People have posted and commented on their consulate visit experiences. This is very useful information, but has been difficult to access as it appears on various threads. So, I have assembled them into a Directory of Consulate Reports, organised by location. I expect to add more reviews over the next day or two as I continue to search past postings, and of course we’ll add new reviews as they arrive.
Keep ’em coming! You can write your consulate visit story on this thread or any other thread (we’ll keep an eye out for them) and we’ll transfer them to the Directory. Thanks to everybody for sharing your experiences!
For the Consulate Report pages, I have edited or excerpted some comments. The original posts and comments remain on their threads and have not been edited.
Canada
Europe
This is a fabulous resource – thank you for the time and energy needed to compile all of the information. I will review the quotes you have from me there to add in a few more details.
@ Pacifica777
Thanks, very interesting reading. So very different experiences at the many consulates.
@Pacifica,
Chapters 1 – 10, the start of a story in the making. Thanks for compiling!
These reports are very helpful for Americans still trying to decide what to do!
It would be great if the reports can be connected with the pdf compilation and kept on the main Isaac Brock page for easy access.
Well now that’s two embassies outside Canada that manage to get CLNs processed in a hell of a lot less than “4-12 months.”
I think there’s an issue here. Maybe the embassies in Denmark and Germany are “expediting” things because people can’t become citizens of those countries without a CLN. But why is State being so nice about keeping “treasonous” Americans who want to ditch US nationality from being stateless persons any longer than a couple of weeks? And why is the Ottawa Embassy saying on their website specifically that they do NOT expedite renunciation or relinquishment claims, which I’ve seen somewhere on that website. And does this extend to all consulates in this country? And why?
I guess if you’re a business person and need to travel, they work harder for you (but not in their embassy in Canada). But why would they do that; the business person is exiting from the wonderful USA and probably isn’t going to be helping the US economy any more, if he/she ever did help it. I really have to wonder about this.
Great resource and great work, Pacifica and all contributors!
Further to my previous reply, maybe someone could ask that $#%#$^ US Ambassador in Ottawa why he’s putting grandmothers and grandfathers, not to mention everyone else, through agony and worry given that his fellow embassies in at least two EU countries manage to deal with CLNs a lot more expeditiously. Is the problem with incompetance, or malevolence, or both, and is it in Ottawa or in Washington? Given the Denmark and Germany examples, it’s a bit of a stretch to blame this on Washington. Unless EU applications go to a different sub-desk than the Canadian ones in Washington, maybe there is a dramatic difference in efficiency between two desks down the hall from each other. I find that hard to buy.
Maybe the CLNs are processed faster for people renouncing compared to those relinquishing.
I like the point made by schubert1975. This data compilation is useful. Already we can see a pattern of differential treatment of Canada-based renouncers and relinquishers. The greater the quantity of this data becomes, the more US representatives in Canada should feel pressed to explain their documented overt discrimination. At some stage perhaps Brock could ask Canadian authorities to ask US authorities about what is going on with this?
Thanks Pacifica and Calgary! This is a great resource.
I think many will be helped by this.
I agree with usxcanada about schubert’s concerns; it’s completely unfair in a situation that is already overly unfair. Something’s gotta give.
I would have to agree with the US policy of expediting those who need it asap due to being stateless. People in Canada, for the most part, already have a passport and can travel. Could you imagine being without official travel documents or a nationality for almost a year? That would be an absolute nightmare in Europe since you have to show your ID everywhere and almost daily here. From what I have heard, it doesn’t sound like you need to show official government issued ID that often in Canada. In the EU only a national passport or ID card is official: driving licences aren’t considered ID and you could never open a bank account without showing one of the above like you can in Canada.
I don’t know why they expedite it specifically in these cases, but in this case I would have to agree with their policy, if it indeed is a specific policy and they indeed do have a backlog to work through. I say this as a “third party” of sorts, already having citizenship in my country of residence and prepared to wait the 4-12 months like everyone in Canada.
@Copenhagen rounouncer How long did you have to wait for the appointment? Have you received a Danish passport for stateless persons yet?
It looks like this guy Ken O’Keefe had a heck of a time renouncing but it sounds like his overt political activities didn’t help.
Editor’s Note: Jefferson D. Tomas adds the following disclaimer: “Please concentrate on the video’s discussion of unsucessful attempts to renounce, and ignore anything else that might offend you.” I’ll add that the video is relevant to the question of renunciation. The maker of the video claims to have twice obtained a passport after renouncing. He has also claimed to have lived in the United States after renouncing. The State Department will eventually reject a renunciation if a person does these things after renouncing. Finally, despite being a citizen of Ireland, O’Keefe claims that he was forbidden by the United States to enter a flight to the United States to visit his mother. That is why he obtained a passport “under duress” for the second time, after having renounced his United States citizenship. Petros
Another question, was the CLN contingent upon the initial filing of form 8854?
@Jefferson: I was never truely “stateless”. I was provisionally granted Danish citizenship by law in December (citizenship here is granted by law, with every new citizen’s name appearing in the actual law text). In order to complete the process, however, I had to show proof that I had been “released from” any other citizenships. (I’m still waiting for the actual passport, but that’s because the Danish paperwork takes awhile).
My renunciation appointment at the US embassy was about four weeks after I first contacted them. They had offered me an appointment two weeks earlier but I was unable to go that week.
The 8854 had nothing to do with getting the CLN. At the renunciation ceremony they remind you that you will need to file the 8854 with your last tax return and that is it. In my case, since I renounced in 2012, I can’t file the 8854 until I send in my 1040NR in 2013. The tax return I am sending off in a few weeks is just the normal 1040, 2555, etc.
The information gathered here is gold. Thank you, organizers!
JDT Why would you post this video by an anti semitic idiot?
@JTD: you posted the video to show how stupid some people can be, right? Or maybe to show how a human being can be so absolutely torn up inside by mindless hatred, the desire for vengeance, and his loathsome bile. Good riddance to him. If more people like him renounced their American citizenship our country would be a much better place. The only good news here is the fact that American taxpayers are not supporting Mr. O’Keefe in a US prison somewhere by paying for his food, housing and upkeep. Shame on him and shame on you, JDT for not exercising better judgment in selecting a video to make your point. I seriously doubt that many members of the Isaac Brock Society would want to be associated with this psychopath.
30 Year IRS Vet
Can the video be removed? It would be a shame if the Isaac Brock Society became associated with any type of extremist politics.
I just watched that video. The guy is tiresome, I had to stop halfway … snore.
I vote the video be removed because it makes us look like nut jobs if someone associates what we’re trying to do with what that guy did.
Something to chill out with:
The point about Ken O’Keefe is not his politics (personally I had never heard of this guy before), but the number of times he says that he tried to renounce but kept being obliged to keep his US citizenship. Whatever his motivations to do so, UDHR guarantees him the right to renounce.
Why did the US want to keep him despite his political dissidence and desire to quit US citizenship? Or is the story just a yarn?
Only pacifica777 (as the owner of the thread) or Petros or another Admin can delete the post. I have no option to do so.
@Roedgroed: what did you, or do you intend to do about FBAR? I would think that you must have a Danish pension plan or assets (even if tax-deffered) that might be affected by FBAR or the FATCA reporting for 2011 due this year.
@Jefferson: I will send in the FBAR at the same time as my tax forms. I don’t yet qualify for FATCA (kind of wish I did!). I’m not sure about next year…if I was only a US citizen for one month in 2012, do I need to send in an FBAR for all of 2012?
@rødgrød: “I’m not sure about next year…if I was only a US citizen for one month in 2012, do I need to send in an FBAR for all of 2012?”
I faced this part year issue in 2008. FBAR instructions are maddeningly silent on this (as with so much else, of course). I emailed FBARquestions@irs.gov for clarification.
They suggested I file an FBAR before the usual filing date of Jun 30 next year, cover only accounts held for the period of being a US person, and mark appropriately. I think I added something like “Part year return, Jan 1 xxxx to — former citizen/permanent resident” to the top. Sent it. Threw party. Never heard back.
@pacifica. I agree with others on this thread about Ken O’Keefe. People visiting this site for the first time may think he’s our poster child. Please delete.
Steven Mopsick wrote:
@ all
The video has interest for our subject. I don’t agree with his politics. If Jeff doesn’t want it posted in his name, I’d insist on putting up in my name. I don’t think we should ever give Steven J. Mopsick editorial privilege or allow him to determine for us what is appropriate or inappropriate.
The video has quite a number of things in it that are extremely interesting. (1) the repeated renunciations; (2) the first time he didn’t live in the United States but pretended to belong to a dispossessed aboriginal nation; (3) he obtained a US passport even while claiming not to be a US citizen, “under duress” so that he could continue his protest of the Iraq war. (4) He was not allowed to travel to the United States on an Irish passport (because State still considers him US); (5) he was detained in Canada. All very interesting and relevant.
What? Are we supposed to not pay attention to these details because the man is an anti-Zionist? What’s your problem Steven? If he was stupid, then his stupidity helps the rest of us to be smarter.