Difference between Nationality and Citizenship

Nationality and citizenship are often misconstrued to be synonyms of each other however, this could not be further from the truth. Nationality and citizenship are two distinct concepts and connote very different identities of an individual. Simply put, nationality relates to the nation of origin/birth of an individual, while citizenship relates to the status granted to an individual by a nation state in the capacity of its subject through registration.
 

Nationality

Nationality fundamentally means the nation to which a person belongs. The nationality of a person connotes the nation in which he/she took birth. Therefore, nationality is essentially a legal status attained either through birth, inheritance or naturalisation. The nationality is also often governed by the nationality laws of every nation. Nationality thus signifies the country of which a person is a legal citizen by virtue of birth.

Nationality is therefore constant and cannot be changed by any person. It is a identity rooted in ethnicity and race.
 

Citizenship

Citizenship signifies a legal relationship between a state and an individual, which is acquired by becoming a registered member of a state. The citizenship of a country can be acquired by satisfying the legal formalities designated by every nation under its citizenship laws.

Citizenship is acquired not only by birth, but also through inheritance, marriage, naturalization and registration. Citizenship entails with it the grant of rights and privileges a nation bestows upon all its citizens and also the obligation to abide by the laws of such nation. Citizenship grants a person all civil liberties guaranteed by the state and also specifically political rights such as that to vote.
 

Difference between nationality and citizenship

The following are the differences between nationality and citizenship:

1. Nationality relates to the recognising of an individual at a personal level and signifies the human relationship of an individual by virtue of birth with a nation state. On the contrary, citizenship is a socio-legal concept which signifies the political status accorded to an individual by a nation state upon fulfilling specified legal formalities.

2. The concept of nationality differs its very character from that of citizenship. Where nationality is a concept based on ethnicity or race, citizenship is a purely legal or juristic concept and a creation of the state.

3. Nationality essentially denotes the place of birth of an individual, whereas the citizenship of a person represents the nation state of which it is a subject by virtue of being registered as a citizen.

4. The nationality of an individual is related to birth, or in few cases by inheritance. On the other hand, the citizenship of a country can be obtained not only by birth, but also through inheritance, marriage and naturalization etc.

5. The concept of nationality is characterised by its firm nature, i.e., it is not subject to change. The nationality of a person remains the same throughout his/her lifetime. Citizenship on the other hand, can be changed by a person by various methods throughout his/her lifetime.

6. Citizenship being an identity capable of being changed can also be reversed, however the same is not true for nationality which is an identity that cannot be changed.

7. Similarly, the nationality of a person can only relate to only one nation state, in which he/she took birth. On the other hand, the concept of dual citizenship is recognised by numerous nation states across the world which permit a person to hold citizenship of more than one country.

8. Nationality is a concept relating to international dealings, whereas the concept of citizenship arises out of the internal political life of a nation.