Eligibility for Chinese Passport?

[andrewm]

Hello, I am just wondering who is elegible to apply for a Chinese passport?

I was born in Australia, and have been back to visit China a few times, as my mum is Chinese. My father is English and I was able to get a UK passport without even having to go there. I am wondering if i am able to obtain a Chinese passport since my mum is from china?

Thanks heaps everyone!

[roddy]

Doubt it's feasible, and if it was it would involve giving up your Australian and UK passports - no dual citizenship here, much less triple. Still interested?

[sebhk]

As far as I know it depends on whether your mother had Australian (or British) citizenship or permanent residence at the time you were born. If yes, then you won't be considered as a Chinese citizen and can not get a Chinese passport. Otherwise it should be possible, but, as Roddy mentioned, might require you to give up all other passports.

[anonymoose]

You'll be able to join the PLA if you are an Irish citizen.

[rezaf]

It's not worth it. Even if you want to live in China the only thing that can make you special and therefore successful among 1.4 billion people might be your foreign nationality.

[liuzhou]

Yes. You can do it. No problem.  

First give up all other passports (as Roddy has pointed out),

Then apply for a Chinese passport.

Then have to apply and pay for visas for almost every city and certainly every country in the world you ever want to go to.

Why do you think there are so many "visa girls" wanting to marry foreigners to get foreign passports? 

The British passport is the most useful in the world. No one sane would exchange it for a Chinese one!

[xianhua]

As stated above, a Chinese passport is a major headache in terms of travel (I think you're ok with Switzerland). Are you thinking about the cost of applying for visas each time you visit China? If so - join the club. We have to apply and pay the fee with both of our children on each visit to China - despite their mother, like yours, being Chinese.

[Xiwang]

As noted by others, China does not allow a Chinese national to have multiple citizenships. Below is an article from a few months ago showing how hard it is for a Chinese citizen to get visas to travel abroad.

If you're not already married, a foreigner possessing Chinese citizenship would probably be--for Chinese girls--the equivalent of an anti-chick magnet. I guess that you could always try to start a relationship first and then break the news to her much later. If I had a terminal illness, that would probably be my same approach.

http://www.chinatraveltrends.com/2010/08/getting-a-foreign-visa-for-chinese-citizens/

[andrewm]

Righto, cheers everyone, quality responses.

I'm going to drop that idea, bite the bullet and try and behappy with only 2 passports.

Thanks heaps for the quick replies

Andrew

[PaulPimenta]

I think you should be able to go there quite easily if your mum is Chinese, I think the government will look at this fact favourably.