US Cuts Citizenship Renunciation Fee From $2,350 to $450

The U.S. State Department has dramatically reduced the cost for Americans to formally give up their citizenship, dropping the fee by 80% to $450. The change comes after years of legal challenges from advocacy groups representing Americans living abroad.

WASHINGTON — Federal officials have dramatically cut the cost for Americans seeking to formally abandon their U.S. citizenship, reducing the fee by roughly 80% to $450.

Following extended court fights with multiple organizations advocating for Americans seeking to surrender their citizenship, the State Department released its final regulation Friday in the Federal Register, lowering the price from $2,350 to $450.

The updated fee, which became effective Friday, had been pledged in 2023 but never put into practice. The price now matches what the State Department initially charged when it began requiring payment for formal citizenship renunciation in 2010.

Giving up U.S. citizenship involves a complex and time-consuming procedure. Those seeking renunciation must confirm through numerous written and oral declarations to State Department consular officials that they fully comprehend the consequences of their decision before taking a formal renunciation oath. The department must then conduct its review.

Officials increased the fee from $450 to $2,350 in 2015 to address administrative costs as citizenship renunciations increased significantly, partly due to new tax reporting rules for Americans living overseas that frustrated many expatriates.

The steep price hike faced strong resistance from organizations like the France-based Association of Accidental Americans, which advocates for individuals primarily residing abroad whose American citizenship stems solely from being born on U.S. soil.

The organization pursued multiple legal challenges questioning the fee’s constitutionality, including an ongoing case arguing that citizenship renunciation should be completely free.

“The Association of Accidental Americans welcomes this decision, which acknowledges the necessity of making this fundamental right accessible to all,” its president, Fabien Lahagre, said in a statement. “This victory is the direct result of six years of relentless legal action and advocacy.”

During court proceedings, the association reported that since the 2023 announcement about the fee reduction, at least 8,755 Americans had paid the complete $2,350 to renounce their citizenship. State Department officials have not released total figures for Americans who have renounced their citizenship.