New passports are not just a matter of personal convenience; the way governments record and disclose citizenship changes—and the obligations they place on existing citizens—vary widely. Below is a rundown of how several jurisdictions handle the publication of new citizens and the reporting duties that apply when a person acquires a second nationality.
Publication of New Citizens
| Country / Region | Publication Method | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Official gazette notice | Takes effect the day the gazette announces naturalization; notice includes name, date of birth, and municipality. |
| South Korea | Nationality Act gazette notice | Requires a gazette notice for each new citizen. |
| Belgium | Parliament‑passed law listed in official gazette | 2024 law listed full name, place of birth, and date of birth for each new citizen. |
| Denmark | 2024 Act in official gazette | Lists every new citizen alongside their municipality. |
| Iceland | Similar to Belgium/Denmark | Parliament can grant citizenship by law naming each recipient. |
| Malta | Government gazette (investor program) | Names are published; a 2020 legal notice briefly allowed withholding names, but the practice was reversed in early 2021. In April 2025 the EU Court of Justice ruled the investor program contrary to EU law, leading to a merit‑based route. |
| Dominica | National gazette | From 2007‑2022, roughly 7,700 new citizens were listed; the list stopped in March 2019. |
| Switzerland (Zurich canton) | Canton publication | Publishes name, gender, current citizenship, and year of birth only. |
| France | Official journal | Prints naturalization decrees; search engines are blocked from indexing certain nationality acts. |
| Grenada | Rarely disclosed | Once confirmed an investor’s identity to a journalist; otherwise names are not published. |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Six‑monthly report | Lists nationalities of applicants but no names. |
| Nauru (2024 law) | Confidentiality clause | Bars sharing applicant information except with law enforcement, for official purposes, or in court. |
| São Tomé and Príncipe (2025 decree) | Quarterly internal report | Identifies each applicant; not required to be published publicly. |
| Saint Lucia | Annual parliamentary report (Section 24) | Legally requires names, addresses, and nationalities, but the 2019 policy chose to omit names; a fiscal publication later listed over 100 bond‑route investors by name. |
| Vanuatu | Formerly required Gazette publication (≤30 days after registration) | 2014 amendment removed the duty; a register now holds names, but journalists obtained >2,000 names for 2020 via FOI requests. |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | Deprivation orders | Lists revoked citizens without naming them (April 2025). |
| Turkey | Official gazette | Publishes only decisions that remove citizenship; grants are not listed. |
| United States | IRS quarterly list (Section 6039G) | Lists people losing U.S. citizenship; Q2 2026 list contained 1,781 names (only four quarters since 1996 have more than a few names). |
Most citizenship‑by‑investment (CBI) programs do not publish applicant names. When they do, the information is often limited to internal reports or occasional disclosures.
Reporting Obligations for Dual Citizenship
Countries fall into three broad categories regarding how they treat the acquisition of a second nationality:
- Mandatory reporting while retaining original citizenship
- Automatic loss of original citizenship, then reporting
- Retention possible only with a declaration or permission
1. Reporting While Retaining Original Citizenship
| Country | Reporting Requirement | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| Russia | Must report new citizenship or foreign residence permit within 60 days (or within 60 days of re‑entering Russia). | Fine ₽500‑1,000 for late/incorrect filing; up to ₽200,000, up to 1 year of income, or 400 hours of compulsory labor for non‑filing (Article 330.2). 4,585 penalties recorded in 2025; 52 convictions 2022‑mid‑2025. |
| Belarus | Must report acquisition of foreign citizenship or residence permit within 3 months. | No penalty codified as of 2026, but a draft administrative offense code is being considered. |
| Azerbaijan | One‑month written notice. | Criminal penalty removed in 2020; reporting is largely ignored. |
| Turkey | Written notice, no deadline, no fine. | Failure to notify means events (marriages, births) under the foreign citizenship are not entered into the Turkish population register. |
| Latvia | Dual citizenship allowed only with permission for countries outside EU, EFTA, NATO, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand. Permission required from Cabinet; no right of appeal. | Without permission, must renounce Latvian citizenship within 30 days or risk revocation (unless stateless). Re‑acquisition requires 5‑year naturalization. |
2. Automatic Loss Followed by Reporting
| Country | Effect on Original Citizenship | Reporting Deadline | Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kazakhstan (constitution effective 2026) | Dual citizenship prohibited; citizenship ends automatically upon acquiring another. | 30 calendar days to report and surrender Kazakh passport. | Fine of 100 monthly calculation indices or expulsion. |
| India | Citizenship ends automatically when a citizen voluntarily acquires another. | Immediate surrender of old passport; traveling on it is an offense. | Fine of ₹10,000 after 3 years; additional ₹10,000 per trip after a 3‑month grace period; maximum fine ₹50,000. |
| China | Automatic loss when a citizen settles abroad and takes foreign nationality. | No specific reporting deadline; household registration (hukou) is cancelled at local police. | |
| Japan | Automatic loss when a citizen voluntarily acquires another nationality. | Report loss within 1 month (or 3 months if abroad). | Up to ¥50,000 fine for late reporting without good reason. |
| South Korea | Same as Japan; loss upon acquisition of foreign nationality, with reporting requirement. | ||
| Lithuania | Automatic loss with limited exceptions; 2‑month online notification to migration department. |
3. Retention Possible with Declaration or Permission
| Country | Retention Conditions | Reporting / Declaration |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | Spaniards abroad who voluntarily acquire another nationality lose Spanish citizenship after 3 years unless they declare intent to retain it. | Declaration to civil registry required within 3 years. Exemptions: Ibero‑American countries, Andorra, Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal. |
| Egypt | Must obtain interior minister’s permission before acquiring foreign nationality. | If permission granted, citizenship is lost unless a declaration to retain is made within one year. |
| Canada | No formal dual‑citizenship reporting requirement. | No certificate or application needed. |
| Denmark | Dropped notification duty in 2015. | No reporting required. |
| Germany (since 2024) | No loss of German citizenship for acquiring another; no permission needed. | |
| Singapore & Malaysia | No reporting duty, though constitutions allow revocation for dual nationals. |
Key Takeaways
- Transparency varies: Some jurisdictions (Japan, Belgium, Denmark) publish full details of new citizens, while most CBI programs keep applicant identities confidential.
- Reporting duties can be punitive: Russia imposes fines and criminal penalties for non‑reporting; Kazakhstan can expel non‑compliant individuals.
- Automatic loss vs. retention: Countries like India and Kazakhstan automatically terminate original citizenship, whereas Spain and Egypt allow retention if a timely declaration is made.
- Policy can change quickly: Belarus is considering penalties; Russia’s draft law may shorten reporting windows for citizens abroad. Monitoring official updates is essential for anyone considering a second passport.
