My husband left Ukraine just a matter of months before Ukraine was fully independent of the imploding Soviet Union and able to issue its own passports. He surrendered his Soviet Union passport to the Home Office for British Residency in the 1990s. The Home Office then lost his entire dossier during his citizenship application. We are both eternally grateful to Michael Heseltine, in his final year as an MP for raising merry hell with a Labour run Home Office to help us sort out the mess. Roll on 2022, and Sasha had to enter the orcs’ den aka the Russian Consulate, to obtain written confirmation that he is not and never was a Russian citizen. I had the Home Office, our MP and a Channel 4 reporter in speed dial that day, just in case.
The Russians charged £180 - cash only - to confirm he’s not Russian. That’s a bit of a bargain compared to the US! He said the hardest part was being polite to the enemy.
I've seen my friends in the US wailing over their tax returns, but had no idea it extended to citizens who don't even live and work there. It sounds absolutely horrendous, so I'm not surprised you want out!
It's also pretty sad that so many people are renouncing at the moment - presumably not just because of the ridiculous tax return but... Yeah. That uncharming man.
I think it's natural to react in a childlike way to authority figures. It's that thing in transactional analysis, where they're behaving like the "parent", so you are flung back to being the child. The last time I had to face authority figures was at the airport in Berlin, when my tattoo made them wonder what I'd hidden up my jumper sleeve, then the cheap, plastic tailcomb in my suitcase had to be unearthed *just in case*. I went into subdued child mode. Just... Yes, no, okay....
Oh, transactional analysis yes! Yet in so many other areas of my life, even if people switch into Parent mode, I can stay in adult mode, no matter what. Nevertheless, Helen, that’s a good insight.
Yes, no question, there will be a lot more renunciation for political reasons at the moment. The majority of letters on the posh Argos boards were Ls.
What an abusive process. I hate that you and other innocent accidental Americans have to go through this. I am a recent immigrant to the United States and now I am worried about becoming a citizen. What if I end up wanting to bail and go back to Canada? This definitely gives me pause.
This is such a well-written piece; I felt my stomach twisting into a knot along with you. With me it’s flying. Not being stuck in a tube that could fall out of the sky and kill us all - for some strange reason I’m fine with that, but the whole bureaucracy of flying, particularly with airlines (we all know who they are) who make every little decision regarding luggage, paperwork, seating, etc, a process of Byzantine complexity fraught with risk. I have had several meltdowns at airport security, just from the awful feeling that I’ve broken some rule or other. If my daughter didn’t live abroad I’d happily renounce flyingn altogether.
I had to renounce my Argentine citizenship to become a US citizen back in 1983. I’d lived here since 1964, when I turned 3, so it made sense. And I don’t miss Argentine citizenship. EU, on the other hand, would be nice to have (and I could theoretically get it as my father was born and raised in Italy, but it’s complicated). So we go on with horrible health care and everything else, and that dreadful tax season every year that we have to pay someone to help us with.
Thanks Rosana! Ooh, I would take Italian (or any EU citizenship) in a heartbeat (if it could be dual, because I am a Brit through and through). I miss my EU passport very much.
Yeah it’s really too bad about Brexit. I’d have to go live in Italy for 3 years to get citizenship, and that’s not in the cards, at least at the moment. I hope your renouncement goes through smoothly!
My bureaucracy stories are at the other end of the scale, I'm afraid.
I'm a dual citizen of the Netherlands and the UK. After settling here in Amsterdam in 1996, and spending twenty odd blissful years as a welcome expat (hey, we're all brothers and sisters together in the EU...) 2016 forced a change of heart, and when push came to shove I would have renounced my UK citizenship to stay in my adopted home that has brought me belonging, a very comfortable existence, and a certain somebody who has enriched my life for twenty-five years.
As it happened, I didn't need to. I applied for Dutch citizenship in 2021, when the Brexit malarkey made it look like the only sensible option and the Dutch government had made an exception to make NL/GB dual citizenship possible (not for the primary benefit of British people becoming Dutch, but for all the Hollanders in Britain who would otherwise not be able to rely on perfidious Albion to respect their long-established rights ... I think that's a factual summation).
Unfortunately, it was also during corona. I'd looked forward to the citizenship ceremony at the town hall in Hoofddorp, swearing an oath of allegiance and singing the Wilhelmus (familiar to the world as the tune they play every time Max Verstappen wins the Grand Prix). Imagine my disappointment when the letter arrived.
"Dear Mr Smith,
I am pleased to inform you your citizenship application has been accepted. If you wish to take Dutch citizenship, please tick this box..."
Good Lord, Stuart, that is a *very* different experience! The Dutch are so damn civilised. I love Amsterdam so much. And with your much lovelier dual nationality, you only have a single tax obligation. I am envious!
In case you want to be more envious, I have the privilege of being in an enduring relationship with an emeritus tax consultant. Every April approaching the tax return deadline, there's a trickle of friends, relatives and aquaintances turning up on our doorstep clutching blue envelopes and pleading for help with the feared belastingangifte (talk about fear of authority...).
H has a spreadsheet full of hypercomplex formulae by which she can shift rebates and toeslagen between couples until every spare euro has been squeezed out of the tax bill. She's probably saved people thousands over the years. I just make tea.
I've never renounced citizenship anywhere but I've thought (endlessly in the last three months) of moving out of the US and living somewhere else. It would be expensive in effort and somewhat in money, at first, but I think it would be worth it. Especially for my kids.
I've always freaked about paperwork too, I used to blame it on a past life experience, because I always felt like I didn't have the right identity no matter what they needed. I marvel at how little some nations require.
The UK is surprisingly light on paperwork. Especially the tax returns. They make it all very simple. I can do my UK tax return in about an hour!
If you could find somewhere lovely and also cheaper to live, it would gradually recoup the cost of moving. But the tax would get complicated, because the US doesn’t let its citizens free of IRS obligations unless you renounce (and even then sometimes).
Just wanted to say I too cry when faced with authority figures or any hint that I might be in trouble, even if I've done nothing wrong. And I live about 20 miles from Ashland Oregon! What a coincidence. Great post.
Yep. As an US citizen resident of Spain, I know the pain of filing US taxes as a non-resident. In fact that’s what I’ll be working on this weekend, having waited until the last deadline for 2024 returns. This on top of my quarterly tax declarations that Spain requires of self-employed people.
I’m also a U.S. immigration attorney. US immigration law is second only to US tax law in its complexity. As I tell my clients, there’s a reason why I have a job! Kudos to you for having navigating the process on your own!
Loved this post! Well-written, and I was transported with you to each line-up and interview. How frustrating that must have been for you. I have never renounced my citizenship, but I am thinking about getting a UK passport, since my mom was born in London. That way, I can escape the drama and stress once in a while and go stay with family or friends for as long as they'll have me! I sometimes think the stress that the US government puts on people is either deliberate or shows how incompetent they are. It's the same with US healthcare. The breast cancer group I belong to has story after story of insurance hell. It's bad enough that even with co-pays, women still end up paying 10s of thousands of dollars for their cancer treatments. Imagine that your chemo costs $30k for three weeks, and you have to pay a deductible of 20% or more, and there are eight of these three-week treatment cycles. Sometimes they get denied for no reason at all. Then they spend endless hours on the phone. In the end, their doctor calls on their behalf, and another several hours on the phone. The horror stories I've heard, the anguish in the written posts and comments as they compare each other's circumstances. Everything is so much more complicated in the US. I'm glad it's over for you and that you are officially NOT a US citizen soon.
Me too, Kathie! How any of you deal with that hellscape of a healthcare system is beyond me. Seems designed to make people sicker by adding to their stress at a critical time.
Yep a total nightmare. Ali does it every year but luckily can afford to pay a tax consultant and she anyway lived and worked in the US for almost 30 years. Bureaucracy loves power and none more so than the tax authorities. Luckily you had an understanding person there re the envelope.
And wow! $2350. That’s insane but what can you do? What would have happened had you just done your tax return?
You need to have a big celebration when the confirmation comes through. 😄
Hi Ros - That was a great post, one that I identified with straight away, and the stress of it! Oh yes. I renounced my US citizenship last summer, and I'm now paying for the tax lawyers & the 6 years of tax returns, but I do know that if I had tried to do it without legal help (I went through a Canadian law firm), I would have been refused. It sounds like you were able to renounce without needing so much help, an amazing feat. I did grow up in the States, but since 1984, I've been on this side of the world. There were a number of reasons I felt it necessary to renounce, and although it's a little difficult on my heart, I am very glad I did it - more and more as we witness the dreadful shakeup. It was certainly one of the most stressful things I've ever gone through. I do feel free now, after so many years of worry. Now I'm a British citizen resident in France (I/we rented in London for nearly 40 years), and Linda & John Quinn came to visit us here years ago (before we moved permanently with Brexit) and liked the area so much, they now live 20 minutes away. At least now my bank is no longer expected to tell the US all about my accounts, and our (tiny) house is safe from interference if I die first - Big Brother on a big scale. Thank you so much for your post. I hope you're okay now and that everything is going well. xx
OMG, Ros. I could feel the tension. The bureaucracy here is so insane. I had to get my driver’s license renewed a couple of months ago, in person (it was time for a new photo). The wait was interminable but my process was fairly straightforward. However, the stuff I overheard other people having to go through was incredible.
OMG, Ros! What a stressed-out, heart-pounding experience! I was stressing right along with you, moment by moment. Carol and I have vacationed in the Victoria-Vancouver area, and if we were to become expats, that's our most likely landing place. About a year ago, Canada passed a two-year moratorium on Americans buying property there, unless it's a vacation home. The hitch is, one is only allowed to spend up to six months per year in residence. We've considered it, but it doesn't solve the problem of spending the other half of the year as peasants in the fiefdom that the US is becoming. We moved two years ago, and the thought of moving again in our mid-70s would require a herculean effort. (Sigh)
My husband left Ukraine just a matter of months before Ukraine was fully independent of the imploding Soviet Union and able to issue its own passports. He surrendered his Soviet Union passport to the Home Office for British Residency in the 1990s. The Home Office then lost his entire dossier during his citizenship application. We are both eternally grateful to Michael Heseltine, in his final year as an MP for raising merry hell with a Labour run Home Office to help us sort out the mess. Roll on 2022, and Sasha had to enter the orcs’ den aka the Russian Consulate, to obtain written confirmation that he is not and never was a Russian citizen. I had the Home Office, our MP and a Channel 4 reporter in speed dial that day, just in case.
Scary stuff, Julie. I’m glad it got sorted out—twice!
The Russians charged £180 - cash only - to confirm he’s not Russian. That’s a bit of a bargain compared to the US! He said the hardest part was being polite to the enemy.
I've seen my friends in the US wailing over their tax returns, but had no idea it extended to citizens who don't even live and work there. It sounds absolutely horrendous, so I'm not surprised you want out!
It's also pretty sad that so many people are renouncing at the moment - presumably not just because of the ridiculous tax return but... Yeah. That uncharming man.
I think it's natural to react in a childlike way to authority figures. It's that thing in transactional analysis, where they're behaving like the "parent", so you are flung back to being the child. The last time I had to face authority figures was at the airport in Berlin, when my tattoo made them wonder what I'd hidden up my jumper sleeve, then the cheap, plastic tailcomb in my suitcase had to be unearthed *just in case*. I went into subdued child mode. Just... Yes, no, okay....
Oh, transactional analysis yes! Yet in so many other areas of my life, even if people switch into Parent mode, I can stay in adult mode, no matter what. Nevertheless, Helen, that’s a good insight.
Yes, no question, there will be a lot more renunciation for political reasons at the moment. The majority of letters on the posh Argos boards were Ls.
What an abusive process. I hate that you and other innocent accidental Americans have to go through this. I am a recent immigrant to the United States and now I am worried about becoming a citizen. What if I end up wanting to bail and go back to Canada? This definitely gives me pause.
This is such a well-written piece; I felt my stomach twisting into a knot along with you. With me it’s flying. Not being stuck in a tube that could fall out of the sky and kill us all - for some strange reason I’m fine with that, but the whole bureaucracy of flying, particularly with airlines (we all know who they are) who make every little decision regarding luggage, paperwork, seating, etc, a process of Byzantine complexity fraught with risk. I have had several meltdowns at airport security, just from the awful feeling that I’ve broken some rule or other. If my daughter didn’t live abroad I’d happily renounce flyingn altogether.
I feel, you Miranda! When it feels so complicated and risky at the same time, the stress can go off the charts.
OMG that is crazy! Best wishes to you.
I had to renounce my Argentine citizenship to become a US citizen back in 1983. I’d lived here since 1964, when I turned 3, so it made sense. And I don’t miss Argentine citizenship. EU, on the other hand, would be nice to have (and I could theoretically get it as my father was born and raised in Italy, but it’s complicated). So we go on with horrible health care and everything else, and that dreadful tax season every year that we have to pay someone to help us with.
Thanks Rosana! Ooh, I would take Italian (or any EU citizenship) in a heartbeat (if it could be dual, because I am a Brit through and through). I miss my EU passport very much.
Yeah it’s really too bad about Brexit. I’d have to go live in Italy for 3 years to get citizenship, and that’s not in the cards, at least at the moment. I hope your renouncement goes through smoothly!
My bureaucracy stories are at the other end of the scale, I'm afraid.
I'm a dual citizen of the Netherlands and the UK. After settling here in Amsterdam in 1996, and spending twenty odd blissful years as a welcome expat (hey, we're all brothers and sisters together in the EU...) 2016 forced a change of heart, and when push came to shove I would have renounced my UK citizenship to stay in my adopted home that has brought me belonging, a very comfortable existence, and a certain somebody who has enriched my life for twenty-five years.
As it happened, I didn't need to. I applied for Dutch citizenship in 2021, when the Brexit malarkey made it look like the only sensible option and the Dutch government had made an exception to make NL/GB dual citizenship possible (not for the primary benefit of British people becoming Dutch, but for all the Hollanders in Britain who would otherwise not be able to rely on perfidious Albion to respect their long-established rights ... I think that's a factual summation).
Unfortunately, it was also during corona. I'd looked forward to the citizenship ceremony at the town hall in Hoofddorp, swearing an oath of allegiance and singing the Wilhelmus (familiar to the world as the tune they play every time Max Verstappen wins the Grand Prix). Imagine my disappointment when the letter arrived.
"Dear Mr Smith,
I am pleased to inform you your citizenship application has been accepted. If you wish to take Dutch citizenship, please tick this box..."
Good Lord, Stuart, that is a *very* different experience! The Dutch are so damn civilised. I love Amsterdam so much. And with your much lovelier dual nationality, you only have a single tax obligation. I am envious!
In case you want to be more envious, I have the privilege of being in an enduring relationship with an emeritus tax consultant. Every April approaching the tax return deadline, there's a trickle of friends, relatives and aquaintances turning up on our doorstep clutching blue envelopes and pleading for help with the feared belastingangifte (talk about fear of authority...).
H has a spreadsheet full of hypercomplex formulae by which she can shift rebates and toeslagen between couples until every spare euro has been squeezed out of the tax bill. She's probably saved people thousands over the years. I just make tea.
I've never renounced citizenship anywhere but I've thought (endlessly in the last three months) of moving out of the US and living somewhere else. It would be expensive in effort and somewhat in money, at first, but I think it would be worth it. Especially for my kids.
I've always freaked about paperwork too, I used to blame it on a past life experience, because I always felt like I didn't have the right identity no matter what they needed. I marvel at how little some nations require.
The UK is surprisingly light on paperwork. Especially the tax returns. They make it all very simple. I can do my UK tax return in about an hour!
If you could find somewhere lovely and also cheaper to live, it would gradually recoup the cost of moving. But the tax would get complicated, because the US doesn’t let its citizens free of IRS obligations unless you renounce (and even then sometimes).
Just wanted to say I too cry when faced with authority figures or any hint that I might be in trouble, even if I've done nothing wrong. And I live about 20 miles from Ashland Oregon! What a coincidence. Great post.
Thank you! Ashland seems like a lovely place, and the surroundings. I stayed with a friend just outside. Happy to meet another authority-crier!
Yep. As an US citizen resident of Spain, I know the pain of filing US taxes as a non-resident. In fact that’s what I’ll be working on this weekend, having waited until the last deadline for 2024 returns. This on top of my quarterly tax declarations that Spain requires of self-employed people.
I’m also a U.S. immigration attorney. US immigration law is second only to US tax law in its complexity. As I tell my clients, there’s a reason why I have a job! Kudos to you for having navigating the process on your own!
Loved this post! Well-written, and I was transported with you to each line-up and interview. How frustrating that must have been for you. I have never renounced my citizenship, but I am thinking about getting a UK passport, since my mom was born in London. That way, I can escape the drama and stress once in a while and go stay with family or friends for as long as they'll have me! I sometimes think the stress that the US government puts on people is either deliberate or shows how incompetent they are. It's the same with US healthcare. The breast cancer group I belong to has story after story of insurance hell. It's bad enough that even with co-pays, women still end up paying 10s of thousands of dollars for their cancer treatments. Imagine that your chemo costs $30k for three weeks, and you have to pay a deductible of 20% or more, and there are eight of these three-week treatment cycles. Sometimes they get denied for no reason at all. Then they spend endless hours on the phone. In the end, their doctor calls on their behalf, and another several hours on the phone. The horror stories I've heard, the anguish in the written posts and comments as they compare each other's circumstances. Everything is so much more complicated in the US. I'm glad it's over for you and that you are officially NOT a US citizen soon.
Me too, Kathie! How any of you deal with that hellscape of a healthcare system is beyond me. Seems designed to make people sicker by adding to their stress at a critical time.
I’m so thankful to be Canadian. Universal health care. Not perfect but far greater than what we see south of the border.
Any country that charges for healthcare is an uncivilised country, in my view. No one should be financially penalised for getting suck or injured.
Amen!
Yep a total nightmare. Ali does it every year but luckily can afford to pay a tax consultant and she anyway lived and worked in the US for almost 30 years. Bureaucracy loves power and none more so than the tax authorities. Luckily you had an understanding person there re the envelope.
And wow! $2350. That’s insane but what can you do? What would have happened had you just done your tax return?
You need to have a big celebration when the confirmation comes through. 😄
My god Ros, I was coming out in a cold sweat just reading that. Xx
Apologies, Nick, please have a shower and warm towel with my compliments.
Not renounced, but I’m a dual citizen thanks to Brexit. I could have done without the expense and hoops
Hi Ros - That was a great post, one that I identified with straight away, and the stress of it! Oh yes. I renounced my US citizenship last summer, and I'm now paying for the tax lawyers & the 6 years of tax returns, but I do know that if I had tried to do it without legal help (I went through a Canadian law firm), I would have been refused. It sounds like you were able to renounce without needing so much help, an amazing feat. I did grow up in the States, but since 1984, I've been on this side of the world. There were a number of reasons I felt it necessary to renounce, and although it's a little difficult on my heart, I am very glad I did it - more and more as we witness the dreadful shakeup. It was certainly one of the most stressful things I've ever gone through. I do feel free now, after so many years of worry. Now I'm a British citizen resident in France (I/we rented in London for nearly 40 years), and Linda & John Quinn came to visit us here years ago (before we moved permanently with Brexit) and liked the area so much, they now live 20 minutes away. At least now my bank is no longer expected to tell the US all about my accounts, and our (tiny) house is safe from interference if I die first - Big Brother on a big scale. Thank you so much for your post. I hope you're okay now and that everything is going well. xx
OMG, Ros. I could feel the tension. The bureaucracy here is so insane. I had to get my driver’s license renewed a couple of months ago, in person (it was time for a new photo). The wait was interminable but my process was fairly straightforward. However, the stuff I overheard other people having to go through was incredible.
OMG, Ros! What a stressed-out, heart-pounding experience! I was stressing right along with you, moment by moment. Carol and I have vacationed in the Victoria-Vancouver area, and if we were to become expats, that's our most likely landing place. About a year ago, Canada passed a two-year moratorium on Americans buying property there, unless it's a vacation home. The hitch is, one is only allowed to spend up to six months per year in residence. We've considered it, but it doesn't solve the problem of spending the other half of the year as peasants in the fiefdom that the US is becoming. We moved two years ago, and the thought of moving again in our mid-70s would require a herculean effort. (Sigh)