Being a consultant and author on topics related to retirement in the Philippines, one of the most common questions I receive from (former) natural-born citizens of the Philippines, who lost their Philippines citizenship by being naturalized as a citizen of a foreign country, is "why should my Filipina wife or my Filipino husband get dual citizenship in the Philippines"?

For those who are planning to obtain a job or start a business after they retire to the Philippines, dual citizenship is a must. Whereas there are various residency options for a non (Philippines) citizen to retire in the Philippines, there are numerous benefits to such a retire to acquire dual citizenship in the Philippines. In 2003, the Philippines government passed a law which enables former citizens to re-acquire Filipino citizenship. It is known as the Dual Citizenship Law.

THE BENEFITS OF DUAL CITIZENSHIP ARE:

o Right to 100% own real property - without citizenship, an investor's only means to purchase real property is by way of a corporation, of which he/she cannot own more than 40% of the stock.

o Right to operate a business - without citizenship, an foreigner is restricted to what industries he may participate in, and he must invest a minimum of $250,000.

o Right to practice one's profession - many retirees wish to pursue their profession, but the Philippines licenses to practice professions (doctor, nurse, lawyer, and so forth) are reserved for Filipino citizens

o Right to re-acquire a Philippine passport

o Right to vote in elections

o Immigrant visa can be issued to the citizen's spouse that entitles him/her to permanently reside in the Philippines - this gives the spouse the benefits of (i) obtaining employment in the Philippines, (ii) leasing real property, (iii) ownership of personal property, (iv) can qualify for Filipino citizenship after five years of residency in the country, and (v) can freely enter and exit the country without all the red tape of a non-immigrant resident.

The Supreme Court of the United States has stated that dual citizenship is a "status long recognized in the law" and that "a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both. The US Supreme Court ruled that a naturalized U.S. citizen has the right to return to his native country and to resume his former citizenship, and also to remain a U.S. citizen even if he never returns to the United States.

Do you want more in depth information about retirement living available to Expats in the Philippines? I have just completed my new book on "Retirement Living in the Philippines", which provides a comprehensive study of opportunities for fun, adventure, love and great friendships living in the Philippines.

Download it at: http://www.retirementlivinginthephilippines.com

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Will Irwin is a powerful entrepreneur and business and life coach. He has started many online and offline businesses both in the USA and in the Philippines, residing in both Hawaii and the Philippines.