A US Senator has introduced a bill that aims to eliminate the possibility of dual citizenship for American citizens. If passed the bill would affect those planning to naturalise in European countries as well as those who already have.
American citizens living in Europe could see their ability to hold a European passport cut off if a new bill were to be become law in the United States.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio introduced a bill to the Senate on Tuesday that would eliminate the possibility of having dual citizenship for Americans.
Moreno’s “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025” would establish that US citizens “shall owe sole and exclusive allegiance to the United States,” according to a text of the bill.
Put simply, the bill would prohibit dual or multiple citizenship for US citizens, whether they reside in the US or abroad, including in Europe.
This would prevent Americans in countries like France, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain or Sweden from gaining a secondary citizenship.
Also, the proposed law would require any Americans who have already gained dual citizenship in those countries to renounce their second citizenship or else renounce their citizenship to the US.
What does this mean for Americans in Europe?
The text of the proposed law is clear: “an individual may not be a citizen or national of the United States while simultaneously possessing any foreign citizenship.”
For Americans living in foreign countries that allow dual citizenship, this means that they cannot go through the naturalisation process in the country in which they now live.
The bill states that a US citizen who voluntarily gains foreign citizenship after the law is enacted “shall be deemed to have relinquished United States citizenship.”
As for the Americans in Europe who are already dual-passport holders, they would need to make a decision as to whether they renounce their US citizenship or their European one.
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Renouncing American citizenship is a costly and time-consuming process.
READ ALSO: Why more and more Americans in Europe are renouncing their US citizenship
It’s worth noting that this would also apply to the children with a US citizen parent who have so far been able to have a US passport.
As the bill is written, from the date the bill becomes law, US dual-citizens would have one year to either submit a written renunciation of their foreign citizenship to the US secretary of state, or submit a written renunciation of their US citizenship to the secretary of homeland security.
Those who fail to do so in time “shall be deemed to have voluntarily relinquished United States citizenship,” the bill reads.
The bill also would require the secretary of state to create a record-keeping process and to coordinate enforcement with the secretary of homeland security. Those who have relinquished their US citizenship would then be “treated as an alien for purposes of the immigration laws”.
What’s this all about?
This comes as the US government, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, has moved to tighten the country’s immigration laws.
READ ALSO: US government almost doubles price of ESTA visa waiver
Moreno, who won his Senate seat in 2024 with an endorsement from Trump, was born in Colombia but has renounced his Colombian citizenship.
Moreno said in a statement reported by US media: “One of the greatest honours of my life was when I became an American citizen…Being an American citizen is an honour and a privilege—and if you want to be an American, it’s all or nothing.”
“It’s time to end dual citizenship for good,” he added.
Current US law does not require Americans to report the fact that they have gained a secondary citizenship, so there is no official count on how many Americans would be affected by the proposed law.
Expert estimates on the number of US dual-citizens vary widely – from 500,000 to 5.7 million, according to a report by US media outlet Newsweek. A report by International Living suggests that some 40 million Americans, many of whom are Mexican-Americans are eligible for dual-citizenship.
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Interestingly, if passed Moreno’s bill would have direct consequences for First Lady Melania Trump and her son Barron Trump – both of whom also hold Slovenian passports.
How likely is this to become law?
It’s not yet clear how much support there is for Moreno’s bill.
If the bill were to go forward and be passed by the US Senate, it would also need to pass Congress before arriving on the president’s desk. It would also likely face legal challenges.
The right to dual citizenship for American nationals has previously been affirmed by the US Supreme Court. In the case Kawakita vs. United States, the court had ruled that a US citizen cannot lose their citizenship unless they willingly surrender it.
