Consulate Report Directory (Brockers Describe their Consulate Meetings) and CLN Delivery Time Chart Part 2
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Wonder what really happens at the consulates? Find out in the Isaac Brock Society’s Consulate Report Directory, currently 279 pages of first-hand accounts of renunciation/relinquishment appointments, arranged by consulate location, along with further information and links to the required Dept of State forms and the Dept of State manuals used by the consulates in processing CLN applications, with an appendix containing a timeline chart (booking-meeting-CLN) as reported by consulate location.
The Directory is updated as consulate visit stories are posted on the website.
You can post here or elsewhere on the site (we’ll keep an eye out for them). Some comments may be excerpted or condensed slightly in the consulate reports. The original posts and comments remain on their threads are not edited.
Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences…and keep ’em coming! It’s a new experience for everyone and your information is really helpful.
To change or delete your report in the Directory, you can post the change as a comment on this thread or e-mail Pacifica@isaacbrocksociety.ca
Click here for the Consulate Report Directory
Notes:
Consulates are listed alphabetically by country and the Directory’s table of contents links to each section (they don’t look like links, but they are.)
This thread is a continuation of Consulate Report Directory Part 1, which contains earlier discussion on this topic, 929 comments from its inception in March 2012 through February 2013.
To Book an Appointment and/or Request Information from your Local Consulate:
This post by Eric, Almost No US Citizenship Renunciation Appointments Left During 2016 in Dublin, contains a chart of links to the consulates’ website pages on renunciation/relinquishment, for info on booking appointments and/or requesting information at your location. (The title highlights Dublin, but the charts, article and discussion cover consulates around the world.)
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@ pacifica777
@ USX
Thanks to both of you for your replies to the question about the 8854 and which date applies in a relinquishment. As usual the US Govt can’t agree with itself on what the answer is. In the end it’s what I feared, it depends on who you ask and will likely be the subject of a court case for some hapless individual caught in the middle.
I will end up filing the 8854 but I think it stinks that the State department which decides citizenship status, determined that I was no longer a citizen 9 years ago but the IRS demands that a non citizen files taxes for the last 5 years. It’s a paper chase, I’m retired and don’t meet the threshold to file in any case except for this catch 22.
Just an update; I know someone who renounced at the Jerusalem consulate on March 20. They received their CLN on April 2. That’s pretty fast service (13 days.) Of course, Jerusalem is in the Near Eastern and South Asian division of Overseas Citizen Services, so they probably have a fraction of the caseload of the European and Western Hemisphere divisions.
Wow that’s fast, I thought I held the record 14 days for a relinquishment until delivery of the CLN at Tel Aviv!
Wow, amazing the differences. Good for you, whatever you did to get that CLN in 14 days! Congratulations, Yitzi.
@BenPloni,
Boy, that’s good turnaround! Very happy for him. BTW, I’m wondering if that’s EsserAgaroth, because he blogged about his Jerusalem experience about two weeks ago. If it is, please give him my thanks for his super blogging about it – there’ll be a link to it in the next edition of Consulate Report Directory — and my congratulations!
Thanks, BenPloni. Good to hear from you. And, now we also have Yitzi’s report of receiving a CLN in 14 days for a relinquishment. What a difference one place to another.
One other update–today I applied for a B2 visa at the Jerusalem consulate. The staff gave me funny faces and surprised body language when I showed my CLN..(they each asked if I was a US citizen), although I did emphasize my strong ties here. The consular officers main question was focused on my family, income, time since I immigrated, etc. I don’t think he was used to hearing his native accent at his window.
forgot to mention he approved the visa.
@Pacifica, yes, that’s esseragaroth.
Actually my friend in Honduras t
R
Got his cln back in 8 days in jan this year.. Blew me away
Robert waring,
8 days — glad to hear there are those taking action for themselves in Honduras. Thanks for letting us know.
Such speedy CLNs to Israel. They’re coming at a snail’s pace to Canada. Shows to go ya that Canada is certainly not a priority of the USSA.
I’ve heard of medical tourism … now I’m envisioning CLN tourism.
Imagine going somewhere nice and warm for a month in the winter, and coming home with a CLN.
CLN tourism. What an interesting idea, perhaps all inclusive group CLN tours can be organized.
Forgive me if I’m being slow here, but why should there be a difference from one place to another? My understanding was that they all go back to the US for processing. Do different consulates just put them in the back room to age for a few months?
@Shunrata…It seems the consulates/embassies with fewer CLN cases process them faster. Few people renounce in Israel and Honduras, whereas there are far more in Canada and Europe.
As I wrote here or on another IBS-Comment site:I returned home (from Europe)to Tel Aviv for a week beginning of Jan.2014 especially for my renunciation appointment which I got at short notice.Here also the waiting room at the Consulate seemed empty,which surprised me.I had previously thought of dealing with renunciation from Switzerland(where I was staying with my partner),but Bern couldn’t give me an appointment until March or later.Because I was returning to Europe(as originally planned)for another month,the consulate suggested I contact them on my return to pick up the CLN: it was waiting for me on my return.Astoundingly quick. I’m surprised that apparently few US citizens here in Israel renounce until now.It might change if our banks ,as announced,change their policy.
@shunrata
I think CLNs are processed at the regional level, eg Europe, North America, Middle East, South America, Asia/Pacific etc.
@Joe Blow: The FAM says only a division chief can approve a CLN. I know my CLN for Near East / South Asia says approved by Kim Richter who is the division chief for this regio
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/109065.pdf. I’d bet she is less busy than the western hemishphere chief, but perhaps that person wanted a break from the monotony when they saw Honduras show up.
@J.N.
Re few renunciations in Israel: My theory was always that an Israeli passport is not very useful, and that most Americans wanted to keep a “more valuable” citizenship for themselves and their children unless they were very, very zionist. People who talked about giving us their US citizenship were usually warned they were being foolish. (Except for my friend who ‘won’ the US draft lottery, and wasn’t interested in being shipped off to Vietnam – now you know how old I am 🙂 )
Also, with the way Israeli citizenship works – conferred automatically, which was designed to prevent difficulties with US citizenship among others – people don’t have to make a choice or even think about it much.
Now with the difficulties and dangers of US citizenship, American immigrants to Israel are in a touchy situation. It’ll be interesting to see if the renunciation rate changes. I wonder how many of these people are at all aware of the FATCA mess. I did see a post on an English-speaking migrants list about the Republican petition, but it seemed to be largely ignored.
@Pacifica
Did you see my report and is it ok for the directory?
shunrata,
Thanks for your report. Pacifica is away for a few days. Your report will be a welcome and helpful addition to the Consulate Directory Report. Thanks so much. And, once again, congratulations!!
Unless I am missing something, Israel has not yet signed an IGA nor is it one of the countries recently listed as being a done deal.
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/tax-policy/treaties/pages/fatca-archive.aspx
The people currently renouncing may have been caught up in the attack against the Israeli banks that had branches in Switzerland. The FATCA wave will come next. Only a guess.
@shunrata, my observation with commenting to Israeli articles is that Americans in Israel are frequently fed misinformation which discourages them from renouncing, such as the false idea of them losing their social security savings. As one would expect, US tax experts are extremely defensive of their big earnings and thus don’t want to lose their clients.
@Joe Blow..The Bank of Israel is still negotiating an IGA . The Knesset will have to change privacy laws to accommodate it though. I’m sure the Israel Tax Authority is also salivating, since last I saw, they can’t get bank information from local banks without a court order. Until there is an IGA the banks are giving Americans W-9 forms saying “either sign this or we close your account.” Even more ridiculous, I’ve seen articles saying the ITA thinks that there will be reciprocity — receive Israeli account info from the US banks. I have no idea where they got that impression.