The U.S. State Department has dramatically reduced the cost for Americans to renounce their citizenship, cutting the fee by 80 percent in a move that fulfills a promise first made in 2023 but never implemented until now.
From Breitbart:
It is now 80 percent cheaper for Americans who choose to renounce their U.S. citizenship to make it official. The U.S. State Department on Friday published a rule that cut the cost from $2,350 to $450 after it was promised in 2023. However, the rule did not take effect until now.
The new $450 fee represents a return to 2010 pricing, when federal officials first began charging for the administrative processing of renunciation requests. The fee had been raised to $2,350 in 2015 as the number of Americans seeking to renounce their citizenship surged, driven in part by new U.S. tax reporting requirements for American expatriates.
The State Department has cut the fee for people to renounce their US citizenship by more than 80%, in a victory for so-called “accidental Americans” who had challenged the fee. https://t.co/5eYlrXFS9R
— Bloomberg Tax (@tax) March 12, 2026
The process to renounce U.S. citizenship remains rigorous. Applicants must repeatedly confirm in multiple written and verbal attestations to a State Department consular officer that they understand the implications of their decision before being allowed to take a formal oath of renunciation. Each case must then be reviewed by the department.
The fee reduction comes as the Trump administration continues to overhaul immigration and citizenship policies. While the administration has made it cheaper for citizens to exit, it has simultaneously strengthened the evaluation process for those seeking to become Americans.
From Breitbart:
President Donald Trump told legalized immigrants they were accepting the “highest responsibility” in becoming citizens. “My fellow Americans, how exciting this is. Congratulations. Today, you receive one of the most priceless gifts ever granted by human hands. You become a citizen of the United States of America. What an honor,” he said.
If you hate America, then leave.
— Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) October 29, 2025
Go back to the country you came from and make that country great.
But stop trying to turn America into the place you escaped from.
The current cost to renounce your citizenship is $2,350.
I’d like to propose that the White House waive that fee…
President Trump’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has also strengthened its evaluation standards for foreign nationals seeking citizenship and launched efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans found to have fraudulently secured their legal status.
From Breitbart:
During a congressional hearing this week, USCIS Director Joe Edlow told Congress that the Trump administration had uncovered immigration fraud in 65 percent of cases USCIS investigated.
🚨 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬!🚨 Thanks to the persistent efforts of the Association des Américains Accidentels (AAA), the cost to renounce U.S. citizenship will plunge from a whopping $2,350 down to a more reasonable $450. 💸
— Accidental Americans (@USAccidental) September 30, 2023
It's still quite a price tag, but hey, it's over 80%…
The contrasting approaches reflect the administration’s broader philosophy: making it easier for those who wish to leave to do so, while tightening scrutiny for those seeking to enter and become citizens. The State Department estimates approximately 4,661 people apply each year for a Certificate of Loss of Nationality.
The new $450 fee took effect immediately upon publication of the final rule in the Federal Register on Friday.
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