THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES –

ARTICLE IV
ARTICLE IV

CITIZENSHIP

Section 1. The following are citizens of the Philippines:

[1] Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution;

[2] Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines;

[3] Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the
age of majority; and

[4] Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.

Section 2. Natural-born citizens are those who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform
any act to acquire or perfect their Philippine citizenship. Those who elect Philippine citizenship in accordance with
paragraph (3), Section 1 hereof shall be deemed natural-born citizens.

Section 3. Philippine citizenship may be lost or reacquired in the manner provided by law.

Section 4. Citizens of the Philippines who marry aliens shall retain their citizenship, unless by their act or
omission, they are deemed, under the law, to have renounced it.

Section 5. Dual allegiance of citizens is inimical to the national interest and shall be dealt with by law.

1. Who are classified as Philippine citizens?

Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Article IV, Section 1, it states that:

Section 1The following are citizens of the Philippines:

1. Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption
of this Constitution;

2. Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines;

3. Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect
Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority; and

4. Those who are naturalized in accordance of law

2. What are the modes in acquiring Philippine citizenship?

There are two (2) generally recognized forms of acquiring Philippine citizenship:

1. Filipino by birth
 1. Jus soli (right of soil) which is the legal principle that a
person’s nationality at birth is determined by the place of
birth (e.g. the territory of a given state)

2. Jus sanguinis (right of blood) which is the legal principle that,

at birth, an individual acquires the nationality of his/her
natural parent/s. The Philippine adheres to this principle.

2. Filipino by naturalization which is the judicial act of adopting a

foreigner and clothing him with the privileges of a native-born
citizen. It implies the renunciation of a former nationality and the
fact of entrance into a similar relation towards a new body politic
(2Am.Jur.561,par.188).

3. I am a natural born Filipino who was naturalized in another

country; can I re-acquire my Filipino citizenship without losing
current my citizenship?

Former natural-born Filipino who has been naturalized in another country who
wishes to retain or re-acquire their Philippine citizenship may apply for
Retention/Re-acquisition of Philippine Citizenship pursuant to RA 9225. For
more information, please click here.

4. Can I include my dependents for my application of RA 9225?

Children below 18 years of age may be included as dependents to your

application for RA 9225. For more information, please click here.

5. I am a foreign national with a Filipino parent; can I apply for a

Filipino citizenship?

Foreign nationals who were born outside of the Philippines to a Filipino parent
(Note: the parent/s must be Philippine citizen/s at the time of the applicant’s
birth) may apply for Recognition as a Filipino citizen, without losing the current
citizenship of the applicant. For more information, please click here.

Commonwealth Act No. 473, approved June 17, 1939, provided that persons having certain specified qualifications may
become a citizen of the Philippines by naturalization.[8]
Republic Act No. 9139, approved June 8, 2001, provided that aliens under the age of 18 who were born in the Philippines,
who have resided in the Philippines and have resided therein since birth, and who possess other specified qualifications
may be granted Philippines citizenship by administrative proceeding subject to certain requirements.[1][2]
Under Section 2 of the Revised Naturalization Law the applicant must possess the following qualifications:

 He/she must not be less than twenty-one (21) years of age on the day of the hearing of the petition;
 He/she must have resided in the Philippines for a continuous period of not less than ten (10) years;
 He/she must be of good moral character and believes in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution, and
must have conducted himself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of his residence in the
Philippines in his relation with the constituted government as well as with the community in which he is living;
 He/she must own real estate in the Philippines worth not less than five thousand (5000) pesos, Philippine
currency, or must have some known lucrative trade, profession, or lawful occupation;[a]
 He/she must be able to speak or write English or Spanish or any one of the principal languages;[b]
 He/she must have enrolled his minor children of school age in any of the public or private schools recognized by
the Bureau of Public Schools of the Philippines where Philippine history, government and civics are taught or
prescribed as part of the school curriculum, during the entire period of the residence in the Philippines required of
him prior to the hearing of the petition for naturalization as Philippine citizen.[9]
Loss and reacquisition of Philippine citizenship[edit]
Commonwealth Act No. 63, dated 20 October 1936, provides that Philippine citizens may lose citizenship in any of the
following ways or events:[10]

1. By naturalization in a foreign country;

2. By express renunciation of citizenship;
3. By subscribing to an oath of allegiance to support the constitution or laws of a foreign country upon
attaining twenty-one years of age or more: Provided, however, That a Filipino may not divest himself of
Philippine citizenship in any manner while the Republic of the Philippines is at war with any country.
4. By rendering services to, or accepting commission in, the armed forces of a foreign country, and the
taking of an oath of allegiance incident thereto, except in certain specified cases;
5. By cancellation of the certificates of naturalization;
6. By having been declared by competent authority, a deserter of the Philippine armed forces in time of
war, unless subsequently, a plenary pardon or amnesty has been granted; and
7. In the case of a woman, upon her marriage to a foreigner if, by virtue of the laws in force in her
husband's country, she acquires his nationality.
Republic Act No. 8171, approved 23 October 1995, provided a mechanism allowing Filipino women who have lost
their Philippine citizenship by marriage to aliens and natural-born Filipinos who have lost their Philippine citizenship,
including their minor children, on account of political or economic necessity, to reacquire Philippine citizenship.[11]
Republic Act No. 9225, approved 29 August 2003, provided that natural-born citizens of the Philippines who had lost
their Philippine citizenship by reason of their naturalization as citizens of a foreign country would be deemed to have
re-acquired Philippine citizenship upon taking an oath of allegiance to the Republic, that their children whether
legitimate, illegitimate or adopted, below eighteen (18) years of age, shall be deemed citizens of the Philippines, and
that natural born citizens of the Philippines who become citizens of a foreign country subsequent to its inactment
would retain their Philippine citizenship upon taking the oath.[12]

Citizenship by birth[edit]
As of 2010, with no significant changes expected, Philippine nationality law provides that a person becomes a Philippine
citizen by birth if

 that person was born on or after October 15, 1986 and at least one parent was a Philippine citizen on the
birthdate;[3]
 that person was born on or after January 17, 1973 and both parents were Philippine citizens on the birthdate or
the person elected Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of the 1935 Constitution;[4]
 or the person was born on or after May 14, 1935 and the father was a Philippine citizen or, if the father was not,
the mother was a Philippine citizen and the person elected Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of the
1935 Constitution;[5]
 or that person was born on or after August 29, 1916 and prior to May 14, 1935 and at least one parent was an
inhabitant and resident of the Philippine Islands and a Spanish subject on April 11, 1899, or that person was an
inhabitant and resident of the Philippine Islands and a Spanish subject on April 11, 1899, except in certain specific
cases.[6]
And according to present law there is no limit to the number of future generations who would be considered to be
Philippines citizens so long as they did not acquire another citizenship before the birth of the next generation, or, in the
case of their child's birth dating after loss of Philippines citizenship, so long as they re acquired their Philippines
citizenship before the next generation turned 18.[7]