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Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Baby Have Dual Citizenship in England and the U.S.? Here’s What We Know
The royal baby is almost here and fans can’t help but question whether or not Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bundle of joy will have dual citizenship since he or she will be half American and half British.
According to the U.S. Department of State’s website, “A person born abroad in wedlock to a U.S. citizen and an alien acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if the U.S. citizen parent has been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions prior to the person’s birth for the period required by the statute in effect when the person was born. For birth on or after November 14, 1986, the U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for five years prior to the person’s birth, at least two of which were after the age of fourteen.”
In basic terms, the royal baby will be eligible to become an American citizenship because Meghan, 37, was born in the United States and resided there less than five years ago. However, they will need to register at the U.S. Embassy in London for this to become official, which is a four-week long process where they will need to do paperwork. That includes presenting a number of documents like the baby’s birth certificate, proof of Meghan’s American citizenship and more.
It isn’t clear yet if the parents-to-be will decide to register their baby to have dual citizenship so he or she can take dual nationality, especially since being an American citizen means being liable to pay U.S. taxes. What’s more likely to happen though, is Meghan becoming a British citizen. The duchess has been living in England since she left her California home and married Harry, 34, in May 2018.
Prince Harry’s communication’s secretary, Jason Knauf, stated that while royals have a bunch of perks, this is a case where they don’t receive any special treatment. He said, Meghan would be “compliant with immigration requirements at all times,” according to BBC News.
“I can also say she intends to become a U.K. citizen and will go through the process of that, which some of you may know takes a number of years,” he revealed. Only time can tell!
