Fil-Ams cautioned on renouncing citizenship

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December 8, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine embassy in Washington has advised members of the Filipino-American community to exercise caution in renouncing their citizenship, saying the United States has not made any changes in its policy on dual citizenship.

In a statement, the embassy said a bill requiring Americans to pledge exclusive allegiance to the US has not yet been enacted into law.

“It will go through several stages of lengthy deliberation and may or may not proceed depending on the decisions of the US Congress,” the embassy said. “Renunciation of Philippine citizenship is an irreversible legal action,” it said.

Lawmakers in the US, the embassy said, will have to carefully consider provisions of the bill, given the pending measure’s possible significant impact on major immigrant groups in the country.

The bill, Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, was filed by US Sen. Bernie Moreno. Under current law, US citizens may retain foreign nationality if permitted by the other country.

The embassy noted that previous challenges to dual and multiple citizenship had not materialized. As early as 1952, the US Supreme Court stated that dual citizenship is a “status long recognized by law” and that “a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both.”