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What is the difference between Nationality and Citizenship?

What is different between Nationality vs. Citizenship?

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Nationality and citizenship are always used incorrectly and many people would think that these two terms are the same. Nationality is very different from citizenship. One can have 2 citizenships but only one nationality. So how do these two terms exactly differ? We will look into the traits of these two terms and see that the one term is more of a legal responsibility while the other is a birthright.

When we say nationality, it means that it is the inheritance wherein a person is born into. He or she cannot change it and he or she can only have one nationality. Nationality is the culture race, traditions, and practices that the person is born into. For example, a Chinese who is born in China, with Chinese parents has the nationality of Chinese, wherever he or she may go. It does not separate from the person.

Citizenship focuses on the legality of the person as a part of a country. A person often has the same citizenship as with her nationality, however, citizenship can be changed. Citizenship means being registered and abiding by the laws and regulations of one country. A person can have two citizenships, this is called dual citizenship. Let’s go back to our Chinese example. The Chinese who is of Chinese nationality and chooses to go to the United States of America and get a citizenship, he or she can actually do that. The citizenship can be changed and in turn, will make that person a US citizen. However, one important thing to remember, he or she is still of Chinese nationality.

Citizenship is not by birth right but by choice and nationality is by birth right. This is a very important statement that one person must never forget. He or she may change citizenship but the country where he or she is not a nationality of may have different cultural practices from her own country. That is why different countries always have different people with different nationalities but of the same citizenship.

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