INFORMATION:

Republic Act 9225, or the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003, passed into law on 29 August 2003, grants the opportunity to retain or reacquire the Filipino citizenship of natural-born Filipinos who have lost their Filipino citizenship through naturalization in a foreign country.

All natural-born Filipinos who have lost their Philippine citizenship due to naturalization as a citizen of another country may file a Petition for Retention and Reacquisition of Philippine Citizenship on their own behalf AND that of their unmarried children below 18 years of age.

Former natural-born Filipinos who are serving in a foreign military in whatever capacity are not eligible to reacquire their Filipino citizenship under Republic Act 9225.

PRIVILEGES:

Individuals who reacquire their Filipino citizenship under RA 9225 may once again enjoy full civil and political rights under existing laws of the Philippines. These include, among others:

• the right to own land and property in the Philippines;
• the right to engage in business or commerce as a Filipino;
• the right to travel with a Philippine passport;
• the right to vote in the Philippine elections while abroad (by registering beforehand in the Overseas Absentee Voting);
• the right to practice one’s profession, provided that a license or permit to engage in such practice is obtained from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), or the Supreme Court in the case of lawyers.

Under the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program of 1997, income earned abroad by Filipinos from 1998 is no longer taxable. Hence, all Filipinos abroad, including those who have reacquired their Philippine citizenship, have been exempted by the Philippine Government from paying Philippine income tax on income earned abroad.

APPLICATION:

Applicants may submit the application form and other requirements by mail.

Please mail to the Embassy the accomplished application form, payment in bank draft or postal money order payable to the EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, ID photos and the photocopies, NOT THE ORIGINALS, of the documents required.

The mailing address is:

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Consular Section - Dual Citizenship Desk
30 Murray St,
Ottawa ON K1N 5M4
Canada

Upon receipt and processing of the application, an Embassy consular representative will contact the applicant to arrange for a date for their oath-taking.

The processing time of dual citizenship documents is typically one (1) month and is subject to certain constraints.

Note: If the applicant prefers to be scheduled for oath-taking in one of our outreach missions, please indicate so in a letter and include it in your application.

The dual citizenship documents will be given to the applicants on the day of their oath-taking. Clients who wish to renew their passport after reacquisition must prepare a photocopy of these documents as these are part of the requirements for passport renewal.

Those who have reacquired their Philippine citizenship may travel again with a Philippine passport, and as such, they may be interested in applying for a renewal of their passport.

For more information regarding passport renewal, please follow the link: application form

REQUIREMENTS:

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

For documents which require photocopies, please prepare the photocopies before coming or submitting to the Embassy. THE PHILIPPINE EMBASSY DOES NOT PROVIDE PHOTOCOPYING AS PART OF THEIR SERVICES.

For the purpose of application, ONLY THE PHOTOCOPIES of the required documents are needed.  However, on the day of their oath-taking, the applicant MUST BRING THE ORIGINALS OF THE DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS for verification.

IF ONE OR MORE OF THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS ARE NOT SEEN AT ANY POINT DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS, THE DUAL CITIZENSHIP DOCUMENTS WILL NOT BE RELEASED TO THE APPLICANT UNTIL ALL ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS ARE SEEN AND VERIFIED.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS:

A. ADULT APPLICANTS

• Completed and signed application form.

• Original Philippine Birth Certificate issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO)/Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), plus two (2) photocopies.

Note: Those with no PSA/NSO birth certificates can secure a copy by applying online at https://www.psaserbilis.com.ph/.

Note: In case the PSA does not have a copy of the applicant's birth certificate:

If born before 1950, the applicant shall present a negative certificate of birth and an Affidavit of two Disinterested Persons. 

If born after 1950, please contact the local civil registrar of the city/municipality where the applicant was born to file a delayed registration of birth.

• If available, most recent Philippine passport, plus two (2) photocopies of its data page (page showing photo and personal details);

• Original of Certificate of Canadian Citizenship or Canadian Citizenship Card, plus two (2) photocopies;

• Canadian passport, plus two (2) photocopies of its data page;

• Three (3) recent ID photos (colored with white background, sized 2” x 2”). PLEASE DO NOT AFFIX THE PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE APPLICATION FORM.

• For married female applicants: Original PSA or foreign Marriage Certificate, plus two (2) photocopies;

• If applicable, Original PSA or foreign Death Certificate of spouse, plus two (2) photocopies;

• If applicable, Original Divorce Decree or Court Order on the Annulment of Marriage, plus two (2) photocopies.

• Payment of fee of C$ 77.50 in cash, if submitted in person, or bank draft/postal money order payable to EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, if submitted by mail.

B. MINOR APPLICANTS

Children born in Canada of parents who were still Filipinos at the time of their birth, are already considered dual citizens by birth, due to the application of the principles of nationality law of jus soli, which determines a person’s nationality at birth by the place of birth, and jus sanguinis, where citizenship is acquired by the nationality of the parent. These individuals no longer need to apply for dual citizenship under RA 9225 and instead please complete a Report of Birth under civil registration.

An adult applicant may apply on behalf of their unmarried children below 18 years old by filling out the portion for dependents on their application form and submitting the following, per child:

• Completed and signed Dual Citizenship Supplement for Dependent;

• Two (2) recent ID photos of the child (colored, with white background, sized 2” x 2”);

• Two (2) photocopies of the Canadian passport of the principal;

• Child’s foreign passport, plus two (2) photocopies of its data page;

• Original Birth Certificate of the child indicating parents' names, plus two (2) photocopies;

• Two (2) photocopies of the Filipino parent’s Certificate of Oath-Taking as Canadian Citizen;

• Canadian proof of citizenship of the derivative applicant for those born in the Philippines.

• Payment of fee of C$ 38.75 in cash, if submitted in person, or bank draft/postal money order payable to EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, if submitted by mail.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about dual citizenship, please visit: http://immigration.gov.ph/faqs/citizenship

For any other queries regarding dual citizenship, please email us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.