How To Renounce U. S. Citizenship
Have you ever wondered who in the world would ever renounce U. S. citizenship? The number of Americans who do is growing every year. Forbes reported recently that “The tally was 2,999 for all of 2014, a 221% increase over the 932 who left in 2012.” The Treasury Department publishes a quarterly list of Americans who take that step. However, consular expatriations, where people don’t file exit tax forms with the IRS, are apparently not counted–which indicates that the numbers on the list are understated.
So who in the world would give up their citizenship? Well last year our own Glen Roberts was among them. Glen is the founder of the original expat group that has met on Sunday in a Montevideo restaurant for years–and still does–although Glen has moved on to Paraguay. He also is the administrator and owner of the expat forum at www.totaluruguay.com as well as www.totalparaguay.com. To our amazement, Glen took this step without having any other citizenship–making himself stateless.
Savvy article – I am thankful for the points – Does anyone know if I would be able to grab a sample E-Verify Affidavit Form B version to complete ?
You didn’t mention which country you are in. Did you read both of Glen’s Roberts’ articles? As I recall he gives a pretty complete account of how it’s done but you would need to go to the local U. S. embassy to get the papers. In his article he shows that he had begun the process in Paraguay and months had passed with no action. But in Uruguay it was different. I think even Uruguay is a little different now. Glen was probably the first they ever had. But I would start with the embassy.
Hope he doesn’t ever expect to leave Paraguay. The Mercosur treaty does not allow for free travel between countries with a cédula alone, if the underlying nationality does not. There was a 2007 amendment to the Mercosur treaty that made it clear that it’s the underlying nationality that counts. Since your nationailty is on the cédula, sure, for a Uruguayan citizen, she can travel to Paraguay with just her cédula or vice versa. But I, as a US citizen with a Uruguayan cédula, must get a visa from Brazil, a visa from Paraguay, a reciprocity fee receipt from Argentina, in order to visit those Mercosur countries.
Glen foolishly gave up all nationality (that’s assuming I believe him, which despite mostly respecting him and honoring his contribution to the expat community, I mostly don’t on this issue.) That means he has absolutely no basis for entry to any other country in Mercosur or elsewhere, because he’s stateless.
Only a total fool becomes voluntarily stateless. Whereas there are many reasons why a smart person might well choose to give up US citizenship, after getting citizenship of at least one other nation. You’re an Argentine citizen now, and it might be very smart for you to give up USA nationality – or not, depending on your particular circumstances – but if you did so, you’d still have a globally recognized passport. Your cédula or Argentina-equivalent national ID card (DNI?) would note your Argentina nationality, which would make that document, by virtue of your underlying citizenship, a valid entry document anywhere in Mercosur and in most of UNASUR without a passport.
But that cédula/DNI with NO nationality? I doubt you’d even be allowed to leave the country you’re in that issued it.
Isn’t renouncing, without having some other citizenship, absolutely opposite to the entire concept of planting additional flags?
Foolish. Dangerously foolish. Dangerous to recommend. The renouncing to become stateless, to be exact.
Renouncing to become only citizen of your new country rather than a dual citizen with USA, that’s often smart. That’s something that hopefully within 4 or 5 more years, maybe even sooner, I may be able to choose. I don’t know if I will choose that path upon becoming a Uruguayan citizen, but I certainly will not do so until I have that new citizenship. With the Scots recently voting No, that took away my other possible flag (Scottish grandfather.)
Hi Mark, it’s going to be interesting to see how things go and what Glen learns and graciously passes on to us. When I told one of our coworkers what Glen did he had the same reaction you did. Not that Glen was not honest but only that Glen was joking. He thought it was not possible to do that. Glen scanned and sent me not only his papers to prove it, but a copy of the law that allows it. So I think Glen is on target and whereas he is on untried territory, as far as we know, we have to give him credit. He’s blazing a trail. Also Mark, I used my temporary cedula consistently to travel between MERCOSUR countries with no problem–of course things do change, I understand that. Now I have the permanent cedula I can use if I want to–which I usually do. In fact, I still have the temporary. Perhaps the next time I cross a MERCOSUR border I’ll try using it and see what happens. Of course outside MERCOSUR I have to use my passport. Thanks for your comments. Always welcome.