UK leaves EU?

[Old Greg]

Yes, but but most of them won't.

And we both know why that is.

[xoggoth]

Better have a word with Nigel Farrage about that then as he has 2 children to a foreign born mother

Ah yes, a relevant point based on statistics countered with a comment about one person. Then people like you criticise the Mail? Asylum seeker gets 200k benefits, therefore all migrants are crap. Same "logic"

[Gittins Gal]

Some EU countries have attempted to ban dual citizenship

Many moons ago I was on the verge of getting hitched with an Italian Stallion from Naples that I'd met on a beach holiday in deepest Calabria. The question of citizenship came up and I would have had to have revoked my UK citizenship to get Italian citizenship (this was slightly before the inception of the EU, though).

All by the by, as it happens, because I found out the cheating bar steward was cheating on me with some young model with plastic tits and 6 months later I was on a B.Sc. course in Hull.

Oh, lucky me...

[Old Greg]

Ah yes, a relevant point based on statistics countered with a comment about one person. Then people like you criticise the Mail? Asylum seeker gets 200k benefits, therefore all migrants are crap. Same "logic"

I'm hoping to move overseas with my two children born to a non-UK (but not foreign - however, I'm assuming you're counting non-UK Commonwealth and Irish as foreign) mother, if that is of any help at all. Perhaps if more people in my situation did the same, that might improve matters?

[Antman]

You still have not defined what is meant by being "european" . I can only see that it is nothing more than a badge as it means nothing. what is the defining cultural identity of "being european"?

Well that's easy, you could look at a map!

But I suppose you could say that it's a shared sense of history from wars and trading, the renaissance, the enlightenment, that makes it Christian (but what about the Ottoman empire?), so lots of different ways of looking at it.

I think though that for this discussion, it's about economics and migrants wanting to live in rich countries. Nobody's complaining about Germans coming here.

[Mich the Tester]

And we both know why that is.

Indeed.

[Mich the Tester]

Many moons ago I was on the verge of getting hitched with an Italian Stallion from Naples that I'd met on a beach holiday in deepest Calabria. The question of citizenship came up and I would have had to have revoked my UK citizenship to get Italian citizenship (this was slightly before the inception of the EU, though).

All by the by, as it happens, because I found out the cheating bar steward was cheating on me with some young model with plastic tits and 6 months later I was on a B.Sc. course in Hull.

Oh, lucky me...

It perhaps doesn't matter any more, but you probably wouldn't have had to lose British citizenship because the Italian government has no jurisdiction over it. The risk is that if the Italians found out you had kept British citizenship they could attempt to revoke Italian citizenship, as the Dutch say they'll do under their laws, but they'd have such a struggle if you took it to court that they might not bother. And why would they bother if you haven't broken any other laws? There are probably millions of Italians with dual citizenship anyway, due to emigration to the US, Argentina, Uruguay and so on. Remember that when it comes to immigration and nationality, there are lots of laws in most countries that are made to please popular opinion but are actually almost impossible to apply or even counterproductive.

[expat]

Anyway, back to the important question here instead of the binary minded pro/anti guff; 'how would I keep my EU citizenship', ....

Congratulations Mich, not for the first time you seem to be the only one to read the question.

It's not about sovereignty, nor about cultural attachment, it's about passport and right of residence. I am not a patriot looking for somewhere to be patriotic about, I am a person trying to optimise my possibilities and freedom of movement. A bit like you and your thoughts of dual nationality (NB I am not presuming anything about your patriotism).

I have looked at naturalisation: obviously there has been less of that within the EU than there used to be but it is still a possibility. If you don't have close links, Ireland seems to be easiest, they only require 4 years legal residence, and if a UK newly outside the EU reverted to the close relationship it had with Ireland before, that residence would be easy to do (as compared with say Germany where it might be that if I weren't an EU citizen then I wouldn't have the right to reside there in order to qualify for citizenship).

I was just wondering if anyone had other thoiughts. Obviously nomadism is an option.

[darmstadt]

Congratulations Mich, not for the first time you seem to be the only one to read the question.

It's not about sovereignty, nor about cultural attachment, it's about passport and right of residence. I am not a patriot looking for somewhere to be patriotic about, I am a person trying to optimise my possibilities and freedom of movement. A bit like you and your thoughts of dual nationality (NB I am not presuming anything about your patriotism).

I have looked at naturalisation: obviously there has been less of that within the EU than there used to be but it is still a possibility. If you don't have close links, Ireland seems to be easiest, they only require 4 years legal residence, and if a UK newly outside the EU reverted to the close relationship it had with Ireland before, that residence would be easy to do (as compared with say Germany where it might be that if I weren't an EU citizen then I wouldn't have the right to reside there in order to qualify for citizenship).

I was just wondering if anyone had other thoiughts. Obviously nomadism is an option.

I've also been looking at it here and contemplating it as I know of a number of other Brits who have. For me its really rather simple as I've been here so many years. I still keep my British citizenship, and passport, but also get German citizenship and a passport, basically dual nationality. I just have to pop along to an 'Amt', show my credentials, pay some money, possibly do a test and Hans is your Unkle! A probably even easier (although I can't see how easier it is) would be to marry Frau D.!

[Uncle Albert]

Do you have any Scottish ancestry? The SNP are very keen on remaining part of the EU should they get independence so you'd probably be able to remain European if you become Scottish. You might even be able to get dual Scottish/Whatever the rest of the UK winds up being called nationality.