Renouncing U.S. Citizenship

United States law allows people to renounce their U.S. citizenship. Now, this option might seem like there would be only a few takers but in reality, there are a lot of people renouncing their citizenship for many reasons.

Consequences of renouncing U.S. citizenship

Renouncing U.S. Citizenship has some serious consequences. Below are some of the implications that you will face if you want to renounce U.S. citizenship.

  • You cannot become a U.S. citizen again unless you were a minor at the time of renouncing. There is an option to become a U.S. citizen again after attaining age 18 if you were a minor when you renounced citizenship.
  • You will not be protected by the laws of the U.S. after you give up citizenship.
  • You cannot hold a U.S. passport and you will have to obtain temporary travel visas to visit the country.
  • Your children will not be able to acquire or derive US citizenship from you.
  • While renouncing your citizenship, you must also renounce all your citizenship rights and privileges.
  • If you seek to file a petition for renunciation of U.S. citizenship while in the U.S., you must prepare yourself to live outside the country. 
  • Once you renounce citizenship, you will be subject to the immigration laws that are applicable to the immigrants.
  • You will become stateless if you relinquish U.S. citizenship and if you are not a citizen of some other foreign country. 
  • If you are stateless, you cannot travel to foreign countries and you may not be able to maintain residency in foreign countries. Apart from that, you might be subject to exit taxes.
  • You need to pay a fee of $2,350 to renounce your citizenship.

Can you apply for Green Card after renouncing U.S. Citizenship?

After renouncing U.S. citizenship you will never be able to get U.S. citizenship so you probably cannot apply even for a Green Card. Renouncing U.S. citizenship is irreversible.

There might be a way to get a Green Card after renouncing U.S. citizenship but it depends on each individual’s circumstances. Connect with a lawyer today to explore options if any, on getting a Green Card.