Citizens are regarded by the local government as the most "valued" people living in a city-state. They have the full set of rights available to individuals, and they can vote if the city-state in question has some sort of voting system. They may also generally bear arms in public. Prerequisites for citizenship vary by city-state, but often involve one or more of the following:
- Owning property (that is to say, land, buildings, or apartments within the city-state).
- Completing a certain number of years of military or other public service.
- Being the child of a citizen.
- Being a member of a government bureaucracy.
- Being married to another citizen.
Being a citizen is often, but not always an indicator of greater wealth than that of mere residents. Nevertheless, most well-off citizen household are able to afford to hire a servant or from the lower classes. Most city-states will not accept dual citizenship, and anyone wishing to become a citizen of a city will have to swear both an oath of loyalty and give up being a citizen in other city-states. Citizenship can be revoked for treason or other crimes.
