Citizenship (homes, income, to live)

[Jammie]

There seems to be a lot of articles in magazines and on the internet about U.S. retirees moving to Mexico. Do they retain U.S. citizenship or do they have dual citizenship or exactly how does that work? I was browsing through some of the homes that someone provided a site for and was so surprised to see that so many included maid service or maid's quarters. Is that common down there?

[Drover]

Retirees have been moving to Mexico since the notion of retirement was invented. Fixed-income dollars go a lot further down there, not to mention the attraction of a warm-weather climate. Think of it as retiring to Arizona on the cheap.

Retirees typically live there on the Mexican equivalent of a green card. Mexico is all too glad to issue them to Americans who have money to spend and want to spend it in Mexico.

[starfields]

Although less common, I believe it is also possible for U.S. citizens to become citizens of Mexico, without giving up their U.S. citizenship.

[Drover]

Most nations do not require renunciation of citizenship in another nation in order to become a citizen. I don't believe Mexico requires it.

[starfields]

I would not want to give up my U.S. citizenship!

[Jammie]

I'm with you. I'd never give up my citizenship. Thank you for the answers on this because I've heard of so many Americans who have retired to Mexico and I've wondered how that works.

[Sonnenwende]

I am assuming they have PR status. That is just something that allows them to live there for a certain number of years or indefinitely. I have PR status in Germany. That is as far as it would ever go for me because Germany doesn't allow naturalized citizens to have dual citizenship. However, I am allowed to live here basically as long as I want through my husband.

[stmaarten]

Originally Posted by Sonnenwende

I am assuming they have PR status. That is just something that allows them to live there for a certain number of years or indefinitely. I have PR status in Germany. That is as far as it would ever go for me because Germany doesn't allow naturalized citizens to have dual citizenship. However, I am allowed to live here basically as long as I want through my husband.

I have to correct you on that. I have a dual citizenship and so do my parents (US and German). Under certain circumstances Germany will allow it. My children ,for example, are also allowed both passports because they were born in the US to a German mother.

[Sonnenwende]

Yeah, you were born to at least one German parent or have some other birthright to German citizenship. I had no such luck not having any. Germany does not allow naturalized citizens to have dual citizenship. If you were lucky enough to be born German though, they make double standard exceptions. I know all about this. I have a dual citizen daughter. My husband can take US citizenship as a German as long as he writes somekind of explaination to the German authorities why he wants to keep his German citizenship. I can't do that as a US citizen wanting German citizenship without any birthright to it. Germany demands I give up any other foreign citizenships. That's just they way they are.

[stmaarten]

Originally Posted by Sonnenwende

Yeah, you were born to at least one German parent or have some other birthright to German citizenship. I had no such luck not having any. Germany does not allow naturalized citizens to have dual citizenship. If you were lucky enough to be born German though, they make double standard exceptions. I know all about this. I have a dual citizen daughter. My husband can take US citizenship as a German as long as he writes somekind of explaination to the German authorities why he wants to keep his German citizenship. I can't do that as a US citizen wanting German citizenship without any birthright to it. Germany demands I give up any other foreign citizenships. That's just they way they are.

You know, I realized that you were probably a United States citizen after I posted it. I agree with you, there are a lot of strange double standards... I'm not sure I would ever give up my German citizenship, although I only lived there for a total of about five years (I grew up in South Africa and now live in the US). So, I can imagine how tough it must be for you, especially if your children have diffrent citizenships.