Should you renounce?
It is understandable that many people want to renounce their US citizenship. When I renounced over eight years ago, I was told that people were renouncing “every single day.” Despite natural charisma that helped him as a speaker and TV personality, Trump was an unpopular president before he even took office.
The main reason I renounced was I had dual citizenship since birth. I am more loyal to Europe than the US, as Europe has treated me better, but I hoped that I could stay loyal to both. It was like deciding which parent to live with. I had made up my mind that I never wanted to live in the United States again. Imagine me singing the song “Europapa.”
Now, Trump may have made more money from scam courses and talks, and from suing people, than from actual successful projects, but his international
Before you renounce your US citizenship, a warning. If you renounce your citizenship, you may end up on a list of people who renounced (my real name is on that list for the month I renounced.) Most people will not search that list. Also, you might be refused travel back into the US. And when you renounce, they will ask you why, and your reason will go on record.
Renounce because you do not want to go back to the USA. If it’s about taxes, most expats don’t make enough to pay US taxes. If you are one of the few who do, get a good (US based) accountant and you will probably find that there are ways around it.
If it’s about financial privacy, renouncing your citizenship will get you on the list, it will not increase financial privacy.
If you are born in the US, you will continue having the same problems as a US citizen. If you were not, perhaps you can hide your citizenship.
For me, the biggest problem is not knowing whether I can visit. I know people there who I want to visit, but will I be turned away at the airport? Well, I wouldn’t want to travel under the current administration, but it four years, will it be possible?
Okay, now if you know the warnings, and still want to renounce, here is what you do…
Should I hire an expert?
There are many self-proclaimed experts, including inept lawyers, who will say they can do things. They might charge a lot of money for a whole lot of nothing.
From my experience and from talking to other expats, I would not hire a lawyer in Romania. They do not have experience in that field. You don’t need a lawyer, but perhaps lawyers in other countries can make it easier. Lawyers and accountants in Romania often just pretend they are getting problems from the officials while they are not really doing anything.
If you have connections to good immigration lawyers in countries like Britain, and perhaps a few Asian countries with high numbers of expats who renounce, it might make sense. I did it without a lawyer, so sorry, I cannot recommend any from experience.
We do know others in Western Europe who successfully used lawyers or other assistants to make renunciation easier. If there is enough demand, we will get the releases so we can share those stories in a longer text.
What do I need to do?
Write to your local embassy to ask for the necessary documents. Now, excluding lawyers fees, and getting to and from the embassy (and perhaps a place to stay when you are there), you will have two main charges to deal with.
The first is one they tell you about ahead of time. I had to pay over two thousand dollars in US dollars. This was the largest expenditure I had made in years, at the time. (No, I somehow got around paying tuition fees in the UK.)
The second came as a surprise. I had to pay another large sum (which has probably gone up) in British pounds to get the renunciation documents posted to me. I assume in most of Europe, this would have to be paid in the local currency. Expect to pay between twenty and one hundred euros for this. (Or the Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, or local equivalent.)
You need to have another citizenship.
First, write to the US embassassy, tell them your intentions, and request the neccessary documents to renounce. If the embassy doesn’t have the right documents, try one in Belgium, Canada, France, the UK, or somewhere that has the right experience. Countries like Indonesia, that force their citizens to renounce second citizenships at 18, are probably a better place to start than Romania.
Okay, so you get the documents, you fill them in and make an appointment to renounce.
When you renounce, they will ask you to make an affirmation. That affirmation says that you understand that you will lose your citizenship, and will lose your right to go to the US. That is a big one if you have family in America or just want to visit the Grand Canyon.
The affirmation will include a statement that you will not be left stateless. They did not check if I had another citizenship, but I think they were supposed to (and maybe it was somewhere in the documents I filled out and sent back.) It is important to have a secure citizenship.
Is it worth it?
Financially, it was not worth it. I saved nothing by renouncing. If you are primarily loyal to the US, or economically dependent on the US, I would suggest moving to the United States instead of renouncing.
Emotionally, it can be worth it. To have only one citizenship is a relief.