Which description best defines a third-country national?

Which description best defines a third-country national?

• A. A citizen of the host country employed by a foreign firm.
• B. A citizen of one country working in a second country for a local subsidiary of a multinational.
• C. A citizen of the employee's home country who works in the home country.
• D. A citizen of one country working in a second country for an organization headquartered in a third country.

Answer: (D)

A third-country national is someone whose citizenship comes from a country that is different from both the host country where they work and the organization’s headquarters country. In this scenario, the person is from one country, works in a second country, and does so for an organization headquartered in a third country. That combination—three distinct countries for home, work location, and employer headquarters—fits the definition precisely. This distinguishes them from a local national (a host-country citizen) and from a home-country expatriate (a citizen of the employer’s home country working abroad). It also isn’t just someone working in their own country for a multinational subsidiary, since the headquarters country isn’t involved in that single-country setup.

A third-country national is someone whose citizenship comes from a country that is different from both the host country where they work and the organization’s headquarters country. In this scenario, the person is from one country, works in a second country, and does so for an organization headquartered in a third country. That combination—three distinct countries for home, work location, and employer headquarters—fits the definition precisely.

This distinguishes them from a local national (a host-country citizen) and from a home-country expatriate (a citizen of the employer’s home country working abroad). It also isn’t just someone working in their own country for a multinational subsidiary, since the headquarters country isn’t involved in that single-country setup.