Sweden votes to let it strip dual nationals of citizenship
No one loses a passport yet: the amendment only authorizes an ordinary law that the next government still has to introduce.
Sweden's parliament on Wednesday passed a constitutional reform that, among other changes, allows the country to strip citizenship from people who hold another nationality. The final vote was 292 in favor and 51 against, with six members absent. The package also writes abortion rights into the constitution and gives lawmakers more room to restrict freedom of association.
The amendment to the Instrument of Government, part of Sweden's constitution, does not take anyone's citizenship by itself. It only authorizes an ordinary law to do so in two cases: when a person got their passport with false or misleading information, or when they were convicted of a crime that seriously harms Sweden's "vital interests." It covers only people who already hold another nationality, to avoid leaving anyone stateless.
That law does not exist yet.
A Swedish constitutional amendment needs two identical votes with a general election in between. The first came May 20. The second followed the Sept. 13 election, which has not produced a new government. With Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's caretaker cabinet still in office, the next government will have to introduce the bill and spell out which crimes qualify. The constitutional change is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
The idea grew out of the debate over gang violence. A parliamentary committee proposed in January 2025 limiting it to espionage and treason. The government widened it in December to crimes against national security, international crimes and serious organized crime that threatens the state's monopoly on violence. Purely tax-related offenses are excluded.
The Left Party asked lawmakers to reject both grounds. It argues that every citizen should have the same rights and that leaving the crime to an ordinary law invites arbitrary decisions. Aida Samani, a senior legal adviser at Civil Rights Defenders, warned that the measure would in practice create two classes of Swedish citizenship and raise serious questions about equality before the law.
Mexico draws the line differently: Article 37 of its constitution bars stripping a Mexican-born citizen of nationality.
Until the next government brings forward the law, no one in Sweden can lose citizenship this way.
