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Renunciation and Relinquishment of United States Citizenship: Discussion thread (Ask your questions) Part Two

Ask your questions about Renunciation and Relinquishment of United States Citizenship and Certificates of Loss of Nationality.

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NB: This discussion is a continuation of an older discussion that became too  large for our software to handle well. See Renunciation and Relinquishment of United States Citizenship: Discussion thread (Ask your questions) Part One

 

10,433 thoughts on “Renunciation and Relinquishment of United States Citizenship: Discussion thread (Ask your questions) Part Two”

  1. @WhatAmI, thank you for explaining that. It’s sad that the Statue of Liberty is now, for many of us, an opposite symbol of what the French intended by their gift of it. I suppose it’s too late for them to ask that it be returned.

  2. @ WhatAmI
    Wow, thank you for the background on “American Woman”. Knowing Randy’s wife Denise is American I actually wrote to him to see if we could get him on our side. Sadly, no response, but he’s still a favourite of mine. I wonder if any Americans threw “freedom fries” at the “American Woman” when France balked at joining the Iraq attack?

  3. With the terms “war machines” and “ghetto scenes” I always knew that American Woman was about the USA. The information on this discussion thread is very helpful for those of us tentatively moving towards trying to get a CLN. Thanks to all.

  4. Well, the state dept. must be swamped. I am approaching 6 months since signing my relinquishment forms and still no word. Just phone the US consulate here in NZ and they say they haven’t heard back so it’s a waiting game at this point. Has anyone recently taken this long? Thanks

  5. @pukekonz, Yes it has been 6 months now for me as well.. I hate this long wait! I relinquished in Toronto Sept. 2013. I think several others are still waiting that renounced/relinquished in Toronto, for some it has been 8 months.

  6. I just got word from the consulate that my CLN has arrived! Hooray!

    Happy day – marking it in my diary…..

    It took 6 months.

    Hang on, there is hope….

  9. @saddened

    I’m in Australia. I’m not sure but I think US citizens are rather thin on the ground here.

    The staff at the Melbourne consulate were both very nice and extremely professional. They didn’t pass any judgement and helped me out as best they could. If all representatives of the US govt were like that things would be so much better!

    Is it pacifica who deals with the consulate reports? At long last I can put mine in. I left a note on the thread over there.

  10. @ Shunrata,

    Congratulations on your CLN!

    It’s great to hear it’s arrived, and also to hear that you had a positive experience with the Melbourne consulate.

  12. As I have never filed in the US and intend to renounce, I would appreciate some help here as I want to understand what is really required on Form 8854:

    (i) Specifically on Form 8854 – Part II – 6 : one is required to state the income tax liability for the previous 5 yrs. Do they demand proof in any shape or form that these are accurate figures and if so what is it they ask for?

    (ii) would that include my non-US long term partner’s income too, or does it work the other way, whereby we combine both and then divide by two to reach the average (as is the norm in many other countries)?

    Thanks for all the help in advance,
    LJ

  13. They expect that you will have back filed 5 yrs. of tax returns. Otherwise they would classify you as a covered expatriate. Whether or not that matters to you depends on what connections you wish to retain . For example, if you were to leave an inheritance to a US Cit., the heir would be liable for taxes on the inheritance.

  15. @all

    Thanks – I still have this feeling of disbelief mixed in with the relief. I’m sure anyone who had waited months for a CLN knows what sort of scenarios you can create in your mind!

  16. Congratulations shunrata! It’s only 2 months into my husband’s CLN wait but when it gets to the 6th month mark I’m sure we’ll both start to feel anxious. CBT and all that goes with it — confusion, anxiety, uncertainty, anger — is bad enough but then the State Dept. often takes its own sweet time to issue CLNs just to make sure you don’t get away without a dose of waiting room stress.

  17. calgary411,
    Just re-reading an earlier comment of yours (March 16, 2014 at 9:08 a.m). Did you courier your final U.S. taxes; 8854, and a copy of your CLN to the IRS in Philadelphia? Could one also send it registered mail, would that also get a signature at the other end? Which courier did you use, or are they all pretty much the same? Thanks

  18. @bodhi glover

    I don’t know about Philadelphia, but my mother’s accountant had her send her Streamlined Filing to Austin via Xpresspost. It was $25 from Calgary and was trackable and got a signature at the other end.

  19. bodhi glover,

    My own filings were my FBARs, 2005 – 2012, sent by Xpresspost courier, with return “stamped” receipts. Sending by courier is expensive but trackable. My actual IRS returns and 8854 were sent by the US accounting firm that did my filings — I presume they were sent by courier as well as they were signed hard copies that went. I never sent a copy of my CLN; I don’t think that is necessary, but you could do it as an extra step.

  20. Question 1 – Is there an online source for info on how to fill out Form 8854? The IRS instructions are utterly incomprehensible.
    Question 2 – For the purpose of calculating the $2 million net worth barrier, how does one factor in a Canadian pension from an employer and the CPP?

    Thank you.

  21. For the purpose of Form 8854, does one have to include CPP and employment pension as assets?

    If yes, how are these calculated, based on the monthly cheques one receives?

  23. Re Calgary411’s reply:

    Thank you for replying to my query.

    You say that your “company defined benefit pension” was included in your Net Worth. How was it calculated? Are there any algorithms, rules or procedures outlined online?

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