And renunciations still continue at a record pace. On target to surpass last year's record total.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-a-record-pace

Who would have thought?
;-)

For a lot of people who were on the edge, the current POTUS was probably the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.

How long does the process normally take?

I'd expect this number to surge even higher towards the end of his first term...

Depends on where you are in the world rainer_d. Not sure how long it takes in Switzerland now, but back in 2013 I got my appointment in a few weeks and had my CLN back a few weeks after I renounced. In Canada it seems to take months just to get an appointment these days.

The actual renunciation only takes about 10 minutes. It's the wait to get an appointment and then the wait for the CLN to arrive that makes it so darn long.

Yes, it was the current POTUS that was the last straw for me, though at the time (2009) the current POTUS was named Obama.

Tom

Bumping this to share a story from this week. I was at the Embassy to do some paperwork. During the 30 minutes I was there, four people renounced their U.S. citizenship. The individuals were informed it would be at least 3 months before they would get the canceled passport and CLN form.

It would seem the numbers were higher when Obama was president. That makes sense, as FATCA was under his watch so a bunch of people wanted to renounce as soon as they could.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertw.../#1e1fd0aa7d22

Also, it was still FREE back then.

Tom

According to the article, relinquishing was free. Renouncing was not. I suppose you relinquished.

Article is wrong misleading.

I renounced, Bern, October 29, 2009.

It was the ONLY thing that they had ever done for free.

The $450 fee was only introduced in 2010.

"Renunciation of U.S. citizenship was free until July 2010, at which time a fee of $450 was established."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renunc...of_citizenship

Tom

10 years this fall.

I got out before the shit hit the fan.

Bush pissed me off enough to inquire, but I couldn't be arsed to take a day off work to go to Bern.

Obama convinced me that my original idea was the right one, so I did.

Tom

If anyone may still be interested ... renouncing still seems to be a big runner - in Switzerland as well as worldwide. Many US persons and ex-expats requesting to join our Facebook group „Renounce US Citizenship - How and Why“.

Best part is, in order to keep the members from prying eyes and nosey US offices, the group is closed and the questions need to be answered to our satisfaction. Though, some think they deserve to be allowed access simply because they are interested ... and yet they don’t care to answer the questions or meet the dual citizenship requirement (tolerance for those in Germany).

We have many ex-expats to help with your questions as well as many experiences shared. Join us if you are interested. Glad to have you aboard!

Is the group available anywhere else besides Facebook?

I do not have a Facebook account but would like to join to learn more.

Not to my knowledge, maybe someone else knows of one or two.

You might want to have a look at the isaacbrocksociety.ca website. It's Canadian based and focused, but there are people from all over the world there too and they have a lot of info on renouncing, FATCA, etc, there.

Renouncing is quite easy to do if you're interested.

I would second Isaac Brock Society as well. But beware, the whole situation laid bare there started to make my blood boil, aggravating my health, in particular my mental health, but it can also be cathartic. It's pretty hard core in my experience.

Ummmm...being blunt here...you might want to rethink your US platform (FB) here... Not the best idea in my view. Others have moved everything out of US and off US servers for obvious reasons.

Appreciate your honesty, Runningdeer. Though we make every effort to keep things tight. Let‘s look at it on another level ... Any material, posted anywhere on this planet, is subject to viewing from Uncle Sam‘s nosey eyes.

Also, names of those that renounced are published by the State Department on a regular basis. So, there is no real secret about „who“ renounces. Actually, all consulates have been quite helpful to those renouncing.

So you have to be a dual citizen already?

Normally, yes. Germany is an exception, as you can't take on German citizenship until you have renounced your original (unless you are Swiss or EU)

Tom

Usually, since the embassies don't like people being stateless.

"D. DUAL NATIONALITY / STATELESSNESS
Persons intending to renounce U.S. citizenship should be aware that, unless they already possess a foreign nationality, they may be rendered stateless and, thus, lack the protection of any government. They may also have difficulty traveling as they may not be entitled to a passport from any country. Statelessness can present severe hardships: the ability to own or rent property, work, marry, receive medical or other benefits, and attend school can be affected. Former U.S. citizens would be required to obtain a visa to travel to the United States or show that they are eligible for admission pursuant to the terms of the Visa Waiver Program. If unable to qualify for a visa, the person could be permanently barred from entering the United States. If the Department of Homeland Security determines that the renunciation is motivated by tax avoidance purposes, the individual will be found inadmissible to the United States under Section 212(a)(10)(E) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(10)(E)), as amended. Renunciation of U.S. citizenship may not prevent a foreign country from deporting that individual to the United States in some non-citizen status."

https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...ty-Abroad.html

The way Germany seem to handle it is that you get all the way through the application for German citizenship and then right at the end renounce the US one iirc. Then you can hand over your Loss of US Citizenship document as proof and they then grant you German citizenship.