Is dual citizenship illegal in China?

Not illegal

Dual nationality is not illegal in China. However, Chinese citizens cannot apply for dual nationality. Article 2 of the "Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China" The People's Republic of China is a unified multi-ethnic country, and people of all ethnic groups have Chinese nationality. Article 3 The People's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality of Chinese citizens. Article 4 Both or one of the parents is a Chinese citizen, the person was born in China, and has Chinese nationality.

There are three situations where you can "legally" have dual nationality

In the first situation, children of Chinese citizens born in a foreign country will automatically have local nationality after birth, and at the same time, their Chinese citizen parents will If the child does not settle in a foreign country, then the child will have both local nationality and Chinese nationality. He can apply for a travel permit at the local embassy/consulate and return to the country to settle down as a citizen.

(There are other situations similar to this, such as children of cross-border marriages between China and foreign countries, who are also likely to have both Chinese and foreign nationalities after birth.)

Second In this case, if a Chinese citizen who has settled in China takes the initiative to apply for and obtain the nationality of another country, the citizen's Chinese nationality will not automatically expire. In fact, he has the nationality of both China and other countries.

In the third case, if any Chinese citizen is passively granted nationality by another country, the Chinese nationality of the citizen will not automatically expire. In fact, he has the nationality of both China and other countries. .

The above three situations are legal dual/multiple nationality scenarios stipulated in the Nationality Law, with the first one being the most common.

Benefits of Dual Citizenship

Freedom to Travel

One of the main benefits of having dual citizenship is that it allows you to travel around the world more freely, e.g. When you hold a passport from two countries, you can travel freely between the two countries, but when entering or leaving the country you are traveling to, you use that country's passport.

This means that if you are a citizen of the UK and the US and you travel to the US, you will need to use your US passport to enter the country. So while your home country's passport might allow you to travel to 100 countries visa-free, another country's passport might allow you to travel to 150 countries visa-free. For example, an Indian passport allows you to travel to 60 countries visa-free, while a German passport allows you to travel to 190 countries.

Freedom to Work

When traveling and staying in a country, you may encounter restrictions that limit your ability to work in that country. This situation usually requires you to apply for employment authorization before you can engage in any work, which can be a long and complicated process. However, this problem ceases to exist when you have citizenship in that country.

Freedom of Property Ownership

Some countries limit the ability of foreigners to own property, and in some cases, the country may even prohibit foreigners from owning any property. With dual citizenship you won't have this problem and you will be able to own property in your home country and another country of which you are a citizen.

Reduce the hassle of staying

Normally, when you work or stay in a specific country under a residence permit, you need to renew the permit after a specified period. These periods vary from country to country. Regardless of the period, you will be dealing with complex immigration forms and, in some cases, you will have to pay renewal fees. Additionally, many countries require that while you are staying in the country under a residence permit, you must notify the authorities of any changes in your address or employment. When you are a citizen of a country, you avoid this.