This is a question that comes up again and again. People we talk to about expatriation ask me what the difference is between “relinquishing” or “renouncing” U.S. citizenship.
The answer is that you end up in the same place — you are no longer a U.S. citizen. It’s just how you get there.
TL;DR
You “renounce” U.S. citizenship if you show up in front of a government official and say “I’m outta here, Jack”. Do the paperwork they want, too. This action is “renouncing” and by doing so you “relinquish” your U.S. citizenship.
You can also “relinquish” your citizenship by doing stuff that doesn’t involve showing up in front of a State Department official. You just do different things, and different paperwork.
In other words, you can get there by car, by walking, or by taking a train. But you get there no matter which way you choose.
The Law
As always, start with the United States Code.
The place to look is Title 8, United States Code, Chapter 12, Subchapter III, Part III. This is where you find the rules for how citizens of the United States (“nationals”) can terminate their U.S. citizen status. This applies to citizenship acquired by birth or through naturalization. There is also information that helps you figure out why the law uses parallel definitions (“citizen” and “national”). Once we are finished with this analysis, we will port our conclusions over to the Internal Revenue Code (found in Title 26 of the United States Code) to figure out what it all means for tax purposes.
Definitions–“National” of the United States
A “national” of the United States is someone who owes allegiance to the United States because he or she is a U.S. citizen, or (if a noncitizen) for some other reason. 8 U.S.C. Section 1101(a)(22). Thus, a U.S. citizen is always a “national” of the United States. See 8 U.S.C. Section 1101(a)(22)(A).
The concept of being a “national” of the United States without being a citizen [8 U.S.C. Section 1101(a)(22)(B)] is interesting in an abstract way, but does not matter to people considering the tax implications of terminating their citizenship. The Internal Revenue Code only cares about citizens who relinquish or renounce their U.S. citizenship. It does not care about “nationals” of the United States who somehow lose nationality. See 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(2)(A), where the word “expatriate” for purposes of tax is defined solely in terms of “citizens” of the United States. This means that someone who is purely a “national” of the United States (and not a citizen) may terminate that status without incurring the application of the exit tax provisions of Internal Revenue Code Sections 877A and 2801.
Definitions–“Citizen” of the United States
Since all of the fun and games for tax purposes revolves around citizenship and its relinquishment or renunciation, let’s look at what it takes to be a citizen of the United States. The first way to become a citizen of the United States is by birth. While birth within the borders of the United States is the simplest way to accomplish this, being born outside the United States under a variety of specified circumstances will also do the trick. See 8 U.S.C. Sections 1401 – 1409. As this discussion is for tax professionals and not immigration specialists, we will ignore the intricacies of acquiring citizenship by birth, and assume that the individual contemplating expatriation is, in fact, a U.S. citizen.
The second way to become a U.S. citizen is by naturalization. See 8 U.S.C. Section 1421 – 1459. Again, there are a myriad ways to accomplish this, but the details are unimportant for tax purposes. All that matters is the result–U.S. citizenship has been attained–so we will not explore the many paths to citizenship through naturalization.
Loss of Citizenship
Now that we know the difference between a “national” of the United States and a “citizen”, let us turn to how citizenship status is terminated, and more specifically to how the Internal Revenue Code ties that event to tax consequences.
Start first with the Internal Revenue Code. For tax purposes, the critical thing is that the individual “relinquishes” his or her U.S. citizenship. See 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4). The Code goes on to tell us what, specifically, it will take to “relinquish” U.S. citizenship. See 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4)(A) through (D). It is important to understand why we look to the Internal Revenue Code for definitions about citizenship and relinquishing that status. Common sense says we should look at the Immigration and Nationality Act, found in Title 8 of the United States Code. After all, that is where Congress said everything it wanted to say about the subject.
However, remember we are looking at the tax consequences of relinquishing citizenship, and therefore we care only about what Congress said about that particular aspect of citizenship law–not citizenship law generally. Definitions and requirements do not automatically float from one Title of the United States Code to another. Something that Congress says in Title 8 will not automatically apply for purposes of Title 26 (the Internal Revenue Code).
That is why Internal Revenue Code Section 877A(g)(4) takes such pains to cross-reference to four specific ways in which citizenship can be relinquished. It does so by specifically incorporating the rules found in the Immigration and Nationality Act into the Internal Revenue Code. This means we have consistency between the immigration rules and the tax rules. Only by the specific cross-reference can this be accomplished.
Looking now at the Internal Revenue Code, let us see what it means to “relinquish” U.S. citizenship and thereby trigger the tax consequences created by Internal Revenue Code Sections 877A and 2801.
There are four ways that the Internal Revenue Code lists as possible avenues to relinquishing U.S. citizenship. 8 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4)(A) through (D). These four in fact track some but not all of the ways that the Immigration and Nationality Act says that citizenship can be terminated. And of course the Internal Revenue Code, by enumerating four events that signify the loss of citizenship, really means seven.
It is interesting to see what is omitted from the definition for tax purposes:
- Someone who renounces U.S. citizenship in time of war, with the U.S. Attorney General’s approval, will be considered to have relinquished U.S. citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act [see 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(6)] but not under the Internal Revenue Code [see 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4)].
- Someone who commits an act of treason or an attempt to overthrow the U.S. government by force (and is convicted by court martial or a civil court) will lose citizenship [see 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(7)], but will not be considered to have “relinquished” citizenship for the purposes of the Internal Revenue Code [see 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4), where no such parallel provision exists]. Someone convicted of treason or fomenting the violent overthrow of the U.S. government will, in other words, continue to be a U.S. taxpayer.
These two anomalies are unlikely to occur during the average tax professional’s career. But they point to an interesting feature in the Immigration and Nationality Act that is followed in the Internal Revenue Code: an individual does not lose citizenship until there is a definitive action on the part of the United States government documenting this result. In the case of renunciation of citizenship during wartime, the Attorney General signs off. In the case of treason and its associated acts, citizenship only terminates if a court (civil or military) convicts the individual.
The pattern is followed in the Internal Revenue Code: one does not relinquish citizenship until the particular method has been verified by some type of official act of the United States government. It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.
With all of those preliminaries out of the way, let us now abandon the Immigration and Nationality Act and focus our attention on the Internal Revenue Code. What does it say about “relinquishing” U.S. citizenship, and how does “renouncing” U.S. citizenship fit into the picture?
Naturalization in a Foreign State
The first way a U.S. citizen can “relinquish” U.S. citizenship for U.S. tax purposes is by becoming a naturalized citizen of another country. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4)(B), cross-referencing to 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(1). We therefore must look at the Immigration and Nationality Act to see what this means:
A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily . . . [and] with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality, obtaining naturalization in a foreign state upon his own application or upon an application filed by a duly authorized agent, after having attained the age of eighteen years[.]” 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(1).
The effective date of this act for tax purposes is the date on which the individual submits documentation to the United States Department of State. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4). In other words, the Internal Revenue Code is unconcerned with the effective date on which U.S. citizenship was lost by such a person, in the eyes of the Department of State. For tax purposes, the Internal Revenue Code looks for an objective date, easy to determine: when the individual submitted the paperwork to the Department of State.
Oath of Allegiance
The second way a U.S. citizen can relinquish U.S. citizenship for U.S. tax purposes is by making an oath of allegiance to another country. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4)(B), cross-referencing to 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(2).
“A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily . . . [and] with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality . . . [takes] an oath or [makes] an affirmation or other formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after having attained the age of eighteen years[.]” 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(2).
Again, the effective date–in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service–will be the date on which documentation is submitted to the United States Department of State. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4). The effective date for terminating citizenship under other provisions of Federal law will be irrelevant.
Join Foreign Armed Services
The third way a U.S. citizen can relinquish U.S. citizenship for U.S. tax purposes is by joining the armed services of another country engaged in war against the United States, or as an officer:
“A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily . . [and] with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality by . . . [enters], or [serves] in, the armed forces of a foreign state if such armed forces are engaged in hostilities against the United States[.]” 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(3)(A).
A companion requirement causes you to relinquish U.S. citizenship if you join another country’s army as an officer, even if that country is not at war with the United States. 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(3)(B).
Merely joining the armed services of another country is insufficient for relinquishing citizenship for tax purposes. Submitting the right paperwork to the United States Department of State is what the Internal Revenue Service cares about, and waging war against the United States will not terminate your status as a U.S. taxpayer until then. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4).
Work for a Foreign Government as a Foreign National
The fourth way a U.S. citizen can relinquish U.S. citizen for U.S. tax purposes is by working for a foreign government while simultaneously being a citizen of that country. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4)(B), cross-referencing 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(3)(A). The individual must intend, by doing so, to relinquish his U.S. citizenship.
“A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily . . . [and] with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality . . . [accepts], [serves] in, or [performs] the duties of any office, post, or employment under the government of a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after attaining the age of eighteen years if he has or acquires the nationality of such foreign state[.]” 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(3)(A).
Once again, the effective date for tax purposes is when the individual notifies the Department of State–not when employment by the foreign government commences. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4).
Work for a Foreign Government With an Oath of Allegiance
The fifth way to relinquish citizenship for U.S. tax purposes is similar to the fourth. Someone who accepts employment by a foreign government in a job for which an oath of allegiance is required (and who intends to relinquish U.S. citizenship) will lose U.S. citizenship in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4)(B), cross-referencing 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(3)(B).
“A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily . . . [and] with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality . . . [by] accepting, serving in, or performing the duties of any office, post, or employment under the government of a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after attaining the age of eighteen years for which office, post, or employment an oath, affirmation, or declaration of allegiance is required[.]” 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(3)(B).
The effective date for tax purposes will be when paperwork is submitted to the Department of State, not when employment commences. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4).
Formal Renunciation of Citizenship
The sixth–and by far the most common–method of relinquishing citizenship is by showing up at a U.S. Embassy and doing so in person. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4)(A), cross-referencing 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(5). This is how you relinquish U.S. citizenship by:
“. . . making a formal renunciation of nationality before a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States in a foreign state, in such form as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State[.]” 8 U.S.C. Section 1481(a)(5).
Like the other five ways to relinquish U.S. citizenship for tax purposes, the individual does something. In this case the “something” is standing in front of someone in a U.S. Embassy somewhere, giving them the magic paperwork, and saying the magic words. The effective date, as far as the Internal Revenue Service is concerned, is the date that the taxpayer takes the required action. Note that this does not require any responsive action from the United States government. The day that you do this, you have relinquished U.S. citizenship.
Issuance of Certificate of Loss of Nationality
The reflexive response of the Department of State in cases of loss of nationality is to issue paperwork confirming the event. This is called a Certificate of Loss of Nationality. For tax purposes, if the Department of State issues a Certificate of Loss of Nationality, you will be considered to have relinquished citizenship when it is issued. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4)(C).
This is the seventh moment in time that an individual can lose citizenship for tax purposes.
In the case of someone who renounces citizenship formally at a U.S. Embassy, a Certificate of Loss of Nationality is issued in due course. For such a person, the effective date for tax purposes will be the earlier of the two dates: the date on which formal renunciation occurred, or the date when the Certificate of Loss of Nationality was issued. 26 U.S.C. Section 877A(g)(4).
This is a slipshod way to write tax law, because only time travelers will receive a Certificate from the State Department before they actually show up and renounce their U.S. citizenship. It is improbable in the extreme to expect a Certificate of Loss of Nationality to be issued before the taxpayer takes an action triggering loss of citizenship. I am sure there is some reason why Congress wrote Internal Revenue Code Section 877A(g)(4) in the way that it did; I just do not understand it.
Relinquish vs Renounce
Back to where we began–what is the difference between renouncing citizenship and relinquishing citizenship? There is a simple answer: if you show up at an Embassy, fill in the paperwork they want you to fill in, and say the words they want you to say, you have renounced. You–by renouncing–relinquish your citizenship for tax purposes. All of the other methods described in this section have the same effect: you, by taking the indicated action (and, as required by the Internal Revenue Code, telling the Department of State about what you did), relinquish your citizenship for tax purposes.
People care about this because they are angling for an earlier expatriation date than “now”, whatever “now” is. It won’t work. If you are a U.S. citizen, you will not have an expatriation date earlier than an objective event involving paperwork. Invoking the time traveler exception again, this is impossible to do unless you have that special ability. Determine your expatriation date for tax purposes as of right now (whenever “now” is for you), and compute the tax consequences accordingly.
A few people care about selecting a method to relinquish U.S. citizenship in order to save the $450 fee that the State Department charges for the renunciation proceedings. Small potatoes. Pay the money.
By relinquishing citizenship due to acquiring citizenship in a foreign country will one still need to have filed tax returns in the preceding five years?
@Tracy,
Renee can tell you specifically what she did, but I _think_ what she is talking about is filing the right kind of papers (start with Form DS-4079) with the Secretary of State to claim that you took an action at some point in the past that you intended to be an abandonment of your U.S. nationality.
You will have to point to one of the factors in 8 U.S.C. § 1481(a) for this. Once you have identified the event in your life, then next thing is to be able to prove intent: you took this action with the intention of abandoning U.S. nationality.
The usual one is acquiring a second citizenship. This is most common with Canadians who acquired citizenship in the ’60s and 70s. They moved north from the United States, acquired citizenship in Canada, and never looked back. They saw themselves as Canadian and ran their lives that way. This is not necessarily easy, and it does not necessarily always work (your friendly U.S. civil servant in your friendly random U.S. Consulate or Embassy might wake up on the wrong side of the bed on the morning that you appear in his office). But that’s the strategy. If it works, you save the filing fee. If it does not, you are backed into the corner of doing a renunciation.
Hi Renee,
“I did not have to pay the fee to “relinquish” my US citizenship. I have filed all my papers and made a statement ”
If I could ask- what your basic situation was to renounce, what papers you were required to file, & what you stated? Had you ever filed US taxes since moving to your new country &/or had you ever voted after leaving? This is what I’d most like to have an example of so I can understand it all. The articles, while good, are still just outside of actually specifying it.
Cheers & thanks for writing,
Tracy
IBS is a great resource. Also, John Richardson in Toronto knows tons and tons about the relinquishment strategy. http://www.citizenshipsolutions.ca is his website
Hi Tracey;
Go to this website; it may help you. This is where I found tons of information on relinquishment, real stories, examples and found out that I did not have to pay the fee to “relinquish” my US citizenship. I have filed all my papers and made a statement and am currently waiting to hear from the IRS. http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/?s=relinquishment
I looked quickly for an exception to the fee based on low income, and did not find it. Sorry.
And yes, there is much that is unsavory about the whole renunciation process.
Your way out of the renunciation process is to find a reason that you can hang your hat on to prove “relinquishment” (i.e., termination of U.S. nationality by some other reason than renunciation). That’s actually free if you can do it.
N.B. on terminology. “Relinquishment” is the formal concept. There are six ways to do it. Renunciation (at a price of USD 2,350) is one of the six ways to go.
So, what are the steps to relinquish by notifying the Dept. of State? Is there anything, anywhere, that actually lays it out? Like, what the letter needs to state or say, anything specific? To whom does it get addressed (Dear Dept. of State sounds stupid)?
If I had a spare $3000 lying around I might go through it. But even that whole event seems like some sort of ritualistic “shaming”. Not one meeting, but two, so “you can go home & think about it”> WTF??! What I “think” is that it takes my entire day to go to Perth– during which I lose money because I cannot work while I am there going to idiotic “interviews”…I want out before it gets any worse!
There has to be a way to bypass that $3000.00 shaft.
@Tracy,
The new price is indeed high — USD 2,350. I do not know what to tell you. Yes I think it is a moral outrage. Yes, the argument from “it costs us that much money to process the paperwork” is utter self-serving myopic corrosive bullshit from the people who made up the procedural rules that supposedly cost so much to follow. Yes, you are essentially an indentured servant to the U.S. government.
But I am not bitter. 🙂
Sorry to say, I have no good answer for you. Pay the blood price and leave the United States behind, or continue to suffer the expense of annual tax filings with the United States — and the indignities of FATCA’s interruption of your daily life in Australia.
Those are the choices.
All that aside,
I am a dual US/AU & wish to relinquish/renounce my US citizenship.
On the American Embassy website for Perth, AU– it states over $3000.00! to renounce!
WTF??? It went from $450 to $3000.00?
I made 16k last year…is this fee correct? Is there a way to give up my citizenship w/o paying that ridiculous fee???
Help!
By the way, if anyone is interested, I did write an article on the Ex-Patriot act, “No civilized country would ever ban Eduardo Saverin” (americanthinker.com and isaacbrocksociety.ca) in order to address the barbarism of the plan to exile expatriates.
Please note that the banishment clause in the Reed Amendment and the Ex Patriot act both seem to target people who renounce. Also, the FBI keeps a list of those who renounce in order to prevent them from by firearms in the United States. Also, it appears that renunciants are not permitted to transport certain hazardous materials in the United States.
If Senator Schumer gets his way, it may only affect renunciants. In that case, being in too big a hurry to renounce and get out, may be detrimental. This summer I had to visit Alaska to search for my father who was missing. Imagine if the inhumane Schumer gets his way, and I had renounced instead of relinquished.
It is written on the CLN and in the cancelled passport which manner of expatriation a person used. I think becoming a citizen of a foreign country with the intent to relinquish is a more positive move. It is not renouncing the US, but embracing one’s new home.
I actually don’t care about the 450.00. I would rather relinquish since I took Canadian citizenship for that purpose. I also feel that I hold no ill will towards American citizens and relinquishing since becoming Canadian rather than “renouncing” seems more reasonable to me. I don’t think everyone relinquishing is doing so just to avoid the 450.00. I do agree that for some that’s a high cost when you consider many people don’t live near the embassy, must pay to travel, pay to stay, pay to renounce. For average families this can quickly become a burden.
Still,relinquishing for some has nothing to do with paying the 450.00 or not. I’d still rather relinquish whether I had to pay the fee or not.
Thanks for the info.
For persons whose CLN shows a loss of citizenship date that is on or before June 3, 2004, section 877A should not apply. Even if the CLN is received today. I’ve discussed this with people at the IRS and they’ve informally stated that they agree.
As someone born ‘dual’, and unable to acquire the magical, ‘back-dated’ CLN, I am personally unaffected. However, I think this article just caused a lot of people more sleepless nights. The nightmare never ends.
$450 might sound small compared to the hundreds or even thousands of dollars America’s diaspora may have to pay in US tax processing fees, even with no tax due. It may even sound tiny compared to the human rights violating fines the US threatens its diaspora with for having local accounts. Yet, the US government owes its diaspora far more than $450 to compensate the federal law-violating national origin discrimination it has caused outside of US jurisdiction.