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In depth
A citizen is a person who, by birth, descent, or naturalization, owes allegiance to a state and is entitled to its protection and rights. Citizens typically enjoy the right to vote, hold public office, hold a passport, reside without restriction, and pass citizenship to their children.
The legal concept of citizenship dates to ancient Greece and Rome, but modern citizenship law traces to the French Revolution (1789) and the Napoleonic Code (1804), which established citizenship by birth on the territory (jus soli) as the default.
Most countries recognize three modes of acquiring citizenship: (1) by birth on the territory (jus soli), (2) by descent from a citizen parent (jus sanguinis), and (3) by naturalization after meeting residency requirements.
Related terms
Nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a state, conferring rights and obligations; in most contexts it is synonymous with citizenship, though some countries distinguish the two.
Naturalization is the legal process by which a non-citizen acquires the citizenship of a country, typically after meeting residency, language, and integration requirements.
Citizenship by descent (CBD) is the legal right to acquire a country's citizenship through one's ancestors — typically a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent — without being born in that country, based on the principle of jus sanguinis.
Jus sanguinis (Latin for 'right of blood') is the principle that grants citizenship based on the citizenship of one's parents or ancestors, regardless of where one is born.
Jus soli (Latin for 'right of the soil') grants citizenship based on being born in the territory of the state, regardless of the parents' citizenship.
Dual citizenship (also called multiple citizenship) is the status of being a citizen of two or more countries simultaneously, with the rights and obligations of each.