Latest news with #dualcitizenship
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Why I'm banned from Iran, Israel and the US – despite breaking no rules
Persian by blood, British by birth. A dual citizen who visited Iran every year of her life – until recently – to see the relatives still living there. I wouldn't change my heritage for the world, but I'd be lying if I said it hadn't caused a few problems when it comes to travel. It's a strange thing, being effectively barred from three of the world's most fascinating countries – without ever having broken a single rule. As a British-Iranian journalist, I've found myself… less than welcome, shall we say, in Iran, Israel and the US. Caught in a tangled web of international politics and passport technicalities, I've been forced to forgo opportunities and miss moments that matter. I remember being offered a press trip to Israel in the early days of my career – long before recent events – and telling my dad the exciting news. He shut it down almost instantly. 'If you go, you may never be allowed back into Iran,' he warned. At the time, I couldn't believe the two were so mutually exclusive. I'd hoped to visit Israel and Palestine with open eyes, to experience the people and cultures first-hand. But that door closed before it ever opened. The irony? Iran is now effectively off the table too. I haven't been banned – not officially – but as a journalist, the risks of a misunderstanding at the border are all too real. My parents' growing concern about my return is likely justified, no matter how frustrating it is to hear. And then there's the US. In 2016, I received an email informing me that my ESTA – the visa waiver British travellers take for granted – had been revoked. No explanation, just a blunt notification that I'd now need to apply for a full tourist visa. The reason? A sweeping policy affecting anyone who holds Iranian nationality or has travelled to certain countries since 2011. It was Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan at the time – and more have since been added to the list. I know what you're thinking: just give up the Iranian citizenship. But that's easier said than done – and not something I want to do. My Iranian passport may be expired, but holding onto it, or even just the national ID card, is a tether to my roots. To the country in which my parents were born, where my grandparents are buried, and where so many of my relatives still live. Retaining that citizenship is more than a legal technicality – it's a deeply personal connection to my culture, my language and my family. Growing up, I didn't always appreciate those annual visits, but I now see them as some of the most meaningful experiences of my life. And I'm far from alone. Thousands of dual nationals, including friends and colleagues, find themselves in similar limbo. Holding onto that second passport is, for many of us, a way of preserving our identity. But it comes with baggage: extra scrutiny at borders, bureaucratic hurdles and, in my case, a growing list of no-go zones. I've lost count of the number of times someone's told me, 'Just apply for an ESTA!' as if I haven't thought of that. Being shut out of a country based on your heritage is frustrating enough, and being met with blank stares or misguided advice when you try to explain why just adds insult to injury. I was lucky, in some ways. After graduating, I did manage to travel across the States – a three-month coast-to-coast road trip that I'll never forget. I returned again that winter for New Year's Eve in New York. At the time, I'd been torn between the US and backpacking through Southeast Asia. Now I'm glad I chose America – because that window has long since closed. Lately, though, I've had the itch again. There are places I'd love to revisit, friends I miss and cities I've yet to explore. But it's not simple. Getting a US visa isn't impossible, but appointments are backed up, and processing can take months. I could maybe get one for 2026 – if I'm lucky. Even then, there's the risk of being pulled aside at customs. It's an exhausting process to go through every time you just want to travel. I've already missed out on so much. I can't see the Savannah Bananas play (yes, really – look them up on Instagram). I've had to turn down work trips, missed invitations from friends, and soon I'll miss a close family friend's wedding in New York. None of my immediate family can go. My mum wanted to celebrate her 70th birthday in California next year. I've told her to keep up her gym routine and take her vitamins – we may have to delay that milestone. As for Iran, I haven't seen some of my relatives in a decade. When one set of aunts and uncles were able to get visas to visit their son in Canada, my sister and I flew out to meet them there. I'm so grateful we did. It's bittersweet to see travellers on Instagram and TikTok venturing to Iran, sharing the beauty of the country I know so well – its hospitality, its landscapes, its culture. I feel a pang of envy every time. Because while the world feels more connected than ever, people like me remain quietly, frustratingly, stuck in between.
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
How Athletes fit change dia kontri of allegiance?
Ova di years, di tori don be say athletes or sports pipo go travel go abroad to go compete under oda kontris flag. Dis mata dey normally loud as e concern di Olympics, wey be di competition wey dey happun evri year. No year, dis mata take clear as wen France win di 2018 Male World Cup wit about half of dia players wey get African ancestry. Plenti reason dey wey go make some pipo decide say dem go compete for anoda kontri apart from dia kontri of origin and dem include athletes wey get dual citizenship and fit choose, athletes wey marry get different citizenship outside dia kontri of orgin and athletes wey don complain taya wit how di mata be for dia kontri sport federation. Plenti Nigerians don dey di list of pipo wey bin compete in Nigeria bifor dem change dia kontri of allegiance. For 1992, Christy Opara Thompson bin gbab bronze medal for di 1992 Olympics for Nigeria only for am to port go di US six years later sake of say she marry for dia. In more recent times, Annette Echikunwoke port from Nigeria to go participate for di 2024 Paris Olympics under di flag of di United States of America and win silver medal for di women hammer throw. Dis one come afta she loss out for di Tokyo 2020 Olympics sake of say di federation no do out-of-competition drug testing requirements bifor di games. As she get dual citizenship since dem born her for Ohio, US na so she port o. For 2014, Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu switch commitment to Bahrain one year afta she compete for di 2013 School Sports for Port Harcourt, Rivers State and also for National Youth Games for Illorin. Afta di move she change her name to Salwa Eid Naser and she gbab di silver medal for di women 400 metres for di 2024 Olympics. She sef get dual citizenship as her papa come from Bahrain. How pesin fit take change kontri of allegiance Di Global Sports Advocates download wetin dey needed by Olympics if to say pesin wan port from one kontri go anoda and in which scenarios. Remember say for Olympics, for you to represent specific kontri mean say you don be citizen or national of di kontri you wan represent. According to di Olympics Charter Rule 41 on participation pesin wey get citizenship for different kontris go fit choose under which flag e go contest inside but once e don participate for either Olympic games or even if na just, continental or regional games wey dey recognized by International Sports Federations (IF), e no fit just switch go anoda kontri like dat. Di rule be say, "competitor wey don represent one kontri bifor wey don change nationality or get new nationality fit participate for di Olympic Games if three years don pass since im last represent im last kontri." Caveat sha dey say di period fit dey reduced or cancelled sef if di IF and National Olympic Committees wey di competitor join hand agree but di mata still dey up to di International Olympic Committee Executive Board sha to take wetin cause di change into account. World Athletics get dia own laws as e concern change of affiliation wey still get the three years mandate but change small in di way e dey apply am according to citizenship claims. Dem say "di rules accept athletes affiliation abroad as long as dia original national federations approve am". But dem add say, "for athletes wey don already represent one kontri for World Championships, Olympic Games, continental, regional or area championships and cups, more requirements dey for dem to fulfil". Dem go on to tok am as say, "if athlete change citizenship through marriage, di transfer to di new kontri go dey wit immediate effect as long as di new kontri federation gree. "Howeva, if di new citizenship no click wit di marriage, wia di athlete still dey chase am, dem no go fit compete for di new kontri for three years afta di date of di last time wey dem represent di old kontri". But di World Athletics join bodi give small loophole for athletes to reduce di time dem go fit to compete. Dem tok say, "if di old and new federations join di WA to gree on top your mata, di three years fit reeduce to one". All in all, dis fit be di best time for anyone wey wan participate for di USA 2028 Olympics to make dia japa moves.
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
American Citizen, Vatican Citizen or Both? Pope Leo Has Options.
Pope Leo is a lifelong American citizen. But as Pope, he is also the leader of Vatican City, an internationally recognized sovereign nation. Can an American citizen lead a foreign nation? And can a Pope retain foreign citizenship? The answers are yes and yes — but it rarely happens. United States law allows dual citizenship. According to the State Department, a dual citizen who became a foreign head of state would not necessarily lose American citizenship if he or she wanted to keep it. And the Holy See lets a Pope retain other citizenships. Pope Francis retained his Argentine nationality and even renewed his Argentine passport in 2017. His two predecessors also retained their native citizenship. The State Department explains on its website that it will 'actively review' cases of foreign heads of state wishing to retain American citizenship, while warning that such cases 'raise complex questions of international law,' including ones related to immunity from American legal jurisdiction. Foreign leaders who want to retain American nationality can notify the State Department of their preference, the department says, while a person who wants to give up citizenship must inform a U.S. embassy or consulate 'and follow the required steps.' In rare cases, U.S. citizens have served as foreign heads of state. Somalia's former president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, was born in Somalia but lived in the United States and became a naturalized American citizen before his 2017 election. He renounced his American citizenship two years later, amid charges of dual loyalties. Vatican City, where the Pope resides, is governed by the Holy See, which is considered a sovereign government. It is recognized by the United Nations, although it chooses to hold permanent observer status there rather than full member status, 'due primarily to the desire of the Holy See to maintain absolute neutrality in specific political problems,' the Holy See's mission to the U.N. says on its website. Pope Leo is also a citizen of Peru, which allows dual citizenship, though it is unclear whether it has laws applicable to a citizen becoming a foreign head of state. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Pope Leo's circumstances, and the Vatican has not publicly indicated his plans.
