No. If you were a natural-born Filipino, you do not lose your Philippine citizenship as a US citizen. Republic Act No. 9225, the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, lets natural-born Filipinos keep their Philippine citizenship after naturalizing abroad, or reacquire it if they naturalized before the law took effect. The one active step required is taking a Philippine oath of allegiance before a consular officer. Until you do that, your status is not formalized.
What RA 9225 Actually Says
Republic Act No. 9225 treats natural-born Filipinos who become citizens of another country as having retained their Philippine citizenship, so long as they take an oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines.1Philippine Senate. Republic Act No. 9225 – Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 Those who naturalized in the U.S. before 2003 technically lost their Philippine citizenship under the old rules; for them, the oath reacquires it. Those who naturalized in 2003 or later use the oath to confirm retention.2Philippine Embassy in Ankara. Dual Citizenship (RA 9225)
The 1987 Constitution says dual allegiance is “inimical to the national interest,” but Philippine law distinguishes dual citizenship from dual allegiance. Holding two passports is not the same as actively professing loyalty to two states in a way that conflicts with Philippine interests.3Supreme Court E-Library. Article IV – Citizenship
One boundary matters. RA 9225 applies only to natural-born Filipinos. If you became a Filipino by naturalization rather than by birth, this law does not cover you.
Why the U.S. Naturalization Oath Does Not End Your Philippine Citizenship
This is where most people get worried. The U.S. naturalization oath includes language renouncing “all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty.”4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1448 – Oath of Renunciation and Allegiance Read on its own, that sounds like you have given up your Filipino citizenship at the ceremony.
The State Department’s own Foreign Affairs Manual disagrees. It notes that some countries “do not recognize naturalization in a foreign country as grounds for loss of nationality” and that a naturalized U.S. citizen “may retain the nationality of their birth.”5Foreign Affairs Manual. 7 FAM 080 Dual Nationality The oath expresses your allegiance to the United States. It does not have the legal power to cancel a citizenship granted by another sovereign.
The Philippines takes the same view. It does not treat the U.S. naturalization oath as an act that extinguishes Philippine citizenship for anyone within the scope of RA 9225. So neither side treats the oath as the end of your Filipino status.
Taking the Philippine Oath of Allegiance
To lock in dual status, you appear at a Philippine embassy or consulate and take the RA 9225 oath. The typical requirements:
- Three original copies of the completed RA 9225 application form.
- An original PSA-issued Philippine birth certificate, with photocopies.
- Your U.S. Certificate of Naturalization, original and copies.
After the oath, the consulate issues an Order of Approval and an Identification Certificate, then forwards your file to the Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines.6Consulate General of the Philippines Frankfurt. Re-Acquisition / Retention of Filipino Citizenship The consular fee for the principal applicant runs about $50, plus $25 per dependent child, and can vary slightly by post.7Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco. Schedule of Fee
The Philippine oath does not ask you to renounce your U.S. citizenship. It is a declaration of allegiance to the Philippines, nothing more.
Children Under 18
Unmarried children under 18 can be included in your RA 9225 application and are considered Philippine citizens by derivation. They do not take a separate oath. Legitimate, illegitimate, and legally adopted children all qualify.1Philippine Senate. Republic Act No. 9225 – Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 Once they turn 18, they hold their Philippine citizenship in their own right.
How the United States Views Dual Nationality
The U.S. recognizes dual nationality as “a status long recognized in the law,” citing a 1952 Supreme Court ruling. Federal law neither encourages nor forbids it, and no statute requires you to pick one citizenship.5Foreign Affairs Manual. 7 FAM 080 Dual Nationality
U.S. citizenship can be lost, but only through specific voluntary acts done with the intent to give it up: formally renouncing before a consular officer, committing treason, or serving as a commissioned officer in a foreign military engaged in hostilities against the United States, among a short list of others.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1481 – Loss of Nationality by Native-Born or Naturalized Citizen Naturalizing abroad is on that list in theory, but the State Department presumes you meant to keep your U.S. citizenship unless you tell a consular officer otherwise. Taking the Philippine oath under RA 9225, by itself, does not put your U.S. citizenship at risk.
A Bill That Could Change This
In early 2025, Senator Bernie Moreno introduced the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, which would require U.S. citizens to hold “sole and exclusive allegiance to the United States” and would force dual nationals to give up their foreign citizenship.9U.S. Senate. New Moreno Bill to Outlaw Dual Citizenship Similar proposals have come up over the years without becoming law. This one has not been enacted. Dual citizenship remains fully legal on both sides.
What You Keep Once Your Status Is Confirmed
After the oath, you have full civil and political rights in the Philippines. In practical terms, that means you can own land in your own name without the acreage limits that apply to foreigners, engage in business, practice your profession (subject to any local licensing), hold and travel on a Philippine passport, and vote in Philippine elections.10Philippine Embassy in Belgium. FAQs on Dual Citizenship Running for elective office is the one right with an extra condition: you must make a sworn personal renunciation of your foreign citizenship at the time you file your candidacy.1Philippine Senate. Republic Act No. 9225 – Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003
At the border, use your U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States; that is required for U.S. citizens.11Travel.State.Gov. Dual Nationality The Philippine Bureau of Immigration allows dual citizens to enter on either passport, and if you present a foreign passport, you can still be admitted as a Filipino for an indefinite stay as long as you also carry a valid Philippine passport or Identification Certificate.12The Philippine Consulate General. Guidelines for Dual Citizens Travelling to the Philippines Carrying both when you fly between the two countries avoids trouble at either end.