VisaReacquiring Philippine citizenship requires an oath before a new passport application
A current guide distinguishes citizenship reacquisition, citizenship by birth, passport applications and the additional rules for government appointments.
Official source date: 2026-11-02
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Prepare the reacquisition appointment and evidence
The Philippine Embassy in Washington requires former natural-born Filipinos who naturalised abroad to take an oath when reacquiring citizenship under Republic Act 9225. This is a current-rule guide.
The Washington checklist calls for the application, foreign naturalisation certificate, Philippine and foreign passport evidence, and recent photographs, with civil-status documents where needed. It identifies PSA birth evidence where the passport copy is unavailable. Its published processing charges are US$50 for each adult principal and US$25 for each minor derivative; card payments attract a 4% convenience fee.
Use the embassy’s Dual Citizenship page to book the appointment and check the complete current list. The applicant attends the briefing and oath, then receives the Identification Certificate. Washington says minor derivatives need not attend that citizenship appointment. Other consular jurisdictions and passport appointments have their own instructions; do not transfer that attendance exemption automatically.
Determine whether the person is already Filipino by birth
The San Francisco consulate’s Dual Citizenship page explains an important exemption from the reacquisition procedure. A child born in the United States on or after 17 January 1973, while either parent was Filipino, is already a dual citizen by birth. The appropriate civil-registration step is reporting the birth, rather than assuming every person with two nationalities must complete RA 9225.
Unmarried children below 18 can instead acquire derivative citizenship when included in a qualifying parent’s reacquisition application. These are different situations. Families should establish the parent’s citizenship at the time of birth and whether citizenship was subsequently lost before choosing the form.
The consulate also warns that an old Philippine passport became invalid upon the holder’s foreign naturalisation, even if its printed expiry date has not passed. It advises applying for a new passport only after the oath. For travel, its guidance identifies the foreign passport together with a valid Philippine passport or the citizenship Identification Certificate as evidence to present when declaring dual status.
A Philippine passport remains a separate transaction
The Los Angeles consulate’s Passport Applicants Who Are Dual Citizens page gives the separate documentary requirements after reacquisition. It calls for a confirmed passport appointment, completed form, and originals and copies of the Identification Certificate, Oath of Allegiance and Order of Approval. The latest Philippine passport, PSA birth evidence and an additional valid identity document also form part of the applicable checklist.
Civil-status changes can require further records. A married applicant using a spouse’s surname may need the Report of Marriage or PSA marriage record under the consulate’s stated circumstances. A person reverting to a maiden name after death, annulment or recognised divorce must follow the relevant evidence category. A citizenship certificate showing names does not remove those passport-document requirements.
The page has distinct instructions for minors, adoption and lost or damaged passports. Use the category that matches the applicant and the serving consulate. Keep the citizenship decision documents safely: completing the oath does not automatically produce a travel document or confirm a passport collection date.
Government service has additional allegiance rules
The Civil Service Commission’s clarification explains why reacquisition should not be treated as the final step for every purpose. For people who naturalised in another country, appointment to public office entails additional oath and foreign-allegiance renunciation requirements before assuming the office. The commission distinguishes that position from citizenship held from birth.
Its Resolution 2101052 clarification identifies exceptions concerning foreign citizenship acquired by birth, derivative naturalisation as a minor, or adoption under the stated conditions. Applicants considering government employment should therefore establish how the foreign nationality was acquired, rather than rely solely on holding two passports.
This is a separate employment question, not a new condition imposed on every ordinary citizenship appointment. Use the commission’s policy for a proposed public-service role and the relevant consulate’s pages for citizenship and passport transactions. No general November filing deadline appears in these resources. The practical next step is to select the correct citizenship category, assemble the evidence and attend the properly booked service before relying on newly reacquired status.
