Dual Citizenship Under RA 9225: Who Qualifies
Department of Foreign Affairs · citizenship
Quick answer
Republic Act 9225 lets former natural-born Filipino citizens retain or reacquire Philippine citizenship by taking an Oath of Allegiance at a Philippine post. Only natural-born citizens qualify. Children below 18 can be included as derivatives. Toronto charges CAD$ 77.50 for a principal applicant.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from DFA's official published sources: Philippine Consulate General Toronto | Retention and Re-Acquisition of Philippine Citizenship (https://torontopcg.dfa.gov.ph/consular-services/requirements-for-the-retention-re-acquisition-of-philippine-citizenship, retrieved 2026-09-01); Philippine Consulate General Toronto | Dual Citizenship Fees (https://torontopcg.dfa.gov.ph/consular-services/schedule-of-fees-and-forms/dual-citizenship-fees, retrieved 2026-09-01). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with DFA before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-09-01.
Dual citizenship is one of the largest OFW-market searches this site measures, and the first rule disqualifies a lot of people who assume they qualify.
Only natural-born Filipinos
Only former natural-born Filipino citizens may take the Oath of Allegiance under Republic Act No. 9225, the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003.
That is the threshold question. RA 9225 restores something you had; it does not grant something you never held. Someone naturalised as a Filipino, or a foreign spouse, is not covered by this route.
Where the demand is
| Market | Searches/mo |
|---|---|
| United States | 27,190 |
| United Kingdom | 7,150 |
| Canada | 3,140 |
| Australia | 2,370 |
Measured across 20 markets in round 7. The Philippines itself accounts for 1,000. This is a question asked from abroad.
The fees
Toronto’s published schedule:
| Applicant | Fee |
|---|---|
| Principal | CAD$ 77.50 |
| Derivative, per child | CAD$ 38.75 |
| Certified true copy of dual citizenship documents | CAD$ 38.75 |
Payment: cash, or money order or bank draft payable to the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto. Personal cheques are not accepted. Credit card, debit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay are also available.
Each post publishes its own schedule in local currency, so confirm at yours.
What the principal applicant submits
| # | Requirement | Copies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duly accomplished application form | - |
| 2 | PSA or NSO authenticated birth certificate on security paper | 1 original, 2 photocopies |
| 3 | Most recent Philippine passport, or an Affidavit of Loss | 1 original, 2 photocopies |
| 4 | Certificate of Naturalization, or Certificate of Oath Taking as a citizen of your country | 1 original, 2 photocopies |
| 5 | Current foreign passport | 1 original, 2 photocopies |
| 6 | Marriage contract, plus any court order for annulment, separation or divorce | 1 original, 2 photocopies |
| 7 | 2x2 inch pictures, front view, white background, taken within the last 6 months | 3 pieces |
| 8 | Application fee | - |
The birth-record trap, and the 1950 line
If the PSA has no copy of your birth certificate, what you do next depends on a single date.
| Born | What the Consulate requires |
|---|---|
| Before 1950 | A PSA negative certificate of birth, plus an affidavit of two disinterested persons attesting to your identity |
| After 1950 | Contact the local civil registrar in the city or municipality where you were born and file for delayed registration of birth |
Those are very different amounts of work. The post-1950 route means dealing with a Philippine LGU from abroad before the dual citizenship application can even start. The PSA birth certificate guide covers ordering the document, at ₱130.00 for a viewable online copy, and the correction guide covers fixing what is on it.
Including children
Children below 18 years old may qualify for derivative citizenship and be included in the petition, where both parents were already foreign citizens at the time of the child’s birth.
| Per dependent child | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | Completed and signed Dual Citizenship Supplement for Dependent |
| 2 | Original birth certificate showing the parents’ names, plus 2 photocopies |
| 3 | Child’s current foreign passport, plus 2 photocopies of the data page |
| 4 | 2 2x2 colour photos, white background |
| 5 | 1 additional 2x2 photo of the principal parent, per dependent child |
That last row catches people out: the parent needs one extra photo for each child, on top of their own three.
What you get, and where it is then accepted
The process produces one of three documents, and every post that asks about reacquired citizenship accepts any of them:
- RA 9225 Identification Certificate
- RA 9225 Oath of Allegiance
- RA 9225 Order of Approval
The London passport guide lists all three as accepted proof on a passport renewal, and the Canada guide notes Toronto publishes a separate dual citizenship fee schedule alongside its passport one.
The Philippine-side documents, priced
| Item | Published fee | Clock |
|---|---|---|
| PSA birth certificate, viewable online | ₱130.00 | Valid 60 days |
| PSA marriage certificate | ₱130.00 | Valid 60 days |
| PSA CENOMAR | ₱185.00 | Valid 60 days |
| PSA correction of name | - | For a record that does not match |
| NBI clearance | ₱130.00 plus ₱30.00, ₱160.00 total | - |
| National Police Clearance | ₱150.00 | Valid 6 months |
| Travel tax, economy | ₱1,620.00 | On departure |
A dual citizen travelling on a Philippine passport is not automatically exempt from travel tax. The exemptions are OFWs, Filipino permanent residents abroad staying under 1 year, and infants 2 years and below. The exemption guide sets out who qualifies.
What this page does not cover
The Consulate does not publish, on the pages read for this guide, a processing time, the oath-taking schedule, what happens if an application is refused, the rules for those who lost citizenship other than by naturalisation, or the fee schedules of other posts. None of those are stated here, and each post publishes its own figures.
Related
Passport renewal in the UK, Canada and Australia cover the posts that ask for RA 9225 documents.
Frequently asked questions
- Who can apply for Philippine dual citizenship?
- Only former natural-born Filipino citizens. The Consulate is explicit that only they are allowed to take the Oath of Allegiance under Republic Act 9225, the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003. Someone who was never a natural-born Filipino cannot use this route.
- How much does it cost?
- At the Consulate General in Toronto, CAD$ 77.50 for the principal applicant, CAD$ 38.75 for each derivative, and CAD$ 38.75 for a certified true copy. Each post publishes its own schedule in local currency.
- How do I pay?
- Cash, or money order or bank draft payable to the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto. Personal cheques are not accepted. Electronic payment by credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay is also available.
- Can my children be included?
- Children below 18 years old may qualify for derivative citizenship and be included in the petition, where both parents were already foreign citizens at the time of the child's birth. Each dependent needs their own supplement form, birth certificate, passport and photos.
- What if the PSA has no record of my birth?
- It depends when you were born. Born before 1950: present a PSA negative certificate of birth plus an affidavit of two disinterested persons attesting to your identity. Born after 1950: contact the local civil registrar where you were born and file for delayed registration of birth.
- What photos do I need?
- Three 2x2 inch pictures, front view, white background, taken within the last 6 months. Each dependent child needs two of their own, plus one additional photo of the principal parent per dependent child.
- What if I lost my old Philippine passport?
- Fill out an Affidavit of Loss of Philippine Passport in place of the original. The Consulate lists it as the substitute for requirement 3.
- What do I get at the end?
- The documents other posts then accept as proof: an RA 9225 Identification Certificate, an Oath of Allegiance, or an Order of Approval. Any one of the three is accepted on a passport application by the Embassy in London.