U.S. Senate Proposal Seeks to Restrict Dual Citizenship

Legal News | Nationality Law

A bill recently introduced in the U.S. Senate, titled the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, proposes a fundamental change to U.S. nationality policy by seeking to prohibit dual citizenship for American nationals.

Under the proposal, individuals who currently hold U.S. citizenship alongside another nationality would be required to renounce their non-U.S. citizenship within a designated transition period following the law’s entry into force. Failure to do so would be treated as a voluntary relinquishment of U.S. citizenship. The bill also contemplates automatic loss of U.S. nationality for persons who acquire a foreign citizenship after the law becomes effective.

At present, U.S. law permits dual citizenship, and loss of nationality generally requires a voluntary act carried out with the intent to relinquish citizenship, consistent with long-standing Supreme Court precedent. As a result, legal commentators have raised constitutional and practical concerns regarding the proposal, particularly in relation to the Fourteenth Amendment and existing nationality law.

The bill has been introduced but not enacted, and it must pass both chambers of the Legislative and receive presidential approval to become law. While its prospects remain uncertain, the proposal has drawn attention among dual nationals, U.S. citizens residing abroad, and families with cross-border ties.