Second Citizenship or second citizenship status means that a person has a passport from several countries. So that other citizenships in any country are still considered second. Often considered the same, it turns out that second citizenship is different from dual citizenship or dual citizenship.
What's the difference? The difference between second citizenship and dual citizenship lies in the recognition of status in the country concerned. In dual citizenship, their existence status is recognized by the state, therefore someone with dual citizenship must obtain their rights and obligations in the relevant country in official rules.
As for second citizenship, the opposite applies, namely the state does not consider its existence status so that it does not recognize the rights and obligations of bipatride in relation to other countries. In this case, of course, it will greatly affect the determination of criminal law and responsibilities such as fines, if things happen that are not desirable.
Another difference between the status of second citizenship and dual citizenship lies in the background. Dual citizenship can occur because it is based on bilateral relations between countries that have been bound in an agreement. Because they are legally bound, someone with dual citizenship can choose which country they want for, for example, military service, and their offspring when born will immediately receive two passports.
In contrast to second citizenship, these things cannot be obtained because there is no official agreement from the two countries concerned. Usually, second citizenship can occur on the basis of following certain programs, such as investment, naturalization, volunteering, and marriage.
After knowing the general difference between second citizenship and dual citizenship, the following is an explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of adopting these two types of citizenship:
As previously explained, a person with dual citizenship has the advantage of access in both countries and has been officially recognized, so that he can receive rights from the two countries concerned. However, it should be noted that the rights of a person with dual citizenship cannot be used simultaneously. For example, he can only work where he lives (country A) and of course he will not receive benefits from country B.
Not only that, another advantage of having dual citizenship is that you can freely travel to both countries without using or applying for a visa first. Then, a person with dual citizenship can also build and develop a business in both countries and has the right to send a request for diplomatic assistance for the purposes of the mission of the two countries if he is in a third country.
As a good citizen, do not forget about the obligations to the state that must be done. In contrast to the rights received, a person with dual citizenship only has civil obligations in the country where he lives. For example, a citizen of that country lives in country A, then he is only responsible for paying taxes and carrying out mandatory military activities in country A and does not need to fulfill several regulations in country B.
A person with second citizenship will be able to get benefits that are not accepted by bipatride, namely being able to travel without a visa in the Schengen area countries, the UK, the United States, or one of the countries in the European Union for a lifetime. However, it should be noted that these advantages are provided on several important grounds.
Cosmopolitan countries will usually accept someone with a second citizenship for many things such as working abroad, traveling freely around the world, providing opportunities for children to receive quality education and work in another country, and preparing a plan B if the place the origin of the resident is experiencing instability.
Even cosmopolitans also accept someone with a second citizenship to optimize taxes, enjoy social security in both countries, and open accounts and businesses overseas.
Well, after knowing about the advantages, it turns out that second citizenship also has disadvantages. This shortcoming stems from the fact that the bipatride nature of the second citizenship is privately owned, so it is still recognized individually by both countries.
In other words, someone who adheres to second citizenship must carry out obligations like the army in the two countries concerned. Not only that, someone with a second citizenship will also not be able to get a high position in the seat of government. For example, they cannot work in the prosecutor's office, become a parliamentarian, or gain access to and know state secrets.
Before knowing the obligations of a second citizenship, keep in mind that the concept of second citizenship is hidden. In this sense, the country that grants citizenship usually does not report to the authorities of other countries so that the executive body does not know about it. Therefore, this fact must not be revealed, because it can cause the state to impose fines or penalties in accordance with applicable law.
Now, for his obligations, a second citizenship must still be responsible for maintaining his status and complying with regulations in two countries at once. For example, the case is paying taxes. A second city zenship must pay taxes in both countries if he resides in country A but still earns profits from business in country B. It is different if he has no source of income in country B, then he is only obliged to pay taxes in the country where he lives or country A.
There are many reasons why someone chooses for a second citizenship system, such as still wanting to return to their home country, marriage to a foreign national, and only staying for a few years or temporarily.
To get a second citizenship status, there are several conditions and methods that can be done, this adjusts to state regulations. However, usually the method used is to establish business relationships such as investments or contributions whose funds are not related to the government, real estate purchases and so on.
There is something interesting about this business relationship, namely that investors do not need to take a knowledge test such as language skills, even investors' families are also allowed to participate and later get a second passport.
Some general requirements that must be met by potential investors and second citizenship are:
Have no criminal record;
Clean reputation;
No denial of visas or citizenship; and
Money earned legally for investment.
Usually, to find out whether these requirements have been met or not, investors will undergo a complete test first, before being able to get a second citizenship status in many countries in the world.
Well, that's a complete explanation related to second citizenship or second citizenship. Starting from the difference with dual citizenship, the advantages and disadvantages, to the obligations and requirements that must be met to be able to get this practical bipatride status.