Department of State Forms, Procedure Manuals for Renouncing/Relinquishing, Contact Info
When you book your appointment, many/most consulate send you a list of exactly what forms and supporting documents they require. Eg, some consulates have a short local questionnaire in addition to the 4079 (no worries, local questionnaires tend to just be a few questions, like name, DOB, mailing address, etc).
Forms for Renunciation and Relinquishment
4079. Questionnaire – Loss of United States Nationality, Attestations.
4083. Certificate of loss of nationality
Old Forms — for Archival Purposes Only — DO NOT USE
These were incorporated into the new 4079, issued October 2024.
4080. Oath of renunciation
4081. Statement of understanding of consequences
Department of State Procedure Manuals
7 FAM 1210: Introduction
7 FAM 1220: Developing a Loss-of-Nationality Case
7 FAM 1230: Administrative Review and Appeal of Loss-of-Nationality Findings
7 FAM 1240: Interagency Coordination and Reporting Requirements
7 FAM 1250: Naturalization and Oath of Allegiance to a Foreign State
7 FAM 1260: Renunciation of US Citizenship
7 FAM 1270: Military Service and Loss of Nationality
7 FAM 1280: Loss of Nationality and Taking up a Position in a Foreign Government
7 FAM 1290: Minors, Incompetents, Prisoners, Plea Bargains, Cults and Other Special Circumstances
1200 Appendix A: Loss of Nationality and the Early Years of the Republic
1200 Appendix B: US Supreme Court Decisions on Loss of Nationality
1200 Appendix C: Taking Up Residence Abroad: Loss of Nationality, Dual Citizens and Naturalized Citizens
1200 Appendix D: Fradulent Naturalization
1200 Appendix E: Loss of Nationality of Married Women under the Act of 1907 and Successor Statutes
(There does not appear to be an “Appendix F,” at least not on the internet at this time.)
1200 Appendix G: Posthumous Loss of Nationality
Department of State Overseas Citizens Services E-mail inquiries
Ask-OCS-L@state.gov
Links to US Embassies and Consulate Websites
Links to US Embassy and Consulate Websites
Department of State Telephone Directory
I was told by a friend of mine that she was not required to submit a form 4079 when she renounced last year. She only had to fill in and sign forms 4080 and 4081.
I was also told by another friend who renounced at a different consulate that he had to fill in form 4079 but only had to complete the first part of it.
What a mess. How can anyone plan a visit to the consulate or know the best way to fill out the forms. I thought I could get help here in the actual process but nobody will help me step by step. It’s too complicated for me.
@Cheers Big Ears,
Have a look at the Consulate Report Directory.
You can also have a look at the step-by-step process over at RenunciaonGuide.com. There is a link to it at the bottom of the IBS main page.
Intent to Relinquish: Filling out Form 92705 (Request for Determination of Possible Loss of US Citizenship)
My goal was to inform the U.S. State Department that I had become a Canadian citizen years ago and that my intent at the time had been to give up my American citizenship – thus I had already relinquished. I had been living as a Canadian and was now finally letting them know:
• married, landed immigrant status, applied for Canadian citizenship & met with judge then ceremony – with appropriate dates 8(d)
• oath to Queen etc. 9(a)
• residences and house ownership – places and dates 12(a&b).
• voting in Canada for every level of government 12(d), and even running for provincial jurisdiction office (11), but never in the US 13(d)
• other ties 12(e) – banks, past jobs, French language, volunteer activities, eventual Canadian pension, Ontario health insurance card, Canadian RRSPs, ON driver’s license, etc.
• nothing in the US except for family 13.
• paying Canadian taxes when applicable, but not filling out US forms until recent OVDI panic 13(e)
• travelling with only a Canadian passport, including to the US 14 & 15
(N.B. on filling out Request for Determination etc…: You can print it out and fill it out by hand or do it all at once on line and then print it out. You cannot save it and come back to it. I tried doing it on line but found that for dates it would only accept its way, meaning date and year whereas I sometimes only knew the month and year. I ended up leaving it blank and filling that portion in once I had printed it up. Then I was able to scan the whole thing and send it as an attachment – the only way proposed. To be signed there.)
I had asked to have a temporary letter while waiting for the CLN, the letter basically says that I have personally appeared at the Ottawa Embassy and applied to formally relinquish my citizenship under Section 349(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The CLN could take six months. See the rest of my report under Ottawa, Canada in Consulate Report Directory.
— Voyons, 2014.04
I have just noticed that the procedure manual “7FAM1220: Developing a Loss-of-Nationality case” is listed as “Not available” on the US Department of State website.
Thanks for the news, CanadianGirl.
That’s disturbing because there’s some pretty useful information in it. I’m wondering, a goof-up or to purposely keep people in the dark about this FAM from now on?
In the above list of links, I’ve now posted a link to the most recent copy of 7 FAM 1220 that we have, but with the warning that I don’t know if the “Unavailable document” supercedes it or not.
@pacifica, they really can not hide the information as it would be subject to FOIA anyways.
I suspect they are rewriting the document and I would guess that CLN relinquishments are likely going to get more difficult.
The fact that is unavailable may make good fodder for the internet and generate publicity so a front page on IBS might be worth the effort.
@ George, What I found odd is that as I’ve seen so far, they’ve been replacing their on-line documents when the revised one comes into effect, instead of posting a blank while they’re revising the current one. So, that’s what got me wondering if it’s a goof-up or if they’re making it difficult to access (eg, FOIA wouldn’t help anyone whose appointment is in the near future).
At any rate, I don’t know why it’s not on-line, but even if it’s a goof-up, I’m disturbed, because it’s important that people have access to it.
The last version of 7 FAM 1220 grabbed by Internet Archive was 14 July 2014. Here it is:
http://web.archive.org/web/20140714040747/http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/120546.pdf
Speculation: Intensive revision is underway, and making a future case for anything except concurrent relinquishment is destined to become difficult if not impossible.
While legislation may be hard to revise, policy is way easier. Call policy the state’s arena for exercise of whimsy.
Well, this is disturbing indeed.
All’s fair in love and war against its emigrants, it seems.
Thanks for the more recent link, USX! I’ve changed it to that.
I am a skeptic, and becoming a cynic. I will not be surprised at all if, when it becomes available once again it will contain procedures designed to impede, not facilitate relinquishments. Afterall, for every relinquishment granted it is $2350 + that they can’t extort via a renunciation.
RMA reported on the Renunciation and Relinquishment thread that 7 FAM 1220 is now back on-line, with revisions to the former edition.
Must I report my second nationality when renouncing my citizenship? Can I just tell them I am becoming stateless even if I am not?
Also, does anyone know what the State Department is doing with your renouncement paperwork between your renouncing at the Embassy/Consulate and issuing the CLN? Are they doing background checks, notifying people and other governments? Why does it take longer for some people?