STATE DEPARTMENT CUTS FEE TO RENOUNCE US CITIZENSHIP BY 80% TO $450.(PHOTO).

 State Department cuts fee to renounce US citizenship by 80% to $450

The State Department has reduced the fee required for Americans to formally renounce their U.S. citizenship by about 80%, lowering the cost from $2,350 to $450. The change took effect on Friday after the department published a final rule in the Federal Register. The lower fee had been announced in 2023 but had not previously been implemented. The new price returns the cost to the same level charged when the government first began requiring a fee for renouncing citizenship in 2010.

Giving up U.S. citizenship remains a complex and lengthy process. Individuals seeking to renounce must meet with a State Department consular officer and repeatedly confirm—both in writing and verbally—that they fully understand the legal and personal consequences of the decision. After taking a formal oath of renunciation, the request must also be reviewed and approved by the department before it becomes official.

The fee was originally increased from $450 to $2,350 in 2015 as the government sought to cover administrative costs while applications to renounce citizenship surged. That rise was largely attributed to stricter U.S. tax reporting requirements affecting Americans living abroad, which led some expatriates to consider relinquishing their citizenship.

The higher fee sparked opposition from advocacy groups representing Americans overseas. One such group, the Association of Accidental Americans, represents individuals who hold U.S. citizenship primarily because they were born in the United States but have spent much of their lives abroad. The organization challenged the fee in court, arguing that the high cost created an unfair barrier for people seeking to exercise their right to renounce citizenship.

The group welcomed the decision to reduce the fee, calling it an important step toward making the process more accessible. Advocacy efforts and legal challenges over several years helped bring attention to the issue. Court filings in one ongoing case indicated that since the fee reduction was first announced in 2023, at least 8,755 Americans still paid the full $2,350 cost before the new rule was finalized. The State Department has not publicly released overall figures showing how many Americans have formally renounced their citizenship.