Citizenship is basically legal membership in a society, community, or country. Citizenship carries with it the rights to political participation such as voting in an election.

In most countries, a non-citizen is not a national and is usually called a foreigner or an alien.

Citizenship is the guaranteed political right of an individual in a society. You can have citizenship from one country and also be a national of another country. For example: A Cuban-American may be considered a Cuban National due to being born there, but he can become an American citizen through naturalization.

Nationality in a country is often granted automatically if you are born there (jus soli) and also in some cases if you are of the ethnicity or ancestry (jus sanguinis).

Citizenship as a concept derives from a legal relationship an individual person has with a country. Citizenship can be lost, such as in denaturalization, and gained through naturalization.

It is common for a person two be a Dual Citizen, holding the citizenship of two countries. Dual Citizenship arises if a person was born in one country but settled in another. A person may also acquire Dual Citizenship through ancestry.