On December 1, 2025, U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio introduced a bill that seeks to end dual citizenship for American nationals. The legislation, called the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, would significantly change how the United States treats individuals who currently hold, or intend to obtain, citizenship in another country.
Moreno links the proposal to his own experience as a naturalized American. He immigrated to the United States from Colombia as a child and became a U.S. citizen at the age of 18, a milestone he has described in deeply personal terms. “One of the greatest honors of my life was when I became an American citizen at 18, the first opportunity I could do so,” he stated. “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 the Bill Would Do
If passed and signed into law, the Exclusive Citizenship Act would impose three major changes:
- Ban on dual (or multiple) citizenship: Under the bill, a person could not be a U.S. citizen while simultaneously holding any foreign citizenship. The legislation would redefine U.S. nationality to require “sole and exclusive allegiance” to the United States.
- Automatic loss of American citizenship for acquiring a second nationality: If an American obtains foreign citizenship after the law takes effect, that person would automatically be considered to have relinquished their U.S. citizenship.
- One-year compliance period for existing dual citizens: For Americans who already hold a second citizenship at the time of enactment, the bill would require them to choose between their U.S. citizenship and their foreign citizenship. They must submit a written renunciation (of either the foreign citizenship, via the State Department, or the U.S. citizenship, via the Department of Homeland Security) within a year — otherwise, they would automatically lose their U.S. nationality.
In effect, the bill would make dual citizenship illegal in the United States, and future dual citizenship would result in automatic expatriation.
Where the Bill Stands
As of now, the bill is in its very early stages: it has been introduced in the Senate, read twice, and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. It has no legal force at the moment.
If the bill were to advance and be signed into law, additional steps would be needed before the ban goes into effect. The State Department and DHS would have to issue implementing regulations within 180 days, and only after that would the one-year compliance window for existing dual citizens begin.
Constitutional and Practical Challenges
Legal experts have already flagged serious concerns about whether the bill, as drafted, could survive a court challenge. Under longstanding U.S. law and rulings by the United States Supreme Court, citizenship cannot be stripped from a person involuntarily, and loss of nationality is supposed to require voluntary renunciation.
Furthermore, critics argue that enforcing such a law would be extremely difficult. The fact is, many Americans hold passports from other nations, and the U.S. government cannot force foreign countries to revoke their citizenship. Some analysts estimate that the probability of the bill becoming enforceable law is fairly low, estimated at only 5–10%.
What This Means for Americans
At present, nothing changes: dual citizenship remains lawful. But if the Exclusive Citizenship Act passes, it could force millions of Americans with dual nationality, including those who obtained a second passport by birth or heritage, to choose between their U.S. citizenship and their foreign nationality.
For Americans thinking about obtaining a second passport in the future, the bill would eliminate that possibility if it becomes law unless they are willing to lose U.S. citizenship automatically.
Given the legal and constitutional hurdles, it remains uncertain whether the legislation will ever take effect. Still, the introduction of the bill signals a significant shift in how some lawmakers view dual nationality: not as a benefit, but as a problem to be solved.
