BI eases dual citizenship rules

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has made life easier for those seeking to acquire dual citizenship following the approval of the new rules by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr. said stringent requirements have been removed under the revised implementing rules of Republic Act 9225, or the Dual Citizenship Law.

The BI would no longer require a birth certificate duly authenticated by the National Statistics Office from naturally born Filipinos who became citizens of other countries and now want to regain their Philippine citizenship.

Fernandez explained that this new rule was in response to the clamor of applicants who have experienced difficulty in producing the document, which was lost either during the war or a result of fortuitous events.

The BI chief explained that applicants may now submit their birth certificates from the local civil registrar in their place of birth to prove that they were natural-born Filipinos.

They can also submit their old Philippine passports, voter’s affidavit or marriage contract.

Fernandez said another significant change is the processing of applications for dual citizenship at Philippine consulates abroad, which means an applicant no longer needs to fly to Manila just to apply.

The consulates have been authorized to issue identification certificates to approved applicants, which were formerly issued only at the BI main office in Intramuros.

The Dual Citizenship Law was passed two years ago, but it was only in April 2004 when the BI started implementing it after Malacañang designated the bureau as the lead implementing agency of the law.

So far, more than 5,000 former Filipinos have regained their citizenship through the law, the BI said.