I was in a discussion with an American attorney here who stated that the USA did not allow dual citizenship with Mexico and that they would not renew your passport if you held a Mexican passport. Researching the net I find conflicting answers to this question. Does anyone here know the definitive answer based on experience? Thx
I understand that to true as well it is the reason that i have been on a fm3 for 20 years. While Mexico does not take away your US passport , they do not recognize any rights you may have/had as a US Citizen. Also saying you are a >US citizen once going through the process of naturalization can be grounds for deportation, I am sure that does not happen but it is part of the process.
As far as I understand it you should have no problem renewing your US passport once you become Mexican. I have long considered becoming Mexican, and have spoken with numerous Americans who have become Mexicans. None has ever had any kind of problem in the U.S. with having dual citizenship, and all report that the convenience of not dealing with INM and being able to work easily and buy property here make life much easier. My hope is that our beloved Jim_in_Cancun has a moment to jump in here and tell us his experience, he is both Mexican and American, and has been for a number of years. He travels between the two countries very often and I'm sure can put your mind at rest. Here is what the US says about Dual Nationality: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html You can lose your US Citizenship if you gain dual citizenship with the "intention" of giving up your US citizenship in favor of the new one. I, for one, have no intention of giving up my U.S. Citizenship, I vote, pay taxes and even plan to move back at some point. I think that there's a lot of mis-information about this issue. And there's fear also. But I will tell you that I'm close friends with a U.S. Immigration attorney who keeps telling me that I'm a fool not to get Mexican Citizenship while I qualify for it.
Some confusion may arise from the fact that MEXICO did not allow dual citizenship until 10 or so years ago (not sure exactly when they changed the law). I have a Mexican brother-in-law who did not become a U.S. Citizen until Mexico changed its laws allowing him to have dual nationality with the U.S. Remember that law is a huge field and unless your lawyer friend specializes in these cases he/she may not be up to date on this particular issue.
Digging more deeply I found this doc from the U.S. Secretary of State which clearly says that becoming a citizen of another country is not, by itself, grounds for losing your U.S. Citizenship. You must INTEND to give up your U.S. Citizenship or commit an act of treason in order to lose it: http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_778.html
Rivergirl, thanks for confirming what I believed to be true. My 5 years is up next March and I intend to apply for my naturalization. Anyone have a clue how difficult the history test is or whether it is still required?
Always happy to tell people what they want to hear. I'm not sure about the history test but I don't think they require it any longer.
