Question: What was the process for Paul to change his citizenship?
Google: One of the key pieces of historical background that would shed light on the understanding of Paul is the understanding of his citizenship. Although not mentioned within his letters, Luke reports in the book of Acts that Paul was a Roman citizen in addition to being a Hellenistic Jew born in Tarsus.
Was the apostle Paul born a Roman? How did the Apostle Paul get his Roman citizenship?
Paul acquired his Roman citizenship at birth, having been born the son of a Jewish Roman citizen of Tarsus. When Lysias was informed by Paul that the latter was a Roman citizen, his immediate reaction was to tell Paul that he himself had had to pay a great sum for that privilege.
Paul was likely born between the years of 5 BC and 5 AD. The Acts of the Apostles indicates that Paul was a Roman citizen by birth, but Helmut Koester takes issue with the evidence presented by the text. He was from a devout Jewish family based in the city of Tarsus.
See: Apostle Paul's Accusers (Study)
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