Which countries are most commonly held in dual citizenship among U.S. senators and representatives?

Checked on December 4, 2025
Disclaimer: Factually can make mistakes. Please verify important information or breaking news. Learn more.

Executive summary

Available reporting does not provide a comprehensive, sourced list ranking which foreign countries are most commonly held in dual citizenship by current U.S. senators and representatives; major news pieces focus on a new bill to ban dual citizenship and note a few high‑profile examples such as Canada, Thailand, Slovenia and Ukraine (examples: Ted Cruz—Canada; Tammy Duckworth—Thailand; Melania/Barron Trump—Slovenia; Victoria Spartz—Ukraine) [1] [2] [3]. Snopes and other sources emphasize that members are not required to disclose foreign citizenships, so no official registry exists to produce a reliable frequency ranking [4] [5].

1. No centralized data — the reporting gap

There is no comprehensive public registry of dual citizens in Congress described in available reporting; outlets repeatedly note enforcement and identification problems for any law targeting dual citizenship because the federal government does not maintain a full list of who holds foreign citizenships [5]. Snopes explains elected officials must confirm U.S. citizenship but are not required to disclose additional nationalities, leaving a factual void about counts and country frequencies [4].

2. What journalists and commentators do report — isolated examples

Coverage of the Exclusive Citizenship Act and related stories cites several well‑known instances: Ted Cruz previously held U.S. and Canadian citizenship (born in Canada), Tammy Duckworth has U.S. and Thai citizenship ties, Victoria Spartz was born in Ukraine, and Melania and Barron Trump reportedly hold Slovenian citizenship [1] [2] [3]. These pieces use high‑profile names to illustrate the policy debate rather than to claim a ranking of most‑common partner countries [2].

3. Why a bill to ban dual citizenship highlights the uncertainty

Sen. Bernie Moreno’s Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 drew media attention precisely because it exposes how little is officially known about dual citizenship among Americans, including officeholders; stories stress the bill would force renunciations yet face legal and practical obstacles because voluntariness and proof are constitutionally complex and there is no easy mechanism to identify who would be affected [5] [2]. Reporting across outlets flags the administrative burden and constitutional questions the bill raises [5] [6].

4. Conflicting frames in coverage — security vs. privacy

Proponents argue dual citizenship creates “conflicts of interest and divided loyalties” and demand disclosure or bans for lawmakers; critics and neutral reporting point out that disclosure rules are limited and sweeping enforcement could implicate constitutional protections and diplomatic issues [7] [8] [5]. News outlets describe the bill as part of a broader Republican push on immigration and citizenship policy, highlighting political motives driving coverage [7] [9].

5. What we can and cannot say based on available sources

Available reporting lists several anecdotal nationalities tied to specific public figures but does not supply aggregated counts or a most‑common‑countries ranking; therefore you cannot reliably name “most commonly held” foreign citizenships among current senators and representatives from these sources [4] [5]. The Senate historical directory confirms some members are foreign‑born but does not equate birthplace with current retained foreign citizenships [10].

6. Practical next steps for a reliable answer

To produce a trustworthy ranking you would need systematic data: voluntary disclosures from members, passport/consular records (which the sources say the U.S. does not centrally maintain), or investigative reporting compiling self‑reported renunciations and origins — none of which appear in the supplied reporting [5] [4]. Absent such data, journalists rely on named cases and legal analysis rather than statistical lists [2] [8].

Limitations: This analysis draws only on the provided articles; it does not attempt to verify unreported facts or produce counts where reporting does not supply them [5] [4].

Want to dive deeper?
How many current U.S. senators and representatives hold dual citizenship as of 2025?
Which countries besides the U.S. most frequently appear in dual citizenship records of members of Congress?
What legal or constitutional issues arise if a member of Congress holds dual citizenship?
Have any U.S. members of Congress renounced foreign citizenship while in office, and why?
How do disclosure practices and background checks for dual citizenship among lawmakers vary by chamber and party?