Grasping the difference between nationality and citizenship can be a challenge, and many people think these terms are interchangeable. But they’re not.
Confusing nationality with citizenship can lead to delays, errors, or complications when filling out official forms or applying for services. At Remitly, we know that providing accurate personal details is very important. If you don’t, issues may arise in a variety of settings—from international travel to immigration processes to legal paperwork.
We’ll break down these two terms in simple language, highlight the main differences, and offer real-world examples to really illustrate why nationality vs. citizenship matters.
Understanding the concept of nationality vs. citizenship
Even native English speakers can get confused and ask themselves, “What is the difference between citizenship and nationality?” So, let’s dive right in.
What is citizenship?
At its heart, citizenship is a legal status you obtain in a country. To become a citizen, you need to meet the official requirements. When you do, that affords you both rights and responsibilities.
How to acquire citizenship:
- By birth: Simply being born in some countries entitles you to citizenship.
- By descent: You can inherit citizenship from your parents, regardless of your birthplace. Some countries, like Italy, Ireland, and Greece, allow inherited citizenship through grandparents.
- By naturalization: Once you’ve lived in a country for a certain period of time, most offer a path to citizenship. The requirements are most often based on residency length, language capabilities, and country knowledge. For example, a valid green card holder in the US who has physically lived in the US for 30 months can apply for citizenship after five years.
Citizens prove their citizenship with a valid passport or other documents, such as a citizenship card or official proof of naturalization.
When you’ve become a US citizen through any of the methods above, you get certain benefits:
- The right to vote in local, state, and national elections.
- Governmental protection from criminals and foreign powers.
- This includes at home and while abroad through government organizations such as US consulates.
- Access to public services that range from education to social programs.
- Eligibility to apply for federal jobs.
- A US passport as international travel documentation.
- The possibility of petitioning the government to allow your family members to immigrate to the US.
The rights also come with certain responsibilities. These include:
- The payment of taxes.
- Registering for the Selective Service for men aged 18 to 25.
- Serving on a jury when asked.
- Following all applicable laws.
What is nationality?
Nationality is broader and less clearly defined than citizenship. Simply put, nationality is a person’s sense of belonging to a certain nation. However, this belonging can be interpreted in different ways: legal, cultural, or ethnic.
It’s important to note that while the terms “country” and “nation” are often used interchangeably, they can have subtle differences, which give us some insight into distinguishing nationality from citizenship.
- Country: a land space defined through borders.
- Nation: a group of people connected by a common culture or identity.
Legal nationality is the formal recognition by a country that someone belongs to it. It’s most often treated the same as citizenship. Ethnic or cultural nationality is how someone identifies with a group sharing a heritage, language, or culture (for example, someone might identify as Kurdish, Cherokee, or Basque).
Nationality doesn’t have to be singular, either. For American children born in the US to parents from India, for example, chances are good that when asked, they’d say their nationality is both American and Indian.
Nationality vs. citizenship on forms:
- US passports have fields for nationality and place of birth. Nationality will almost always be the United States of America. Someone’s birthplace, however, may be different from the country of their nationality. For example, a new US citizen’s passport who was born in the Philippines will have a city like Manila as their birthplace.
- The exception to having the United States as the nationality of your passport is for US nationals who are not citizens. This would apply to people from American Samoa, for example.
- On many US immigration or travel forms, such as the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application or Customs Declaration forms, applicants are asked for their nationality. In this case, the term refers to the country that actually issued the passport.
- Certain banking or legal forms may use “nationality” to verify a person’s passport country, especially for international transactions or financial regulations.
- In the US, census forms may also ask participants to volunteer details of their nationality for data purposes. This is not the nationality on your passport, but instead your ethnicity and ancestry, like Mexican, Chinese, or Navajo.
The bottom line: in the US, nationality most often refers to legal nationality or citizenship in formal procedures like visa applications, passport forms, and Customs forms. Alternatively, in more of a cultural setting, nationality is meant to indicate your ancestral or ethnic identity.
Nationality and citizenship differences
So, what’s the difference between citizenship and nationality? We now know that citizenship is always a legal status, whereas nationality can be legal, but it doesn’t have to be.
| Citizenship | Nationality | |
| Definition | A legal status that determines your legal relationship (rights and responsibilities) with a country’s government. | A person’s belonging to a nation, either legally, culturally, or ethnically. |
| How it’s proven | A passport, certificate of naturalization, or birth certificate. | Listed on passports as “nationality,” it also appears on some visas or census records as identity/ethnicity. |
| Legal rights | Ability to vote, eligibility for public services, access to a passport, and government protection. | Typically, it only carries legal rights when referring to legal nationality. |
| Responsibilities | Paying taxes, obeying laws, serving on juries, and military registration (not necessarily military service). | No formal responsibilities unless referring to legal nationality. |
Clearing up the confusion: Examples of common citizenship vs. nationality myths
“They’re the same thing.”
A US citizen may also strongly identify with a Basque nationality, for instance, which reflects culture and language rather than legal rights. In this non-legal context, they don’t need a Spanish passport to prove their nationality.
“Nationality always means ethnicity.”
Picture arriving at an airport where the immigration officer asks about your nationality. They’re not asking about your ethnicity or heritage—they want to know the country of your passport.
A person who is ethnically Chinese but born in the US will have US nationality listed on their passport, not “Chinese.”
“You can only have one nationality.”
This is definitely a myth because people can have multiple nationalities, whether you’re referring to legal status and citizenship or cultural identity.
Let’s now assume we have a family where the parents are new US citizens, where one was born in Japan and the other in Spain. Mom has a strong Japanese nationality after living there for 30 years. Dad was raised in Barcelona until he left at age 25 and identifies as Catalan.
Their child, born in the US, will have legal American nationality and will likely identify as American from being schooled and raised there. But, with input from both parents’ defined cultures, it’s not unrealistic for the child to also identify as Catalan and Japanese.
Plus, from a legal standpoint, many countries permit dual citizenship, which is often referred to as dual nationality.
Why the distinction of citizenship vs. nationality matters for international services
Above all, you want to get your information right when using any international service. That will ensure your details are consistent across platforms and limit processing delays.
Financial institutions of all kinds are required to capture certain information about their clients. Called Know Your Customer (KYC), this system will only require your legal nationality or citizenship. They cannot ask about your cultural or ethnic identity.
Mistakes create delays
Confusing citizenship vs. nationality on verification forms or applications can quickly delay the processing time.
For example, if an international money transfer service asks for your nationality as part of the identification process and you say Indian, reflecting your cultural heritage, but your passport says American, it will trigger a compliance review. This can add hours or days.
Tips for filling out online forms correctly
- Double-check the wording and think about the purpose of the request. In almost every case, when a formal ID verification is required, the request is for citizenship, not cultural or ethnic nationality.
- Stick to your recognized international documents. Refer to your passport, birth certificate, or certificate of naturalization as your nationality if that’s the document you’re submitting for verification.
- Always reference the same document. Keep things consistent and always use the same passport. That will eliminate any mismatches.
Dual citizenship and multiple nationalities
Since you get citizenship from your birth country, and you can immigrate with the intent to obtain citizenship, and/or get ancestral citizenship, dual status or multiple citizenship isn’t as uncommon as you might think.
Having more than one citizenship offers opportunity and flexibility because you can live and work in different countries, but there are some drawbacks, too.
The benefits of dual citizenship
- Travel flexibility: With more than one passport, international travel gets easier. For example, if you have an EU passport, you get visa-free access to a vast number of non-EU countries.
- Expanded rights: As a dual citizen, you can work, vote, and use public services in both countries.
- Cultural diversity: You get the best of both worlds: staying linked to your cultural roots and the option to integrate into a new society’s culture and traditions.
- Business opportunities: With the ability to live and work in different countries, the opportunities expand in terms of purchasing property and acquiring goods and clients.
Understanding citizenship vs. nationality once and for all
By now, it should be clear that while these terms are related, they are not identical. Citizenship is always a legal status that grants rights and responsibilities within a country. Nationality, on the other hand, can refer to your legal connection to a country or your cultural and ethnic identity, depending on context.
Mixing up nationality and citizenship can cause problems—from processing delays to compliance issues and preventable travel complications. So, if there’s ever a doubt, turn to your official documents, like your passport, for the definitive answer.
Understanding the distinction between the two can help you protect your rights, cut down on wait times, and even facilitate travel between countries. These benefits alone should make it worthwhile to understand the nuances of nationality vs. citizenship.
FAQs
Can you have nationality without citizenship?
Yes, in some cases. Certain groups may identify strongly with a nationality (like Scottish in the UK or Quebécois in Canada), but not be officially recognized citizens. These “nations” are part of larger countries and do not offer legal citizenship of their own. In legal terms, some people may even be considered stateless, where they have a national identity but lack citizenship rights from any country.
Is nationality the same as ethnicity?
Not exactly. Typically, ethnicity is used to define cultural traits like language, traditions, and ancestral heritage. Nationality can be legal, cultural, or both.
How do I know which term to use on official forms?
Nationality vs. citizenship on forms and international documentation can be tricky. Just read the request carefully. For example, a visa application asking about your nationality usually refers to your legal nationality, which is the country that issued your passport.
What happens if my nationality and citizenship are different?
It’s not uncommon for citizenship and nationality to be different, and it’s not typically an issue. For example, it’s common for someone to have US citizenship but also identify with Mexican nationality.