The concepts that people get confused the most in the world are citizenship and nationality. For this reason, it is important to understand the key differences between citizenship and nationality. For a layman, nationality can be used interchangeably with citizenship. However, the key distinction between citizenship and nationality is actually so same that it is possible to miss it.
The Nationality of an individual reveals their birthplace, or place of origin. It talks about an individual’s feeling of national identification. The government of a nation grants citizenship to those who fulfill the qualifications legally. It talks about an individual’s status as a national citizen.
Citizenship: About
- An individual can easily obtain citizenship by just legally registering as a member of the state. By meeting all the legal qualifications of their individual country, any individual can join the state. To put it a straightforward way, citizenship is basically the quality of being a citizen of the nation.
- The process to become a legally recognized citizen of the nation includes birth, marriage, naturalization, inheritance, and registration. Every state accords its citizens certain legal rights as well as benefits, and they are also required to abide by the laws and certain regulations established by the government of that particular state.
- After obtaining a state citizenship, an individual is entitled to voting rights, employment, residence, taxation, as well as active participation in the nation. Everyone is a citizen of the nation in which they were born, but in order to obtain citizenship in another nation, an application must be made at the respective state embassies.
Nationality: About
- In essence, nationality refers to the country that an individual is a citizen of. An individual’s nationality refers to the country of their birth. The RJS Coaching teachers discussed that, as a result, nationality is simply a legal position that can be acquired by naturalization, inheritance, or birth.
- Every country’s nationality laws frequently regulate nationality as well. Therefore, nationality refers to the nation of which an individual is a naturalized citizen by reason of birth. As a result, nationality is fixed and cannot be altered by an individual. It is an identity based on race and ethnicity.
- The right to nationality is guaranteed to all people under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In addition, a person is free to alter his nationality. The Indian Constitution states that the citizens of the nation are those who were residents of India at the time the Constitution was drafted.
CITIZENSHIP vs NATIONALITY: Key Differences
The discussions in various RJS Coaching institutes regarding citizenship vs nationality are as follows:
| CITIZENSHIP | NATIONALITY |
| The unique status that demonstrates a person’s connection to the state is their nationality. | The political status that certifies an individual as a citizen of the nation is called citizenship. |
| Its concept is racial or ethnic. | Its concept is juristic and legal. |
| It stands for the nation or location of the person’s birth. | It indicates that a person is officially recognized as a citizen by the national government. |
| Nationality cannot be changed. | Citizenship can be changed. |
| Nationality cannot be reversed. | Citizenship can be reversed. |
| An individual is limited to being a citizen of one nation. | An individual is capable of obtaining citizenship in multiple nations. |
| The basis for nationality is one’s birthplace or ancestry. | The citizenship is based on the registration location. |
| Compared to citizenship, nationality is a broader concept. | Citizenship is a narrower concept as it relates to a person’s political rights and obligations. |
| Nationality is inherited status. | It is a legal recognition of one’s status as a citizen of a nation-state. |
As the term implies, nationality is an intrinsic, innate connection a person has to their nation of origin. However, citizenship is a little different, requiring one to complete the necessary legal requirements in order to be admitted as a state member. Moreover, citizenship concerns a nation’s internal political life, whereas nationality is a topic of international relations.
Nationality is a necessary, but not the sole, need for obtaining full citizenship. Along with political liberties, it grants full civil and social rights. Those who are citizens but do not enjoy full citizenship privileges are referred to as second-class citizens.
I hope that this article answers your concerns regarding the distinction between nationality and citizenship. These are a few common terms that everyone has to be aware of, particularly those aspiring lawyers preparing for the CLAT in various RJS Coaching or seeking careers in the judiciary.
