole life?
  • Reply 19 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    Why do they make it so hard for honest folk like me to live and travel around the world?



    Because you might be one of them darn terrorists.
  • Reply 20 of 22
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ThinkingDifferent View Post


    Because you might be one of them darn terrorists.



    Nah, it's mostly because there are a lot of people in the world, including many on this forum, who either don't understand or don't like the idea of free trade and simplified (and minimal) tax codes. Migration and globalization have been pests for isolationist lawmakers (i.e. self-righteous populists) long before terrorism was a global phenomenon.
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