Country of citizenship
/ˈkʌntri ʌv ˌsɪtɪˈzɛnʃɪp/
B2
Definition
"Country of citizenship" means the country that officially recognizes a person as its member. This means the person has legal rights and responsibilities there, like voting or paying taxes. It is often used in official papers to show where someone is from in a legal way.
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⚡ See It in Action
The nation where a person is legally recognized as a citizen
- •Her country of citizenship is Canada, so she has a Canadian passport.
- •When filling out the form, write your country of citizenship clearly.
- •The embassy asked for proof of country of citizenship before giving the visa.
The country that gives a person legal rights and duties
- •Citizens must obey the laws of their country of citizenship.
- •Taxes are usually paid to the country of citizenship, even if living abroad.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "country of citizenship" like "home country," but it is official and legal, not just where you live or feel connected
- ✓Picture your passport with a country's name printed inside—that country is your citizenship country
- ✓It feels important because it says where you belong legally and where you can get help from the government
- ✓Sounds like "country of sit-izen-ship" → imagine a "seat" (sit) in a "ship" representing your place in a country
- ✓Imagine a story where someone moves to a new country but keeps their original citizenship until they change it officially
- ✓NOT like "country of residence" (where you live now), "country of citizenship" is about legal belonging, not just living place
- ✓NOT like "nationality" which sometimes means the same but can be less formal or cultural, citizenship is a legal status
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Citizenship country: the country where you have citizenship (informal, shorter phrase)
- •Home country: the country where you were born or feel connected (used more emotionally, not always legal)
- •Nation of citizenship: formal phrase meaning the same as country of citizenship (used in legal texts)
🔍 Unboxing
- •"country" = a nation or land with its own government
- •"of" = shows belonging or connection
- •"citizenship" = the legal status of being a member of a country, with rights and duties
- •"citizenship" comes from Old French "citezein" meaning city-dweller, now meaning legal belonging
- •The phrase combines these ideas to mean the nation where someone is legally a citizen
- •Used in official documents like passports, visas, and government forms to show legal nationality
💭 Reflect & Connect
•How does your country of citizenship affect your daily life and opportunities?
•Can a person have more than one country of citizenship? What challenges or benefits might this bring?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.When traveling abroad, it is important to carry a passport that shows your country of citizenship because ___ ___ ___.
2.Some people live in a different country than their country of citizenship, which can cause ___ ___ ___.
3.The embassy asked me to prove my country of citizenship before ___ ___ ___.
4.Unlike country of residence, country of citizenship gives you ___ ___ ___ in that nation.
5.You can apply for a visa based on your country of citizenship, but the rules may ___ ___ ___.
6.If you change your country of citizenship, you usually need to ___ ___ ___ with the government.
7.Taxes and voting rights depend on your country of citizenship, not just where you ___ ___ ___.