Comments on: Dual Citizenship – SA/USA

By: Isaac

Isaac — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 16:20:51 +0000

I have a bit of a potential timing issue. I have a greencard and am eligible to apply for US citizenship. My South African passport had expired and I applied for a renewal about a year ago, but have still not received it. I’ve been holding off on applying for US citizenship until I received it and could apply for the exemption.

I have to leave the US for over a year starting in a year, so I need to apply for US citizenship now. Currently US citizenship processing time is 1-2 years. Do you think it would be all right for me to apply for US citizenship now, then hopefully my SA passport arrives in the meantime and I can apply for the exemption all before actually being granted US citizenship?

Furthermore, does anyone know yet what satisfies the requirement of a “Notarized letter confirming that the foreign citizenship has not been taken up and proof of current status in foreign country of which citizenship will be acquired.”?

Many thanks

By: John

John — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 13:30:45 +0000

In reply to Rob. Hi Rob. Your answer seems to be at https://www.sahc.org.au/citizenship/Renunciation.htm. That is an Australian site, but I'm sure the same procedure will apply in the US. If you are in Texas, you may want to contact the SA Embassy in Washington DC to get confirmation of the process, and where to send your documents to.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 03:18:19 +0000

Hi John, I have a slightly different question. I obtained US citizenship several years ago after obtaining “approval” by SA to retain SA citizenship. I now have decided to renounce SA citizenship, very seldom travel back to SA and too much of a pain to get new passport when I do travel there. I’ve not found any info on SA embassy or consulates sites regarding renouncing citizenship. Any advice?
Thanks

By: John

John — Mon, 20 May 2019 18:52:28 +0000

In reply to Adele. Hi Adele. Where did you see it mentioned that you need to submit an affidavit and your retention letter with your US citizenship application? Do you have a link to your source? I completed our US citizenship application and I don't recall having to submit our SA retention letter with our US citizenship application.

By: Adele

Adele — Mon, 20 May 2019 14:43:39 +0000

Hi I am busy doing my online application for US citizenship. Married to a US citizen 5 years already. I already have the retention letter from the SA Government. When I file my application together with the retention letter to keep my SA citizenship, it got mentioned that I need to submit an affidavit together with my retention letter with my US application. (to verify that I am keeping my SA citizenship etc as I have family and property in SA). I am not using a lawyer to apply for US citizenship. Does anyone have a template example of an affidavit to see what the content should include? and is there anything else that I need to submit with my application for US citizenship? Any support will be much appreciated!

By: John

John — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 14:17:03 +0000

In reply to NaleJ.

Wow, yours is an interesting situation. I’ll give you my opinion, but do understand that I’m not an immigration expert.

If you were born in the US, you’re a US citizen. Do you have a US passport? If not, apply for one now. That way you can take it along with you to SA and use it to return to the US after your trip. You will also have to renew your SA passport soon. Since you’re traveling in May, you may want to wait until your return from SA renew it because it takes several months. To renew it, you’ll have to work through the SA embassy here in the US.

About the dual-citizenship, I’m not sure if the dual-citizenship requirement applies to you. I say that because (1) you had US citizenship before you obtained SA citizenship, (2) you didn’t obtain the citizenship of another country after obtaining your SA citizenship, and (3) your two citizenships were in place long before the new law in SA came into effect. You may want to study the SA act to get the answer.

By: NaleJ

NaleJ — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 11:35:47 +0000

I was born in the USA in ’74 and my parents came back to RSA in the’ 80s when I was 8 years old. I grew up in SA, got an SA ID book when I turned 18, have an SA passport, and as far as I’m concerned I’m South African.
However, as a US born citizen do I still have to declare/apply for dual citizenship or is it just assumed based on my birth country?
I currently live and work in the USA but my SA passport is set to expire in July 2019. Will I have problems exiting SA if I travel to SA in May, with the intent on returning to USA in 2 weeks? I heard I needed 6 months on my passport.

By: John

John — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 16:53:12 +0000

In reply to Jasjit Singh. Jasjit, we're focused on obtaining US citizenship when already a SA citizen. I suggest that you contact South Africa's Dept. of Home Affairs for information on becoming a South African citizen.

By: Jasjit Singh

Jasjit Singh — Sat, 05 Jan 2019 03:14:03 +0000

I am a US Citizen and want to get Citizenship of South Africa too. Can I do it but I have never been a citizenship of South Africa.

By: John

John — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 15:46:12 +0000

In reply to Erica. Hi Erica. Did your husband apply for the retention of his SA citizenship at any point when he obtained the US citizenship? If not, SA law says that he automatically lost his SA citizenship when obtaining the US citizenship. So I think he can just use his US passport to enter and leave SA. I doubt that there is any connection between his old SA passport and his new US passport, so I doubt that SA passport officials would see a connection.