UK and Multiple Nationality

[Marco 72]

Is the UK a signatory to the so-called Strasbourg Convention on the Reduction of Cases of Multiple Nationality (1963)? According to this convention, citizens of one party who acquire the nationality of another by means of naturalisation automatically lose their previous citizenship (with some exceptions).

The full text can be found here, and the list of signatures and ratifications here. From this, it would seem that the UK is a party to the convention since 1971.

So it would seem that an Italian acquiring British citizenship by naturalisation would lose Italian citizenship. However, according to an Italian government website (here, in Italian) it seems that the UK is not among the signatories. Does anyone know if the UK opted out of the convention at some point?

[Dawie]

Interesting, I'd never heard of this convention before. I don't have an answer for your question, but it does seem that the UK is one of the most easy-going European countries as far as multiple nationalities is concerned. If you browse through the Home Office's policy website there is mention made of the fact that if you aquire UK nationality, the country of your original citizenship might require you to relinquish your original citizenship, but there is no mention ever made of any compulsory requirement from the UK's side that requires you to renounce your original citizenship.

I personally am shocked that anyone these days would object to people having multiple nationalities. In this current age of hightened security and major travel restrictions, holding an extra nationality (especially if you are a citizen of a developing country and your extra nationality is that of a developed nation) can significantly make your life easier. People who object usually do so on the grounds of loyalty, nationalism or some other similar argument.

I don't feel that nationalistic arguments against multiple nationalities have any place in today's rapidly globalising world.

[Marco 72]

Italy used to be one of the most restrictive countries when it came to nationality. Until the 1990's, an Italian who acquired a foreign citizenship and resided abroad automatically lost Italian citizenship. This was changed in 1992. After that Italians were still asked to notify the Italian government in case they obtained another citizenship, but this requirement was abolished in 2001. The only exceptions are for countries which are signatories to the 'Strasbourg Convention', i.e., according to the Italian Foreign Ministry's website: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Norway. So if an Italian becomes a Belgian citizen, he automatically loses Italian citizenship. It could be that although the UK is an official signatory to the convention, it doesn't enforce it any longer, so Italy doesn't reciprocate...

[John]

Dawie, I agree, and think the trend is towards more and more countries having no problem with dual nationality.

A few years ago there was a surge in applications for Naturalisation as British ... simply because Australia changed its law and started to allow its citizens to have another nationality as well. So all those Australians living in the UK, some of them for many years, suddenly started applying to be British, as well, given that they were already time-qualified to apply.

[JAJ]

Is the UK a signatory to the so-called Strasbourg Convention on the Reduction of Cases of Multiple Nationality (1963)? According to this convention, citizens of one party who acquire the nationality of another by means of naturalisation automatically lose their previous citizenship (with some exceptions).

The full text can be found here, and the list of signatures and ratifications here. From this, it would seem that the UK is a party to the convention since 1971.

So it would seem that an Italian acquiring British citizenship by naturalisation would lose Italian citizenship. However, according to an Italian government website (here, in Italian) it seems that the UK is not among the signatories. Does anyone know if the UK opted out of the convention at some point?

When the UK signed the convention, it was subject to only applying the provisions of Part II (military service) and not the part concerning loss of nationality.
http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commu ... L=ENG&VL=1

[Christophe]

France also, if my understanding and memory are correct, generally place no restrictions of dual nationality, although they are signatories to this convention and may restrict people from having dual French nationality with the nationality of one of the other signatories.

Italy used to be one of the most restrictive countries when it came to nationality. Until the 1990's, an Italian who acquired a foreign citizenship and resided abroad automatically lost Italian citizenship. This was changed in 1992. After that Italians were still asked to notify the Italian government in case they obtained another citizenship, but this requirement was abolished in 2001. The only exceptions are for countries which are signatories to the 'Strasbourg Convention', i.e., according to the Italian Foreign Ministry's website: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Norway. So if an Italian becomes a Belgian citizen, he automatically loses Italian citizenship. It could be that although the UK is an official signatory to the convention, it doesn't enforce it any longer, so Italy doesn't reciprocate...