Any expats here ever renounce their US citizenship?

I'm close to doing it. Since the US seems to be the only country that requires expats to file taxes and pay taxes that pretty much seals the deal. I could get nailed to the wall if I sell a business venture for a great deal of money, or if a relative leaves me money. I am also a citizen of New Zealand so plan to give up my US passport. One concern is that I have heard even when you do this they force you to remain a US citizen for 8yrs and you must continue to file taxes for 8yrs after renouncing. Is this still true? If so how can they force me to be a citizen of their country? Would this not be a violation of my human rights? I would love to hear from anyone that has renounced and what your experience was like. I have no desire to set foot in the US again, my home is here now.. Thanks

AFAIK, all you have to do is go to a US embassy in any country and renounce your citizenship. They'll confiscate your passport and you'll become a stateless person. You should know that people who renounce their citizenship aren't exactly welcomed back to the US. You may have problems returning to the US, even for a visit. Being a stateless person has some serious disadvantages, so you might want to think about grabbing citizenship of some country first, before renouncing the US citizenship.

I don't know whether it is possible to renounce your citizenship while you're still in the US.

Fun fact: Einstein renounced his German citizenship and became a stateless person for a while, before getting Swiss citizenship.

Originally posted by chiron613
AFAIK, all you have to do is go to a US embassy in any country and renounce your citizenship. They'll confiscate your passport and you'll become a stateless person. You should know that people who renounce their citizenship aren't exactly welcomed back to the US. ...

Did you miss the point about him also holding New Zealand citizenship?

He won't become stateless, and he won't have trouble traveling to the US on his NZ passport.

You are right about going to a US Embassy and filling out a form though.

See the US Department of State article on the subject

reply to post by contemplator


I dont know much about this since I myself am trying to figure out how to become a citizen of France and a US citizen at the same time. I am a US citizen but I want dual citizenship and its really confusing to find information about and nobody ever responds to my emails.

Originally posted by mblahnikluver
reply to post by contemplator

 

I dont know much about this since I myself am trying to figure out how to become a citizen of France and a US citizen at the same time. I am a US citizen but I want dual citizenship and its really confusing to find information about and nobody ever responds to my emails.

US State Department on Dual Citizenship

Dual Citizenship FAQ - NOT State Department

Wikipedia on French Citizenship - including Dual Citizenship



[edit on 9/8/2009 by rnaa]

reply to post by contemplator


Yes, I have renounced my US citizenship and have posted two web pages on renouncing. For the forms and procedures for renouncing US citizenship, go to www.etresoi.ch... For my reasons for renouncing, read etresoi.ch...

You can contact me through the web pages, if you have specific questions.