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Is it legally possible to have citizenship for the following three nations: Canada, Taiwan and United States of America. Also is the following combination possible: Canada, Japan, United States of America. I want to know if I can hold these Countries passports simultaneously and if not, which require renunciation of citizenship for those two possibilities?

EDIT: I am an adult with Canadian and United States of America citizenship and want to know if I can get Japanese or Taiwanese without the help of others.

EDIT #2: I think it might be more beneficial to the forum if I rephrase my question to: What are all the possible methods of obtaining triple citizenship for the two possibilities I originally listed?

K. Schmidt
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  • It should be possible; for instance if a child of a Canadian mother and a Taiwanese father is born in the US. But are you really asking whether you can acquire these citizenships if you don't have them from birth? Which one(s) do you have already? – Nate Eldredge Jan 02 '16 at 03:19
  • Japan is pretty strict about multiple citizenship from what I've heard. I don't know about Taiwan. US and Canada both allow multiple citizenship, as you already know. – phoog Jan 02 '16 at 03:26
  • I was going to ask this after I found out if it is possible but how would I go about getting say Japanese citizenship? I got my US after having a greencard and took the test after so many years of living in the states. – K. Schmidt Jan 02 '16 at 03:29
  • My understanding is that in order to take Japanese citizenship, you would have to renounce your US and Canadian citizenship. Beyond that I do but know the residency requirements nor the process for acquiring residency. This question would be a better fit for [expatriates.se]. – phoog Jan 02 '16 at 03:53
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    I'm treble and never had a problem with it. But I'm not altogether convinced this question, despite it's appeal to public curiosity, is within our remit. It's about nationality law and the consequences of an individual having multiple nationalities. It might be better posed in Expats, where multiple nationalities are largely a result of naturalisation. The relationship to travel is coincidental at best....... – Gayot Fow Jan 02 '16 at 04:34
  • Thanks I agree. Didn't realize there was a expat.se. @Gayot Fow If you had to renounce a citizenship to get another, how hard was getting the renounced citizenship back? Is it more of a formality or was it like you never had the citizenship before? – K. Schmidt Jan 02 '16 at 04:41
  • @K.Schmidt, I never renounced. I just got them as I went along. I also qualify for Canadian making a quad, but I can't be bothered to go through the rigmarole for something that would be nothing more than a novelty. – Gayot Fow Jan 02 '16 at 04:44
  • Oh, yes after going through it once I can see why you would avoid it! Is that question a good one for expat.se or should I ask it on travel.se? I am fairly new to this site so any help is much appreciated. – K. Schmidt Jan 02 '16 at 04:46
  • @K.Schmidt, nationality law would be suited for Expats or Legal. It's not a travel thing in the way it's defined here. But that's me. Others have to agree before the question can be closed out as 'too broad' or 'off topic'. – Gayot Fow Jan 02 '16 at 04:50
  • Thanks for the help! I put it on expats.se in case you're interested. It is challenging to ask since it is a hypothetical situation. – K. Schmidt Jan 02 '16 at 05:00
  • @K.Schmidt if you cross posted, you should delete this one. Alternatively you can 'flag' it for migration. It's 'bad manners' to cross post :) it can get the higher ups pitching a wobbly. – Gayot Fow Jan 02 '16 at 05:06
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is about citizenship and not about travel. – Willeke Jan 02 '16 at 08:57

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To answer your specific question in edit 1, both the Republic of China and Japan require people naturalizing to renounce their existing nationalities (if possible) as a precondition of naturalization.

The question in edit 2 is very vague. If you are asking about all the situations in which a person has those 3 nationalities at the same time, the ways are too numerous to list. We can begin by considering each country's nationality rules.

  • US and Canada are very similar. Both have ''jus soli'', citizenship upon being born in the country, and ''jus sanguinis'', citizenship by being born abroad to a citizen of the country, in most cases; though there are some cases in which citizenship is not transmitted for both US and Canada. Neither US nor Canada require someone naturalizing to do anything with respect to their existing nationalities. Neither US nor Canadian citizenship is automatically lost upon acquiring a foreign nationality.
  • Japan has unrestricted jus sanguinis; any child born to a Japanese citizen anywhere is a Japanese citizen. A child who has multiple nationality must renounce other nationalities in age 20-22 or lose Japanese citizenship. Japan requires people naturalizing to renounce existing nationalities, if possible. Japanese citizenship is automatically lost upon voluntarily acquiring a foreign nationalty.
  • The Republic of China also has unrestricted jus sanguinis; any child born to an ROC national anywhere is an ROC national. The ROC requires people naturalizing to renounce existing nationalities, if possible. ROC nationality is not automatically lost upon acquiring a foreign nationality.

So in the case of Japanese, US, and Canadian nationality, that can happen for a child in many ways, for example, if one parent is Japanese, the other Canadian, and born in the US; one parent is Japanese, the other American, and born in Canada; one parent is Japanese, the other Canadian and American, and born anywhere; etc. Note that such multiple nationality will not last past age 22.

Similarly, in the case of ROC, US, and Canadian nationality, that can happen for a child in many ways, for example, if one parent is ROC, the other Canadian, and born in the US; one parent is ROC, the other American, and born in Canada; one parent is ROC, the other Canadian and American, and born anywhere; one parent is ROC and Canadian, the other parent American, born anywhere; one parent is ROC, Canadian, and American, etc... Or the person may be born with only ROC nationality, and then later naturalize in Canada or the US (in either order); or born with ROC and Canadian nationality, and naturalize in the US; or any such combination. Here the multiple nationality is not automatically lost upon any age, and once the person has ROC nationality, they can get others without jeopardizing ROC nationality, so there are more possibilities, as long as they start with ROC.

user102008
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  • I appreciate the answer very helpful. – K. Schmidt Jan 02 '16 at 04:43
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    +1, but tweak: Japan may require dual citizens who have reached age 20 to "select" their citizenship. In the event that they select Japan, there is no enforcement that they actually renounce other citizenships. – lambshaanxy Jan 02 '16 at 05:39
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    This is true for people who naturalise as well, renouncing other citizenships (and proving you have done so) is not a precondition, just something you are in principle supposed to do sometime. – fkraiem Jan 02 '16 at 14:08