Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Keeping your citizenship as a dual citizen vs Renouncing it on becoming Australian
Australia permits dual citizenship, so the question is decided by the other country. A citizen of a country that permits it, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the Philippines in most cases, keeps both passports and renounces nothing. A citizen of a country that does not, India, China, Nepal, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and others, loses that citizenship by operation of its law on becoming Australian, or must renounce it, and reads what replaces it: India’s overseas citizen card, a long-term visa, or nothing. The decision is not whether to become Australian but what the home country takes when you do, and that is read in the home country’s law before the citizenship application.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Australia’s position
- Dual citizenship permitted · Not required by Australia
- Countries that permit it
- UK, NZ, US, Canada, Ireland, the Philippines in most cases, and many others · Not applicable
- Countries that do not
- India, China, Nepal, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and others; citizenship lost or must be renounced · Renunciation, or automatic loss, under the home law
- What replaces it
- Nothing needed · India’s OCI card; long-term visas elsewhere; sometimes nothing
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Keeping your citizenship as a dual citizen | Renouncing it on becoming Australian | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia’s position | Dual citizenship permitted | Not required by Australia |
| Countries that permit it | UK, NZ, US, Canada, Ireland, the Philippines in most cases, and many others | Not applicable |
| Countries that do not | India, China, Nepal, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and others; citizenship lost or must be renounced | Renunciation, or automatic loss, under the home law |
| What replaces it | Nothing needed | India’s OCI card; long-term visas elsewhere; sometimes nothing |
| Property, inheritance, work at home | Unchanged | Read the home law: ownership limits, inheritance and employment rules can change |
| Watch out | A country that permits dual citizenship may still restrict passport use or military service | Children born after the change may lose the home citizenship too |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
Australia permits dual citizenship, so the question is decided by the other country. A citizen of a country that permits it, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the Philippines in most cases, keeps both passports and renounces nothing. A citizen of a country that does not, India, China, Nepal, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and others, loses that citizenship by operation of its law on becoming Australian, or must renounce it, and reads what replaces it: India’s overseas citizen card, a long-term visa, or nothing. The decision is not whether to become Australian but what the home country takes when you do, and that is read in the home country’s law before the citizenship application.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Keeping your citizenship as a dual citizen or Renouncing it on becoming Australian — which is better?
Australia permits dual citizenship, so the question is decided by the other country. A citizen of a country that permits it, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the Philippines in most cases, keeps both passports and renounces nothing. A citizen of a country that does not, India, China, Nepal, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and others, loses that citizenship by operation of its law on becoming Australian, or must renounce it, and reads what replaces it: India’s overseas citizen card, a long-term visa, or nothing. The decision is not whether to become Australian but what the home country takes when you do, and that is read in the home country’s law before the citizenship application.
What is the main difference between the Keeping your citizenship as a dual citizen and the Renouncing it on becoming Australian?
Australia’s position: Keeping your citizenship as a dual citizen — Dual citizenship permitted; Renouncing it on becoming Australian — Not required by Australia. Countries that permit it: Keeping your citizenship as a dual citizen — UK, NZ, US, Canada, Ireland, the Philippines in most cases, and many others; Renouncing it on becoming Australian — Not applicable. Countries that do not: Keeping your citizenship as a dual citizen — India, China, Nepal, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and others; citizenship lost or must be renounced; Renouncing it on becoming Australian — Renunciation, or automatic loss, under the home law.
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