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I have heard that both exist, but what exactly is the difference?
Does a U.S. national have different rights than a U.S. citizen?
Who/what decides, whether you receive an American citizenship or nationality?
Also: Does this variation of nationality vs citizenship also exist with other countries?

pnuts
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's not about travel. – Relaxed Oct 29 '16 at 20:51
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    Wikipedia and Google can provide many details but in a nutshell, a US citizen is also a US national and the distinction only exists because (most) people born in Guam and a few other territories are not citizens (and in particular, they can't vote). – Relaxed Oct 29 '16 at 20:53
  • @Relaxed the problem is though, I don't know what other Stackexchange website I could post this under. Expatriation/immigration maybe? –  Oct 29 '16 at 20:54
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    Politics? But it's also entirely possible that there is nowhere to ask that question on SE, that does not make it on-topic here. – Relaxed Oct 29 '16 at 20:56
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    "Does this vartiation [sic] of nationality vs citizenship also exist with other countries?" Oh yes, the British have six different types of citizen/subject/national. – Calchas Oct 29 '16 at 21:05
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    @Relaxed one could post it on [Law.SE], since these things are determined by laws. – phoog Oct 29 '16 at 21:09
  • @phoog is it possible to transfer this question to the Law website, or would it be a new question while this one would be deleted? –  Oct 29 '16 at 21:11
  • https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/immigration-terms-and-definitions-involving-aliens – Karlson Oct 29 '16 at 21:11
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    I've flagged this question for migration to law.SE. – phoog Oct 29 '16 at 21:15
  • Good question: IMHO entirely reasonable to have a question regarding citizenship in this forum – gatorback Oct 29 '16 at 23:25

1 Answers1

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This is explained reasonably well by this Wikipedia article.

All US citizens are US nationals. There are a relatively small number of people from American Samoa (and Swains Island, with its population of 17 who harvest coconuts) and some from the Northern Mariana Islands who specifically elect to be non-citizen nationals who are US nationals but not US citizens. It's an even smaller number than you think, because even those born on American Samoa to a US citizen parent will receive US citizenship at birth. These non-citizen nationals receive US passports with a special annotation stating "THE BEARER IS A UNITED STATES NATIONAL AND NOT A UNITED STATES CITIZEN," cannot vote, may not be able to hold certain government jobs that are only for citizens, and there are special rules for the transmission of US nationality to children that are a bit different than for US citizenship.

In general, there's no choice in the matter. Those born on US soil (and "subject to the jurisdiction thereof") get US citizenship at birth and US citizens pass on their citizenship to their children through the usual rules. Non-citizen nationals pass on that status to their children through somewhat different rules. There are two ways in which a choice is possible. Those born in the Northern Mariana Islands can, within six months after turning 18, go to court and make a declaration (scroll to the bottom of the page) that they wish to be a non-citizen national. To go the other way, US nationals are allowed to live and work in the US, so they can do that until they meet the residency requirement, pay the fees and jump through the bureaucratic hoops, and become a naturalized US citizen.

This exact variation is unique to the US and its territories, but, as Calchas notes in comments, the system of British nationality is incredibly complex, with various active and historical categories and types of passports, all conferring somewhat different rights and statues.

rturnbull
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Zach Lipton
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