What Is a Citizen?

The term citizen refers to a person who has gained legal rights as a result of being part of the political community known as a nation-state. The law—which is a collective of rules made by the government of a nation-state and enforced through its courts, police and military—serves many purposes, such as establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting liberties and rights. Citizenship allows people to participate in a democracy by voting for government officials, and it is required for those seeking certain professions. It also allows people to travel freely across borders, as well as to obtain access to medical care and education.

The legal concept of citizenship varies from one country to another. The most common way to gain citizenship in the United States is through naturalization, a process that involves proving you are a permanent resident and meeting certain requirements, such as living in the country for a set period of time and learning English. Another option is to become a citizen through birth or by having parents who are citizens.

A citizen is a person who has the right to vote for representatives, senators and governors in most places. The Constitution of the United States requires that those who seek these offices must be citizens for at least seven years prior to taking office. Citizens can also serve on juries and be summoned for jury duty. They are able to use public libraries, travel without a visa, and purchase property in the country in which they reside.

In addition to these rights, a citizen also has the obligation to obey the laws of the country in which they live. A citizen who does not obey the laws may be subjected to fines or imprisonment. Citizens are also obligated to pay taxes and serve on local or national juries. They can also be entitled to the protection of a foreign consulate in the event that they are arrested or detained abroad.

The term citizen is used in many different languages. The most common is English, but the term can also be spelled as ciudadnaire, cidadán or ciudadano (masculine) or ciudadana or cidada (feminine). Citizen is the most preferred term to identify those who are part of the political community. Other terms to describe the same concept include subject, national and subject of a state. The word subject, however, has the connotation of owing allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch. It is more often used in relation to non-republican societies, while the term national refers to a person who may claim the protection of a sovereign state but does not always have all of its political rights. Both subject and national have been used in the past to define individuals who are not citizens of the United States. It is preferable to use the term citizen when referring to those who are protected by the rule of law. The term ‘citizen’ is also a preference when describing those who are members of a democratic state that is not an imperial republic.