For decades, the United States has allowed its citizens to hold multiple passports, but a new proposal is looking to change that long-standing rule.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio proposed the “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025,” a piece of legislation that could effectively end dual nationality for Americans. If passed, the law would force millions of people to make a heartbreaking choice, keep their American citizenship or forfeit it to remain a national of another country.
Currently, the U.S. Department of State is clear about the rules, writing, “U.S. law does not require a U.S. citizen to choose between U.S. citizenship and another (foreign) nationality (or nationalities). A U.S. citizen may naturalize in a foreign state without any risk to their U.S. citizenship.”
This flexibility has allowed people born in the U.S. but raised abroad, or foreigners naturalized in the States, to maintain ties to both worlds.
However, Moreno’s bill wants to change the definition of loyalty. The proposal argues that U.S. citizens should owe “sole and exclusive allegiance” to the United States. Under these new rules, the “double life” of traveling with two passports would be over.
There are two main ways this would play out for those currently holding dual status.
First, Americans would have to formally renounce their foreign citizenship to keep their U.S. passport and status. Second, if they decide to keep their non-American citizenship, they would automatically forfeit their U.S. passport and American citizenship. If the bill is signed into law, a one-year clock would start, giving people 12 months to decide which country they truly belong to. Additionally, any American who tries to acquire foreign citizenship in the future would automatically lose their U.S. status the moment they are naturalized elsewhere.
While this is still just a proposal, it has sent shockwaves through the travel and expat communities. If enacted, the U.S. would join a list of roughly 51 countries that do not recognize dual citizenship. Experts suggest the bill would face massive legal challenges before it ever became reality, but the mere existence of the proposal is enough to make many travelers nervous about their future.
