The U.S. Department of State has cut by about 80% the fee Americans pay to formally renounce their U.S. citizenship, bringing the charge down to $450 from $2,350, according to a final rule published in the Federal Register. The fee reduction takes effect April 13, after the department had promised in 2023 that the lower cost would be implemented but had not carried it out.
The renunciation process, the department said in describing how the procedure works, requires multiple confirmations—through written and verbal attestations—to a State Department consular officer. Applicants must repeatedly confirm that they understand the implications of the step before being allowed to take a formal oath of renunciation, and the request is then reviewed by the department.
State Department first began charging Americans for formal renunciation in 2010, and the fee later rose. In 2015, the fee increased from $450 to $2,350, with the department raising it to cover administrative expenses as the number of people seeking to renounce surged in part after new U.S. tax reporting requirements for expatriates angered many.
Groups representing Americans who want to give up citizenship challenged the higher fee in court over the years, including the Association of Accidental Americans, which represents people mainly living abroad whose U.S. citizenship is due to having been born in the United States. One lawsuit remains pending and argues there should be no cost at all for renouncing citizenship.
In a statement responding to the decision, the Association of Accidental Americans’ president, Fabien Lehagre, said the group welcomed the change and described it as making the “fundamental right” accessible to all. The Associated Press also reported that, in court, the association said that since the 2023 announcement lowering the fee would happen, at least 8,755 Americans had paid the full $2,350 fee to renounce citizenship, while the State Department did not provide numbers for the total number of Americans who have renounced their citizenship.
The Associated Press correction that accompanied the report said the reduced fees were effective April 13, not March 13.