To ask you to explain why someone would renounce citizenship of a country?

[InTheBox]

This is more out of curiosity than anything in particular. I'm under the impression that it's possible to hold citizenship for more than one country, so what would be the point in renouncing one's citizenship if it didn't really make a difference iyswim?

[ratspeaker]

Tax reasons?

[goodnightdarthvader1]

I went for a job at MI6 once. They wouldn't let me have dual nationality.

[ChalkHearts]

Not all countries allow you to hold more than one citizenship. In fact I think the US might not. So if you want to be a citizen of the US you'd have to renounce your British citizenship.

Did you know you can also renounce your citizenship and be stateless? People who strongly disagree with their govt or who don't want to pay tax do this (I have heard. Not that I know anyone who has done it)

[ChablisTyrant]

There are tax liability reasons to renounce certain citizenships. USA takes a charge on overseas earnings of non-resident citizens.

[mrsmugoo]

Some countries don't allow dual citizenship so if you want to naturalise then you'd have to renounce your original citizenship.

[Baboooshka]

In fact I think the US might not. So if you want to be a citizen of the US you'd have to renounce your British citizenship.

The US are happy for you to be a dual citizen. It's the tax situation which is increasingly impossible for US citizens who live overseas, and this is causing quite a lot of people to renounce, especially if they haven't even lived in the US since childhood.

[LivingInMidnight]

I don't think India allows dual nationality.

[LovelyBranches]

I got made to choose at 18. I was born in another country but have spent the majority of my life in the UK, my entire family are British. I chose to give up my other nationality and be entirely British.

[InTheBox]

Baboooshka I expected the US would come up. There was a thread quite a while ago in which (American) posters who lived abroad or had dcs which are therefore part American were discussing whether or not to declare themselves or wait for the IRS to come calling if it ever did. It seemed very wrought with confusion about what to do or decide.

[SenecaFalls]

US citizens can have dual citizenship, but I think at one time this was not clear. Ted Cruz, who is one of the Republican candidates for president had dual citizenship (he was born in Canada of American mother and Cuban father). He recently renounced his Canadian citizenship in part because some people have raised the issue of whether he is eligible to be president; the Constitution requires that presidents be "natural born" citizens.

[SenecaFalls]

Also naturalized US citizens do not have to give up citizenship of their original country if that country does not require it, so they can have dual citizenship. Scottish actor Alan Cumming became a naturalized US citizen in 2008 and he has also retained his British citizenship.

[MadameJosephine]

Some countries do not allow dual citizenship so you would have to denounce to take on citizenship of another country.

Also some countries such as the USA require non resident citizens to file tax returns and pay taxes to the US government so if you were never planning to return it could be financially beneficial to denounce your citizenship. My DS is actually entitled to claim US citizenship as his dad is American but has chosen not to for this reason

[eastwest]

My husband and I are citizens of different countries. I'm British, he's not. His country doesn't allow dual citizenship. We are trying to keep good links with his father's country (he speaks the language etc.) - I imagine in the future our child might make a decision to renounce British citizenship to take citizenship of his father's country.

[Noofly]

I renounced. I used to have US citizenship, but the tax filing requirements became too complicated for my liking.

[MooseBeTimeForSnow]

We've just become Canadian citizens. We were at our ceremony with a family of white South Africans from Johannesburg. They're renouncing their SA citizenship. They have no intention to live there again.

[Guitargirl]

I can think of many countries I would not want to be a citizen of.

And - as others have pointed out - some states do not allow for dual citizenship.

[Noofly]

LionsLedge I don't have any close family in the States now. We go there on holiday fairly often- are off to NYC in April and this will be the first time I need to fill out an ESTA. Hopefully it will go smoothly.

[hatters]

We've moved abroad and DH would like to renounce British citizenship once he has citizenship here "in case there's a draft".
But he thinks it's a good thing for DSs as it gives them the freedom to live in Europe, slightly confused thinking!
It's been a while since we discussed it to be fair, maybe he had second thoughts, it does seem like a big step.

[RealityCheque]

To avoid military conscription.

[TheGreatSnafu]

I have dual US/British and the tax stuff is awful.

As well as the fact that my DH already has British/Other dual citizenship which has caused us problems in the USA so he has considered renouncing his non-British citizenship to get US citizenship.

We got British / US dual for our children but they may want to renounce one of those should they chose to take up their Father's 2nd citizenship.

[hiddenhome2]

To avoid extradition?