Renouncing and losing your citizenship both result in no longer being a U.S. citizen. Learn how to voluntarily renounce your citizenship or how you might involuntarily lose it.
What happens when you renounce or lose your U.S. citizenship
Renouncing or losing your citizenship both happen under very limited circ*mstances. Both mean that you:
See Also
Hundreds of thousands of stateless people are living in legal limbo in the U.S.Will USCIS Check My Criminal Background If I Apply for Citizenship?Maintaining Permanent Resident StatusThe Naturalization Interview and Test- No longer have rights and responsibilities as a U.S. citizen. But you may still be:
- Subject to tax payments
- Eligible for Social Security benefits
- Must become a citizen of another nation or risk becoming "stateless"
- May need a visa to return to the U.S.
How to renounce your U.S. citizenship
Contact the U.S. embassy or consulate in the country where you intend to live to sign an oath to renounce your U.S. citizenship.
Learn more about the renunciation process.
How you may lose your U.S. citizenship
You may lose your U.S. citizenship in specific cases, including if you:
- Run for public office in a foreign country (under certain conditions)
- Enter military service in a foreign country (under certain conditions)
- Apply for citizenship in a foreign country with the intention of giving up U.S. citizenship
- Commit an act of treason against the United States
- Are a naturalized U.S. citizen who faces denaturalization due to committing certain crimes
Learn more about acts that could result in losing your U.S. citizenship.
LAST UPDATED: January 11, 2024
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