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Puerto Rican

nationality
Also known as: Puertorriqueño

Quick Summary

Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, a status granted by the Jones-Shafroth Act in 1917. This means individuals born in Puerto Rico carry U.S. passports, can travel freely within the United States, and are eligible for military service. However, Puerto Rico's status as an unincorporated U.S. territory means its residents have different political rights than those in U.S. states. For example, U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico do not vote in U.S. presidential elections and do not elect voting members to Congress. While they have a resident commissioner in the U.S. House of Representatives, this representative cannot vote on final bill passage. These distinctions stem from Puerto Rico's territorial status, not from the citizenship of its residents.12

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