Renouncing Former Nationalities

burning your passport
doesn't renounce your citizenship
One aspect of naturalisation that causes a lot of confusion is the requirement to renounce any other nationalities you happen to hold. Not only does this procedure differ significantly from one country to another, but it also has a direct effect on the naturalisation procedure itself.

According to the colourful "so you want to be a Japanese" guidebook, the specific condition that relates to the holding of other nationalities is written as 国籍を有せず {kokuseki o yū sezu}、又は日本の国籍の取得によってその国籍を失うべきこと {mata ha nihon no kokuseki no shutoku ni yotte sono kokuseki o ushinaubeki koto} (to have no nationality, or lose your nationality upon gaining Japanese citizenship). The process your country has in place for renouncing citizenship is what determines which of these two choices will be effective, with the first of these taking priority. So if your country allows you to renounce your citizenship both before becoming a national of another country and after (as you see fit), you will be required to do it beforehand and submit documentary evidence to this effect in order for the final stage of the application procedure to begin.

The US is one example of a country that doesn't allow this, which is why former US nationals are given a two year grace period after they take Japanese citizenship in which to formally renounce (a process which is about to get very expensive in a week or two, so get in fast!)

The UK where I hail from does allow this, so a short period of time was spent 無国籍 {mukokuseki} (without nationality), like the character Tom Hanks plays in the movie Terminal, only minus the airport and romantic subplot with a flight attendant. This is also reflected on my 戸籍 {koseki} (family register) – 帰化の際の国籍：無国籍 {kika no sai no kokuseki: mukokuseki} (nationality at time of naturalisation: without nationality).

Naturally, this was a little unsettling, as my application for citizenship hadn't been approved at that point. If that was rejected, wouldn't I be a bit stuck? No, explained the case officer. When you renounce your nationality in order to become a citizen of another country, the renunciation is voided if another country doesn't "claim" you within six months.

Your case officer will know which procedure is necessary for your country and will instruct you accordingly. But if you're planning on leaving the country for any reason during the 12 to 18 months the application process typically takes, it's a good idea to discuss this ahead of time so you don't suddenly find yourself without a passport.

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