Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio has introduced legislation that would effectively abolish dual citizenship for Americans.
The measure, called the “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025,” declares that citizens of the United States “shall owe sole and exclusive allegiance to the United States,” according to the bill’s text.
Why the Proposal Matters
If enacted, the law would bar individuals from holding U.S. citizenship at the same time as citizenship in any other country.
Exactly how many people might be affected is uncertain. U.S. law does not require citizens to report dual nationality, and the federal government does not keep a comprehensive registry of dual citizens.
Experts have estimated that the number of Americans with dual citizenship could be anywhere from 500,000 to 5.7 million. A report in Forbes also suggested that around 40 percent of Americans may be eligible for dual citizenship, though eligibility does not necessarily mean they actually hold a second nationality.
Key Details of the Proposal
The bill argues that, “to preserve the integrity of national citizenship, allegiance to the United States must be undivided,” and claims that maintaining foreign citizenship as a U.S. citizen “could create conflicts of interest and divided loyalties.”
Under the proposal, dual or multiple citizenship would be banned outright. It specifies that “an individual may not be a citizen or national of the United States while simultaneously possessing any foreign citizenship.”
Within one year of the law’s enactment, U.S. citizens who also hold another nationality would have to choose:
- Submit a written renunciation of their foreign citizenship to the secretary of state, or
- Submit a written renunciation of their U.S. citizenship to the secretary of homeland security.
Those who fail to “timely comply” would “be deemed to have voluntarily relinquished United States citizenship,” the bill states.
In addition, any U.S. citizen who voluntarily acquires foreign citizenship after the law takes effect “shall be deemed to have relinquished United States citizenship.”
The bill directs the secretary of state to create regulations and procedures for declaring, verifying and recording exclusive U.S. citizenship. It also calls for coordination with the attorney general and the secretary of homeland security to ensure that anyone deemed to have relinquished citizenship is properly recorded in federal systems and treated as a noncitizen under immigration laws.
Moreno, who won his Senate seat in 2024 with the endorsement of President Donald Trump, was born in Colombia and has already renounced his Colombian citizenship.
His proposal, if it became law, could affect First Lady Melania Trump, who is a dual citizen of the United States and Slovenia, as well as her son Barron Trump, according to Mary Jordan’s 2024 book, The Art of Her Deal.
How Moreno Is Defending the Plan
In a statement, Senator Bernie Moreno said:
“One of the greatest honors of my life was when I became an American citizen at 18, the first opportunity I could do so. It was an honor to pledge an Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and ONLY to the United States of America! Being an American citizen is an honor and a privilege—and if you want to be an American, it’s all or nothing. It’s time to end dual citizenship for good.”
What Could Happen Next
It is not yet clear how much support Moreno’s bill will attract in Congress.
Even if it passes, the measure could face significant legal challenges. The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized dual citizenship as “a status long recognized in the law” and has held that an American citizen cannot lose their citizenship unless they voluntarily choose to give it up.
