HuffPuff

I got into a dialogue today about dual and triple residency and out of curiosity we wondered:
If someone is a dual citizen UK/US - could they still become resident (not citizen) of a third country: let's say France for example - could someone potentially be a dual citizen of 2 countries as well as a resident of another?

christmasoompa

Yep. There is no limit on the number of citizenships one can hold AFAIK. We have several members with 4 citizenships.

OldJuddian

Both my kids have 3 passports (citizenships), they just keep accumulating!
But their mum only has one, different countries, different rules.
Which leaves me in between at two.

Rete

Having citizenship does not make you a resident. Living in that country legally for a certain period of time is what makes you a resident. So if you have UK/US citizenship and are living in France, you are not a resident of the US or the UK, but are a resident of France. You can only be a resident of one country per year.

It is your terminology that is causing you confusion.

S Folinsky

I agree that citizenship (or nationality) is different from residence. However, as a general matter, the bolded statement is incorrect. In addition to “residence,” there is also the concept of “domicile.” One’s domicile is the one intended to be the principal residence - one’s “home” so to speak.

One can have multiple “residences” but only one “domicile.” By way of example, Donald Trump has residences at Trump Tower in Manhattan, Bedminster NJ and Mar A Lago FL. He changed his domicile from Manhattan to Florida.

It is possible to be a citizen of a country in which one has never lived.

HuffPuff

Actually my terminology was correct and still stands as my original question. If I perhaps re ask as follows it may be clearer as to our curiosity… could someone be British citizen by birth, Canadian citizen byyyy something, could they then go to the us and become a permanent resident… these are just examples but I thought perhaps the us perm res example would make it a little clearer also ignore the actual difficulties of obtaining us residency

S Folinsky

In my experience, the situation you posit is not uncommon. It can be complicated by variations in the laws of expatriation.

tht

I would say your terminology is not specific enough, but I can understand what you are asking. Also every country can have its own rules.

Resident can mean a lot of different things in different contexts, there is where you live, a tax status and also an immigration status. They are not mutually exclusive, for example an illegal alien could be resident and tax resident.

I can speak from my own experience. I am a German Citizen by Birth, a British Citizen by Registration, and US Citizen by Naturalization.

I have been “Resident” in 5 countries over the years, including 2 at the same time (and in the same year). I am able to get on a plane tomorrow (subject to CV19 restrictions) and become a resident in at least 29 countries in addition to the US between my Citizenships and other visas, my children were Citizens of 3 countries at birth and could do the same in 28 countries.