Dual citizenship and the UAE

Two separate questions: what UAE law says about Emiratis holding another nationality, and what your own country says about you taking a second passport. For most UAE residents, only the second one matters.

Information checked 4 October 2026

UAE nationals

Does the UAE allow dual citizenship?

For Emiratis by birth, the text of the UAE nationality law was not available on an official UAE source we could read, so we do not state the rule here.

For foreigners nominated for Emirati nationality, the government portal says the 2021 change lets them keep their original nationality; nomination is still required and there is no application route.

Residents are not Emirati nationals, so for them the question is what their home country's law says.

Your home country

Will you keep the passport you have?

Fifteen nationalities with large communities in the UAE. Each answer comes from that government's own law or ministry; where we found no official source, the row says so. The UAE government portal names Indians as the largest foreign community, followed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, but we found no official count by nationality, so the list is not a ranking.

Current citizenshipWhat its own law says about taking a second one
IndiaIndia does not permit dual citizenship. An Indian citizen who voluntarily acquires another country's citizenship automatically ceases to be an Indian citizen (Citizenship Act 1955, s.9(1)). The fallback for former Indians is the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card (s.7A), which is not citizenship.
PakistanPermitted with conditions. The default rule (Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951, s.14(1)) is that a Pakistani who also holds another citizenship loses Pakistani citizenship unless they renounce the other one. s.14(3) exempts the UK and countries the Federal Government notifies. DGI&P lists 22 such countries: UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Switzerland, Netherlands, USA, Sweden, Ireland, Bahrain, Denmark, Germany (only for children born in Germany), Norway, Luxembourg. The UAE is not on the list.
BangladeshPermitted only for certain countries. Article 2B of the Bangladesh Citizenship (Temporary Provisions) Order 1972 (as amended) says a person who owes allegiance to a foreign state does not qualify as a citizen of Bangladesh. The exception: a Bangladeshi does not lose citizenship merely by being or becoming a citizen of a state in Europe or North America, or of another state the Government notifies in the official Gazette, and the Government may grant Bangladeshi citizenship to citizens of those states. Dual citizenship is applied for through the Ministry of Home Affairs.
PhilippinesPermitted with conditions. Under RA 9225 (2003), natural-born Filipinos who become foreign citizens keep or re-acquire Philippine citizenship by taking the oath of allegiance; those naturalised abroad before the Act re-acquire it the same way.
EgyptPermitted with permission. Egyptian law allows dual nationality, but an Egyptian acquiring a foreign nationality must apply for permission to keep Egyptian nationality; the Minister of Interior decides (via the General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality), about 90 days after the application.
NepalNepal's Constitution (Art. 14) offers 'non-resident Nepali citizenship' to a person who has acquired a foreign country's citizenship, lives outside the SAARC member states, and was (or whose parent or grandparent was) a Nepali citizen; it carries economic, social and cultural rights under federal law. The rule on losing Nepali citizenship sits in the Nepal Citizenship Act 2063, whose official text could not be read in English.
Sri LankaPermitted on application. Under the Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948, a Sri Lankan who acquires another citizenship loses Sri Lankan citizenship (ss.19-21) unless they get dual citizenship. A citizen who plans to take another citizenship can apply to retain Sri Lankan citizenship (s.19(3)), and one who has already lost it that way can apply to resume it (s.19(2)). Both routes go through the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
JordanPermitted. Under the Jordanian Nationality Law No. 6 of 1954 (Art. 17, as replaced by Law No. 22 of 1987), a Jordanian who acquires a foreign nationality keeps Jordanian nationality unless they renounce it under the law. Renouncing it to take a foreign nationality needs Cabinet approval (Art. 15), and the Cabinet may restore it (Art. 17(b)).
SyriaNot published
LebanonTolerated in practice. Lebanon's General Security treats Lebanese citizens who hold another nationality as a recognised category (they can get a courtesy residence permit on their second nationality). No official page states the legal rule outright.
IranAcquiring another nationality does not end Iranian nationality. Iranians cannot give up their nationality except on conditions that include age 25, Council of Ministers permission and completed military service (Civil Code art. 988), so in practice dual nationals remain Iranian nationals under Iranian law.
ChinaNot permitted. China does not recognise dual nationality, and a Chinese national who settles abroad and voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality automatically loses Chinese nationality (Nationality Law arts. 3 and 9).
United KingdomPermitted. A British citizen can acquire another citizenship without losing British citizenship, and no application is needed.
RussiaAcquiring another citizenship does not end Russian citizenship. But Russia treats a dual or multiple national only as a Russian citizen, unless a federal law or treaty says otherwise (Federal Law No. 138-FZ of 28 April 2023, art. 10).
NigeriaNigerians by birth may hold another citizenship. A Nigerian who is not a citizen by birth (registered or naturalised) forfeits Nigerian citizenship if they acquire or keep another citizenship that they do not hold by birth (Constitution 1999, s.28).

Laws change and some depend on how you acquired your nationality. Confirm with your country's embassy before you apply.

Next step

If your country lets you keep its passport, the next question is which programme accepts your nationality and fits your family. Our five-question match answers that from the published rules, or read the guide for UAE residents.

Find the programme that fits you

Five questions, an instant shortlist with the reasons for each place. No contact details needed to see it.

Find your programme
Sources and last checked18 government and official sources · checked 5 October 2026
  1. UAE Ministry of Justice legislation portal (elaws.moj.gov.ae), Federal Law No. 17 of 1972 Concerning Nationality and Passports, checked 5 October 2026
  2. u.ae (Official Portal of the UAE Government), Emirati nationality, checked 4 October 2026
  3. u.ae (Official Portal of the UAE Government), Fact sheet: Population, checked 5 October 2026
  4. India Code (Government of India), The Citizenship Act, 1955 [as on 15 April 2026], s.9, checked 4 October 2026
  5. Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGI&P), Government of Pakistan, Dual Nationality, checked 4 October 2026
  6. Laws of Bangladesh (Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, Ministry of Law), The Bangladesh Citizenship (Temporary Provisions) Order, 1972 (P.O. No. 149 of 1972), Art. 2B, checked 5 October 2026
  7. Bureau of Immigration (Philippines), Republic Act No. 9225, checked 4 October 2026
  8. Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Washington DC, Dual Citizenship, checked 4 October 2026
  9. Office of the Attorney General of Nepal, The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs), Arts. 13-14, checked 5 October 2026
  10. Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka, Dual Citizenship, checked 5 October 2026
  11. Civil Status and Passports Department (Ministry of Interior, Jordan), قانون الجنسية رقم (6) لسنة 1954 وتعديلاته, Art. 17(a), checked 5 October 2026
  12. People's Assembly of Syria (parliament.gov.sy), Legislative Decree No. 276 of 1969 on Syrian Arab Nationality, checked 5 October 2026
  13. Lebanese General Directorate of General Security, Courtesy Residence, checked 4 October 2026
  14. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Citizenship Services, checked 4 October 2026
  15. National People's Congress of the PRC, Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China, art. 9, checked 4 October 2026
  16. GOV.UK, Dual citizenship, checked 4 October 2026
  17. President of Russia (kremlin.ru), Federal Law No. 138-FZ 'On Citizenship of the Russian Federation', art. 10(2), checked 4 October 2026
  18. National Human Rights Commission (Nigeria), Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Cap. C23 LFN 2004), s.28(1), checked 4 October 2026
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