Pakistan has formalized new double citizenship agreements with 22 countries under the draft Citizenship Law (amendment) of Pakistan 2024, which allows their nationals to retain Pakistani citizenship even after acquiring nationality of these countries.
The General Directorate of Immigration and Passports, a sub -moor from the Ministry of Interior, confirmed that Pakistani citizens must no longer give up their Pakistani nationality if they obtain the citizenship of any of the 22 designated countries.
This marks a significant deviation from the previous policy, under which only a few selected countries had such agreements with Pakistan.
The bill has been approved by the Permanent Committee of the National Assembly and is expected to be completely implemented after the final parliamentary approval.
The Ministry of Law clarified during recent information that many countries require proof of citizenship resignation before granting a new nationality, which created complications for Pakistani abroad. The amendment aims to solve these problems and restore citizenship rights for affected persons.
The general director of Passports and Immigration, Mustafa Jamal Qazi, confirmed that the formal agreements with countries of Europe, Middle East, North America and Oceania are now in place.
He stressed that dual citizens will no longer face legal obligations to renounce their Pakistani citizenship by acquiring the citizenship of these states.
Among the countries that are now included in the agreement are the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland, New Zealand, Finland, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Bahrain, Denmark, Germany, Norway and Luxembourg.
The United Kingdom, USA, Canada and Australia were already part of existing duality arrangements with Pakistan, while the rest represents new additions.
Pakistan has also begun to work towards a similar agreement with Turkiye. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior is reviewing a draft proposal, following Turkiye’s suggestion to allow mutual rights of dual citizenship between the two countries.
