Philippine nationality law
| Constitution of the Philippines Article IV: Citizenship | |
|---|---|
| Constitutional Commission | |
| Territorial extent | Philippines |
| Passed by | Constitutional plebiscite |
| Passed | February 2, 1987 |
| Commenced | February 2, 1987 |
| Status: Current legislation | |
legislature, enacted_by.The Philippines has two primary pieces of legislation governing nationality requirements, the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines and the 1939 Revised Naturalization Law.
Any person born to at least one Filipino parent receives Philippine citizenship at birth. Foreign nationals may naturalize as Philippine citizens after meeting a minimum residence requirement (usually 10 years), acquiring real estate, demonstrating proficiency in either English or Spanish as well as a Philippine language, and fulfilling a good character requirement.
The Philippines was a territory of the United States until 1946 and local residents were non-citizen U.S. nationals in addition to their status as Philippine citizens. During American rule, any person born in the country automatically received Philippine citizenship by birth regardless of the nationalities of their parents. Since independence, citizenship is generally acquired only by descent from Filipino parents.