Difference between country of birth and nationality?

General Chat
1

On some forms it asks for country or birth and also nationality. Surely they’re the same thing ?

2

They’re similar, but not the same.

If you were born on holiday, you wouldn’t consider yourself Australian.

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3

You can change your nationality, you can’t change your country of birth.

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4

Can I be Dutch, please?

I’ve always wanted to be Dutch :blush:

Or Swiss…

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5

You can be a dual (triple?, quadruple?, quintuple‽) national but your country of birth will remain the same.

What does confuse me is when forms ask for both nationality and citizenship. Aren’t they the same (for form filling purposes)?

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6

Take Northern Ireland for a prime example:

I was technically born in the U.K but have a right to an Irish passport and consider myself to be Irish due to the Good Friday Agreement.

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7

Of course you can. It might be best if you can start the process this year, though.

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8

Although Dutch law restricts dual nationality so unless you fall in one of the exempted categories, you’re unlikely to be able to keep your British (or whatever else) nationality

9

I think I’d see that as a bonus tbf :man_shrugging:

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10

That really depends on where you go on holiday, and how committed you are. If you were born in Australia, you’d become a citizen after 10 years. In America, you’d be a citizen from birth.

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11

Thanks. Is there a form I need to fill out, please?

I’m exempt. (What are the categories, again? :thinking:)

12

Yes. It’s in a hole in one of the dykes. You put your finger in the hole, and wait a bit.

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13

Best to avoid being born in America if you’re not going to be resident there, unless you’d really like to be filing taxes your whole life.

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14

A 10 year holiday in Australia is pretty committed.

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15

The country I was born in, no longer exists.

Think that one through.

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16

I’m Welsh, but have a British passport. I hope to one day swap it for a Republic of Wales one. :slight_smile:

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17

Yugoslavia? The Soviet Union? Serbia and Montenegro? Czechoslovakia? These are the countries I can remember ceasing to exist in my lifetime (possibly you could count West/East Germany as well).

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18

1200×675 143 KB

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19

Living in an airport seemed quite good :laughing:

20

Those dammed dykes.

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