Huwag ninyong isipin na BALIMBING ang inyong Mamay P dahil pagkalipas ng apat na buwan matapos maging Australyano ay nag-aplay siya upang maging Filipino muli. Nito ngang Febrero 4, 2021 naging Pinoy muli ang inyong Mamay P sa bisa ng Republic Act No. 9225 o mas kilala bilang Citizenship Re-acquisition and Retention Act of 2003. Nanumpa siya sa harap ni Konsul Melanie Rita B. Diano, kabilang ang 12 pang aplikante sa Philippine Consul General office sa Sydney, Australia.
Hindi madali ang magkaroon ng dalawang citizenship dahil maliban sa mga benepisyong makakamit, kalakip din nito ang malaking tungkulin o responsibilidad. Sinasabi ngang mahirap ang magmahal ng dalawang pinuno dahil baka masakripisyo ang iyong katapatan. Ganito rin ang madarama kung mamamayan ka ng dalawang bansa. Gayunman, ang alalahaning ito ay naibsan dahil sa katutohanang mula noon hanggang ngayon ay nanatiling magkaibigan ang Pilipinas at Australia.
Matapos ang panunumpa (tingnan sa ibaba ang buong tekto), ang isang matagumpay na aplikante ay bibigyan ng tatlong dokumento. Ito ay ang mga sumusunod:
1. Petition for the Issuance of o Certificate of Retention/Re-acquisition of Philippine Citizenship (CRPC)
2. Identification Certificate
3. Oath of Allegiance
Anu-ano ang mga pribelihiyo ng Philippine Dual Citizenship?
Maliban sa pagiging Pilipino muli, ang ilan sa mga pribelihiyo/benepisyo ng pagiging Philippine dual citizen ay ang magkaroon ng pasaporte, manatili sa Pilipinas habang nais, magkaroon ng ari-arian at negosyo,at ang makaboto sa mga halalan.
Ang isang probisyon ng R.A. No. 9225 na hindi ko nagustuhan ay tungkol sa pagtakbo bilang kandidato sa halalan at/o paghalal bilang isang pampublikong opisyal. Kailangan pa kasing talikdan mo ang iba mo pang citizenship o pagkamamamayan. Ilan kaya sa ating mga nakaupong mambabatas at politiko, o yaong may pampublikong katungkulan sa bansa ang hindi rin mamamayan ng ibang bansa? Kung meron, sila ay lumabag sa batas.
Sa mga nagnanais maging dual citizen dito sa Australia, basahin ang mga sumusunod na impormasyon na naka-paskel sa website ng konsulado:
DUAL CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION UNDER R.A. 9225 OR
THE CITIZENSHIP RETENTION AND REACQUISITION ACT OF 2003
Who can apply:
R.A. 9225 declares that natural-born citizens of the Philippines who become citizens of another country shall retain or reacquire Philippine citizenship upon taking an oath of allegiance to the Republic and upon submission of requirements enumerated below.
Requirements to be submitted by mail:
For Principal Applicant:
1) Two (2) original accomplished Petition for Dual Citizenship application form
2) Four (4) passport-sized photos with white background, taken within the last three (3) months
3) Two (2) photocopies each of the following documents certified by the Justice of Peace:
Kindly bring the originals of the documents you included with your application during the oath-taking ceremony as we may need to verify these with the certified copies you provided.
- Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-issued birth certificate or Report of Birth (if born abroad)
- Most recent Philippine passport
- Australian Certificate of Naturalization
- Australian passport
- For married female applicants, PSA-issued Marriage Certificate or Report of Marriage (if applicant is married outside of the Philippines). Refer to the Civil Registry section of this website for information on Report of Marriage;
4) Non-refundable fee of A$ 90.00 in postal money order payable to the Philippine Consulate General. Do not send cash in the mail.
For Dependents (less than 18 years old):
- Two accomplished Identification Certificate application forms for each dependent
- Two (2) photocopies each of the following documents certified by the Justice of Peace:
Kindly bring the originals of the documents you included with your application during the oath taking ceremony as we may need to verify these with the certified copies you provided.
- Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-issued birth certificate or Report of Birth (if born abroad)
- Most recent Philippine passport
- Australian Certificate of Naturalization
- Australian passport
- Four (4) passport-sized photos with white background, taken within the last three (3) months
- Non-refundable fee of A$45.00 in postal money order payable to the Philippine Consulate General. Do not send cash in the mail.
STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE FOR DUAL CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS
- Client submits by mail the duly accomplished Petition Under Oath to Re-Acquire/Retain Philippine Citizenship Under R.A. 9225 application forms and supporting documents.
- The processor evaluates the documents.
- If information/documents submitted are incomplete or inconsistent, the processor may require additional documents to verify certain circumstances of the applicant. The processing of application will commence once documentary requirements are completed.
- If documents are complete and in order, the applicant will be informed by email his/her schedule for the oath-taking, which is held twice a week.
- The processor prepares the Dual Citizenship documents of each applicant, such as: Order of Approval, Identification Certificate and the Oath of Allegiance, if the petition is found to be sufficient in form and substance.
- The applicant attends the Oath-taking Ceremony at the Consulate. The activities include the following: a) briefing on dual citizenship b) oath-taking c) singing of Philippine national anthem and d) distribution of dual citizenship documents to each applicant.
Oath taking Ceremony
For dual citizenship to take effect, the petitioner and their dependents must recite an oath at the Consulate. The oath-taking ceremony is held at the Consulate once a week. Petitioners will be informed by email of the schedule of their oath-taking.
Oath taking of petitioners residing outside of New South Wales is suspended as of this writing until further notice.
Para sa dagdag kaalaman at iba pang katanungan, basahin ito:
A Primer on Philippine Dual Citizenship
What is the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003?
Republic Act. No. 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 is a law enacted by the Philippine Congress on 29 August 2003 which provides the procedure for natural-born Filipinos to re-acquire their Filipino citizenship after losing their Filipino citizenship through naturalization in a foreign country.
Who are eligible for Philippine dual citizenship?
All natural-born citizens of the Philippines who have acquired Australian (or any other) citizenship are eligible to be a Philippine dual citizen. A person is a natural-born Filipino citizen if s/he was born to a father and/or mother who was Filipino at the time of her/his birth.
How does one re-acquire Filipino citizenship?
Under Republic Act No. 9225, a natural-born Filipino who lost her/his Filipino citizenship through naturalization in Australia may re-acquire Filipino citizenship by taking the Philippine Oath of Allegiance before a duly authorized Philippine official. The Philippine Oath of Allegiance does not require the renunciation of citizenship in any other country.
Does Philippine dual citizenship affect the status of Australian citizenship?
For Filipino-Australians (or former Filipinos who have acquired Australian citizenship), Philippine dual citizenship does not affect in any way the conditions or status of their Australian citizenship. However, persons who hold an elected office or are seeking an elected position might be required by their political party to renounce any non-Australian citizenship.
Does a dual citizen need to reside in the Philippines?
Residency in the Philippines is not required of those who wish to re-acquire or have re-acquired Filipino citizenship. Those who intend to vote in local elections, however, must establish residence in the locality where they wish to vote.
What rights and privileges is one entitled to on re-acquiring Filipino citizenship?
Dual citizens enjoy the full civil and political rights of Filipinos as guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution and existing Philippine laws. These include:
- right to vote in Philippine national elections
- right to own land and property in the Philippines
- right to engage in business or commerce as a Filipino
- right to travel bearing a Filipino passport
- all rights and privileges enjoyed by Filipino citizens
Do dual citizens pay taxes to both the Philippine and Australian Governments?
The Philippines and Australia have a bilateral Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation. The Philippine Government will tax the individual for income generated and assets held in the Philippines. The Australian Government will tax the individual for income generated and assets held in Australia.
After re-acquiring Filipino citizenship, can one practice his or her profession in the Philippines?
Despite having re-acquired Filipino citizenship, one does not automatically gain the right to practice her/his profession in the Philippines. To be able to do so, s/he must apply with the proper Philippine authority (Professional Regulations Commission and other accrediting bodies) for a license or permit to engage in such practice. If, before acquiring Australian citizenship, the person was a licensed professional in the Philippines, the said license to practice can be re-activated by renewing the license with the Professional Regulations Commission of the Philippines.
Do the same limitations on former Filipinos concerning land ownership still apply to those who have re-acquired their Filipino citizenship?
Having re-acquired Filipino citizenship under this Act, one is deemed to have re-acquired the right to own land as a Filipino citizen without prejudice to citizenship in a foreign country. The limitations imposed on former Filipinos no longer apply to him/her.
Can the non-Filipino spouse and children of a Filipino dual citizen live in the Philippines?
The Filipino dual citizen can apply his non-Filipino spouse and children for permanent resident visas which entitles them to permanently reside in the Philippines. The said visa may be applied for at a Philippine Embassy or Philippine Consulate General.
Can children apply for Philippine dual citizenship?
An applicant may include in her/his dual citizenship application her/his children who are unmarried and below 18 years of age.
Do the Australian spouse and children of a Filipino citizen or Filipino dual citizen need a visa to travel to the Philippines?
Under the Balikbayan Law, a Filipino citizen’s (including dual citizens and former Filipinos) foreign spouse and children are entitled to a visa-free entry to the Philippines and visa-free stay for a period of one (1) year, provided they enter the Philippines with the said Filipino and they have a return air travel ticket.
Can a dual citizen vote in Philippine elections?
Yes. A person who re-acquires Filipino citizenship may vote in Philippine elections. To cast the vote in Australia, s/he must register as an overseas absentee voter (OAV) at either the Philippine Consulate in Sydney or the Philippine Embassy in Canberra. To cast a vote in the Philippines, one must register as a voter in the district where s/he intends to vote and establish residency there.
Having re-acquired Filipino citizenship can one hold or run public office in the Philippines?
Yes, provided that s/he meets the qualifications for holding such office as required by the 1987 Constitution and existing laws. The prospective candidate must, at the time of the filing of the certificate of candidacy, make a personal and sworn renunciation of any and all foreign citizenship before authorized public officers. The same requirement is imposed to those who are about to be appointed to any public office in the Philippines.
Is there a fee involved in re-acquiring one’s Filipino citizenship under this Act?
The Philippine Consulate General in Sydney charges AUD 90.00 in notarial and administrative fees for the processing of documents for dual citizenship application.
Bisitahin ang website ng Philippine Consul General in Sydney sa dagdag pang mga katanungan:
https://sydneypcg.dfa.gov.ph/84-consular-services/dual-citizenship
