What Is Dual Citizenship under RA 9225
- The Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 (RA 9225) allows natural-born Filipino citizens who have become citizens of another country to retain or reacquire their Philippine citizenship without having to renounce the foreign citizenship.
- Children (unmarried, under 18) of those applying for dual citizenship can also be included (derivative dual citizenship).
- Dual citizenship by birth may also apply: if born to a Filipino parent under certain conditions (after or before January 17, 1973, depending on citizenship laws) you may already be a dual citizen at birth.
Key Eligibility & Requirements
- You must be a former natural-born Filipino who lost Filipino citizenship by naturalizing in another country.
- You need to fill out the dual citizenship application form, bring your birth certificate (from Philippine Statistics Authority / PSA or NSO), naturalization certificate of your foreign citizenship, valid foreign passport, latest Philippine passport if available.
- If documents differ in name (e.g. due to marriage, name change), additional affidavits or documents proving the variance might be required.
- Photos (passport-type), some personal appearance (especially for oath taking) are part of the process.
Application Process & Timeline
- Prepare Documents: Birth certificate, naturalization certificate, foreign passport, Philippine passport if any, affidavit for name discrepancies if needed.
- Submit Application: Can be done through Philippine Embassy / Consulate or Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines (for retention/reacquisition) depending on where you are.
- Pay Fees: There is an application fee (varies), possibly also legal research fees or processing/express fees.
- Take Oath of Allegiance: Required part of the process; after this you receive a certificate of retention or reacquisition of Filipino citizenship.
How Dogpay Helps in Dual Citizenship Process
Here are ways Dogpay can assist when going through the dual citizenship application or maintaining dual citizen status, especially for people overseas or with foreign income.
- Document‐ and Fee‐Payment Transparency Applications involve paying consular fees, legal/translation fees, passport fees. These may require foreign currency or international bank transfers. Dogpay can help you make these payments with clear disclosure of fees & exchange rates so you know exactly how much you pay and how much the receiving office gets.
- Faster Cross-Border & Consular Payments If you’re applying via a consulate abroad, some fees or document authentication may involve payments across borders (e.g. obtaining naturalization certificate from a foreign government). Dogpay helps reduce delays or high costs from intermediaries / bank transfers.
- Managing Multiple Document Costs There may be several required documents (birth certificate, naturalization, passport, legal attestations). Dogpay lets you handle multiple small/medium payments cleanly (digital or overseas) and retain receipts which are important for consular verification.
- Derivative Applications & Children Inclusion If you are including minor children under 18, there are additional documents & sometimes fees per child. Dogpay helps organize and pay those as part of the package rather than dealing with scattered payments.
- Maintaining Citizenship Rights & Renewals Once dual citizenship is obtained, you might need to renew passports, pay for passports, or keep certain documents up to date. If these involve foreign currency or overseas payments, Dogpay makes those smoother and less expensive.
Key Tips & Takeaways
- Always verify the latest requirements with your local Philippine Embassy / Consulate or Bureau of Immigration (BI), because documentation rules or fees can change.
- Prepare name variance issues ahead (if your name on birth certificate, naturalization certificate, passport differ) to avoid delays.
- Gather all document originals + copies; digital scans usually required first but physical originals must be presented during oath taking.
- Budget for all costs: document fees, processing, translations, potential shipping or courier for documents, travel or appearance costs.
- Use Dogpay (or similar) for foreign or cross-currency payments in this process to reduce hidden fees and make sure payments are done properly and traceable.
