Egyptian Nationality Law - Dual Citizenship

Dual Citizenship

Under Egyptian Law, acquiring another citizenship is acceptable. The Egyptian law requires that those who apply for another nationality inform appropriate Egyptian officials.

• Egyptians who have acquired a foreign citizenship may keep their Egyptian nationality if the other country permits it and if within a period not exceeding 1 year from the date he/she acquires the foreign nationality, declares his wish to retain his Egyptian citizenship.
• Persons who become naturalized Egyptian citizens may keep their original nationality if the other country permits it.

However, holders of a dual-citizenship are exempt from military service and prohibited from enrolling in military and police academies or being elected to Parliament.

This contrasts with some Asian countries such as India, mainland China, Japan and South Korea. Egyptian nationals with at least one parent born in Japan will have to choose, by the age of 22, whether to keep their Japanese or Egyptian nationality. India and mainland China do not permit their nationals to hold foreign nationality. South Korea requires its adult nationals, including those with Egyptian nationality, to declare, by their early-20s, whether they want to keep their foreign or South Korean nationality.

As Egypt is primarily a jus sanguinis jurisdiction, the status of persons born to Egyptian parents in countries operating under liberal jus soli rules is somewhat complex. A prime example is the child of Egyptians born in the United States, where any person born subject to its jurisdiction is automatically a citizen: assuming that both parents are Egyptian but not American citizens, the child is without question automatically an American citizen under American law and an Egyptian citizen under Egyptian law. While the position of the American government regarding the child's Egyptian citizenship is clear (the United States would recognize it without question), Egypt cannot be informed of the acquisition of American citizenship within the allotted one-year timeframe, as the citizen in question is an infant and likely unable to speak. Therefore, even if the child is registered with the Egyptian authorities and given an Egyptian birth certificate (proof of Egyptian citizenship), it is unclear whether Egypt would recognize the foreign citizenship at all in official contexts.