Category Archives: Renunciation

It’s been months since I’ve seen any availability for Vancouver appointments. Thanks to Cyal8rUS, who posted the following comment on the “About the Isaac Brock Society” page.

“If someone with authorship privileges would be able to blog this: The Vancouver US Consulate FINALLY has new appointments available for “other” ACS services. If you have been trying to book a renunciation appointment, get there quickly. …”

The Vancouver website says;  “If you would like to make an appointment to renounce or relinquish your U.S. citizenship, please email VancouverCLN@state.gov ”  So, I e-mailed that address a few minutes ago and got an immediate automated reply (very comprehensive with detailed instructions).  Of particular interest is this paragraph [emphasis added]:

“IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING APPOINTMENTS

If you arrive fully prepared for your appointment, we will likely
process your loss of nationality in one interview.  If you do not have
the forms filled out or if you do not have all required original
evidence, you will need to return for a second appointment.”

So:  (1) only one visit is required, (2) you must book through Vancouver.CLN@state.gov (not through the online calendar).

Full text of the e-mail after the arrow.

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Apologies for the break from FATCA and FBAR posts. I am one of the few who have “lost U.S. nationality by willfully committing an expatriating act called naturalization with the understanding that doing so causes the loss of U.S. nationality and then formally reporting it.” That mouthful of legalese is called “relinquishing your U.S. citizenship.”

I had written about my experiences with losing my U.S. citizenship while living in Japan (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) and my difficulties in doing so.

While the final process when I met a real consul officer was civil and smooth, my biggest problem was actually making appointments just so someone would see me. U.S. embassy and consulate “American Citizen Services” have been by-appointment (preferably via web, not phone), for some time, and those appointment systems have been optimized to handle the standard ACS services: reporting a birth, a marriage, obtaining a visa, etc.

I noticed that the TACS (Tokyo American Citizen Services) has updated their web site. An older page actually gives a phone number and an expectation as to when the appointment will occur. A newer web page just says to please email them at a group-managed address and play it by ear.

I wrote about this on the following page:

Tokyo U.S. Embassy Updates its Loss of Nationality Procedures

TL;DR version: to renounce/relinquish, don’t use the web appointment form. Email to tokyoacs@state.gov.

You don’t have to have naturalized to Japanese to use Tokyo’s services; the only requirement for renouncing/relinquishing your U.S. nationality is that you don’t do it within the United States (with a small exception made for extreme circumstances, like times of war).

In fact, I was considering using Taiwan’s “American Institute in Taiwan; no way are we an embassy or consulate; we just do everything an embassy/consulate does (wink wink)” even though I live in Japan because I believed they gave better service.

AnonAnon posted this comment on the Consulate Report Directory thread, sharing their thoughts on how the US could clear up the problems of unwanted dual citizenship.  It’s an important topic, one worthy of a thread of its own.

Cross-posted from Maple Sandbox

We often use separate terms for “renunciation” and “relinquishment” since there are some notable differences between renunciation and the other methods of terminating one’s US citizenship. However, renunciation is actually one of the 7 methods of relinquishment, as set out in Immigration and Nationality Act, s. 349(a).  This post explains some of the similarities and differences.

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