No. China does not recognize dual nationality. If you are a Chinese citizen and you voluntarily acquire another country’s nationality, you automatically lose your Chinese nationality — and if a foreigner naturalizes as a Chinese citizen, they must give up their existing nationality.

What the Nationality Law Says

The rule is short and firm. Article 3 of the Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China states that China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese citizen. There is no “dual citizen” status in Chinese law.

The consequence is spelled out in Article 9: any Chinese citizen who has settled abroad and who voluntarily joins or acquires the nationality of another country automatically loses Chinese nationality. You do not sign anything or apply to give it up — the loss happens by operation of law.

The other direction works the same way. Under Article 8, a person approved for naturalization as a Chinese citizen may not retain their foreign nationality; applicants must show they have renounced (or will renounce) their previous citizenship. Articles 10 and 11 deal with voluntary renunciation, and Article 13 confirms that a person who was once a Chinese citizen may apply to restore Chinese nationality — again, without keeping the other one.

What This Means in Practice

For foreigners, the practical point is that Chinese citizenship is hard to obtain and never comes as an “add-on” to the passport you already hold. For Chinese citizens living overseas, taking a foreign passport usually means losing the Chinese one, which can affect your household registration (hukou), your Chinese ID card, and how you enter and stay in China: after the loss, you travel on your foreign passport and normally need a visa or a permanent residence permit.

The risk we see most often is people holding two passports and using whichever is convenient. That can create real problems — at immigration, when buying property, when opening bank accounts, and if a later civil or criminal matter turns on your nationality.

A Common Scenario (Hypothetical)

Suppose a Chinese-born engineer moves to Canada, becomes a Canadian citizen, and keeps using her old Chinese passport for business trips to Shanghai. On a later trip, border officers question how she entered. Because she acquired Canadian nationality voluntarily after settling abroad, her Chinese nationality was lost under Article 9 — the Chinese passport is no longer valid for her, and her hukou status should be handled accordingly. This is a hypothetical scenario that illustrates the rule, not a report of a specific case.

The takeaway: assume China treats nationality as exclusive — if you hold a Chinese passport and take another, plan for the Chinese one to be gone.

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Wang Guan | Co-founder, Beijing Haolue Law Firm | +86 17813108512