Protocol showing the principles agreed upon by the United States and British governments on the question of naturalization., the 9th of October, 1868

Protocol showing the principles agreed upon by the United States and British governments on the question of naturalization.

The undersigned, Reverdy Johnson, esquire, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary from the United States of America, and Edward Henry, Lord Stanley, of Bickerstaffe, her Britannic Majesty’s principal secretary of state for foreign affairs, being respectively authorized and empowered to place on record the desire of the President of the United States of America, and of her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to regulate the citizenship of the citizens of the United States of America who have emigrated or who may emigrate from the United States of America to the British dominions, and of British subjects who have emigrated or who may emigrate from the British dominions to the United States of America, have agreed upon the following protocol:

I.

Such citizens as aforesaid of the United States who have become or shall become and are naturalized according to law within the British dominions as British subjects, shall, subject to the provisions of articles II and IV, be held by the United States to be, in all respects and for all purposes, British subjects, and shall be treated as such by the United States. Reciprocally, such British subjects as aforesaid who have become or shall become and are naturalized according to law within the United States of America as citizens thereof, shall, subject to the provisions of articles II and IV, be held by Great Britain to be, in all respects and for all purposes, American citizens, and shall be treated as such by Great Britain.

II.

Such United States citizens as aforesaid who have become and are naturalized within the British dominions as British subjects, and such British subjects as aforesaid who have become and are naturalized as citizens within the United States, shall be at liberty to renounce their naturalization, and to resume their respective nationalities, provided that such renunciation be publicly declared within two years after this protocol shall have been carried into effect, as provided by article IV. The manner in which this renunciation may be made and publicly declared shall be hereafter agreed upon by the respective governments.

III.

If such American citizen as aforesaid; naturalized within the British dominions, should renew his residence in the United States, the United States government may, on his own application, and on such conditions as that government may think fit to impose, readmit him to the character and privileges of an American citizen, and Great Britain shall not, in that case, claim him as a British subject on account of his former naturalization.

In the same manner, if such British subject as aforesaid, naturalized in the United States, should renew his residence within the British dominions, the British government may, on his own application, and on such conditions as that government may think fit to impose, readmit him to the character and privileges of a British subject, and the United States shall not, in that case, claim him as a citizen of the United States on account of his former naturalization.

IV.

As it will not be practicable for Great Britain to carry into operation the principles laid down in this protocol until provision has been made by the imperial Parliament for such a revision of the existing laws as the adoption of those principles involves, it is agreed that this protocol shall not take effect until such legislation can be accomplished.

The British government will introduce measures into Parliament for this purpose as speedily as may be possible, having regard to the variety of public and private interests which may be affected by a change in the laws of naturalization and allegiance now under the consideration of the royal commission, whose report is expected shortly to be made.

The same provision not being necessary by the Constitution and laws of the United States, this article is not made reciprocal.