Difference Between Residency and Citizenship

Residence and citizenship are two words that come to mind when you think of people leaving their country to enter another and, although not many experience confusion regarding the difference between one thing and the other, it is always good to have a good look clear what the differences between the two consist of. Difference Between Residency and Citizenship

Likewise, it is important to know what are the privileges that are obtained by being residents of a country and which would be obtained as a citizen; all this taking into consideration that these privileges and the duties that they entail can vary greatly depending on the country.

If you have questions or want a little more information about it, keep reading, because we offer you more details below.

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A person who has a resident status in a country has the legal support to stay in that territory. Legally you are allowed both to be in the country in question and also to work in it, however, those are the only rights that a residence brings with it.

A resident can pay the necessary taxes and thus enjoy the benefits of social security offered by the country. The residence status must be renewed from time to time, even if the person retains the same status for life.

If a person residing in a country leaves it for a long period of time, their resident status could be jeopardized; since to maintain the residence status it is necessary for the person to live within the country in which they claim to have it. Also, if a resident commits a crime, they can lose their residence.

CITIZENSHIP

On the other hand, when a person is a citizen of a country, they have more rights and can obtain more legal benefits within it. In addition to the benefits concerning being able to work within that territory, you also have the possibility of participating in political voting, aspiring to a position in the State and having the passport of the country of which you are a citizen.

To the aforementioned benefits are added some duties such as: following the laws of the country, paying taxes and rendering military service if necessary.

There are many ways to get citizenship, for example: if the parents are citizens (or one of the two is), being born within the country in question, marrying a citizen, applying for political asylum, living in the country for a long time time and renouncing the citizenship that one has to assume the new one.