Does Pakistan Allow Dual Citizenship? The Designated Country List

Whether you can keep your Pakistani passport while holding another one is decided by Pakistan, not by the country issuing the second document. This page sets out the current position, the statute behind it, and what it means in practice for someone considering a second citizenship.

Short answer: Pakistan permits dual citizenship only under conditions. The detail below matters more than the headline, because the consequences of getting it wrong fall on the individual — usually years later, at a passport renewal or a border.

Does Pakistan allow dual citizenship?

Only with designated countries. Pakistan permits dual nationality exclusively with states named by the Federal Government; with every other country, acquiring a foreign nationality costs you Pakistani citizenship.

The rule to establish first is always the one that applies to you at home. A second country can only grant its own status; it cannot preserve a nationality that your own law terminates. How conditional regimes differ from outright permission is set out in our guide to multiple nationality, with the country-by-country table.

Key facts at a glance

What the law says

Section 14(1) of the Pakistan Citizenship Act, 1951 provides that a citizen who acquires the nationality of another country ceases to be a Pakistani citizen. Section 14(3) creates the exception: the Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, designate countries with which dual nationality is permitted. The designated list has been expanded several times and covers roughly two dozen states, mostly in Europe and North America.

What this means in practice

• The list is the whole mechanism. If the second country is designated, Pakistani citizenship survives; if not, it is lost by operation of law.
• The list has historically included the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Bahrain and Luxembourg.
• Gulf states such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not on the list.
• Because the list changes by notification rather than by statute, it must be checked at the time of application, not from an article.

The authoritative source is the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. Rules in this area change by amendment and by notification, so the position should be confirmed at the time you act, not from any article.

What usually goes wrong

The mistakes below account for most of the cases where people discover a problem years after the event, typically when renewing a passport or crossing a border.

• Relying on an article instead of the current notification or treaty list, which can change without a change in the statute.
• Missing the declaration or notification deadline — the most common way a permitted arrangement becomes an unlawful one.
• Assuming the rule for citizens by birth also applies to naturalised citizens; frequently it does not.
• Acquiring the second nationality first and asking the question afterwards.

Pakistani citizens and Vanuatu citizenship

This is the honest answer for Pakistani nationals considering Vanuatu: Vanuatu is not among the designated countries. Acquiring Vanuatu citizenship would therefore put Pakistani citizenship at risk under section 14. We do not recommend the programme to Pakistani citizens who intend to keep their Pakistani nationality, and we say so before any fee is discussed.

If the route does make sense for you, the practical detail is in the application process, the cost breakdown and the visa-free list.

Other conditional regimes

The same question, answered for comparable jurisdictions:

• Dual citizenship in Egypt — permitted with conditions.
• Dual citizenship in Spain — permitted with conditions.
• Dual citizenship in India — not permitted.