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EXPLAINED: Why do US citizens in Switzerland give up their American passports?

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
EXPLAINED: Why do US citizens in Switzerland give up their American passports?
Giving up US citizenship is irrevocable- Photo by AFP

As the US election is only days away, it is interesting to look at the reasons that push many American citizens living abroad — including in Switzerland — to take a drastic and irrevocable step of renouncing their US citizenships.

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How many US citizens live in Switzerland and how many have given up their American passports?

There about 7 million Americans living outside of the United States, but the real number is likely higher, as some may not be registered with consular services in their country of residence.

In Switzerland alone, the number of US citizens is estimated, roughly, at 30,000. However, dual nationals — those who retain their US citizenship in addition to the Swiss one — are not counted in the official statistics as Americans, but only as Swiss.

Globally, more than 5,800 Americans gave up their citizenship in the first six months of 2020, compared to the 2,072 in all of 2019, according to Bambridge Accountants, a New York-based firm specializing in US expat tax issues.

The US government is not releasing the number of renunciations by country, so exact figures for Switzerland are hard to come by.

The Local has knowledge of hundreds of Americans who have either renounced their citizenship at the US Embassy in Bern, or have already filed their applications there but are waiting for an appointment.

The number of renunciations is not high if viewed on annual basis. But if taken collectively over several years, it is proportionally significant.

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Why do US nationals give up their passports?

The main reason is taxes and other financial constraints.

Not only are Americans abroad required to report to the US government their assets held in foreign banks – for instance savings accounts and mortgages – but also to declare the income they earn in their countries of residence.

Even though their income is generated in a foreign country — where they already pay taxes — expatriates must also file tax returns in the United States, the only industrialised nation that taxes its citizens on worldwide earnings.

Even if a US citizen living overseas doesn’t owe any money to Uncle Sam, they have to deal with complex and confusing filing rules that change frequently.

And the penalty for even unintentional errors is steep. US government can impose a fine of $10,000 a year for undisclosed foreign accounts, even if they don’t generate any taxable income in the United States.

The rules concern not only US expatriates, many of whom eventually do return to the United States. They apply also to the so-called ‘accidental Americans’— those born abroad to US parents, but who have never lived in the US themselves.

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This is what some Americans in Switzerland who had given up their US passports told The Local:

“Having to divulge my foreign accounts to the US and to pay taxes on income that wasn’t earned in the United States did not seem fair, and it was a huge financial burden”. (William B., Geneva)

“I already pay taxes in Switzerland. Why should I also pay in the US? I will never go back to live there, so will draw zero benefits from all the taxes I’ve paid”. (R.L. Zug).

“I was born in Switzerland and never lived in the US. I got my citizenship through my American dad. Why am I supposed to be financially obligated to a country to which I have no ties?” (Carole D., Lausanne).

And a contributor to Switzerland’s expat forum wrote that she had given up her US passport “and never regretted it. Finding out that I was supposed to be filing in US tax returns over 40 years after I'd left the country was just ridiculous to me”.

How do Americans go about renouncing their passports in Switzerland?

The process is explained on the website of the US Embassy in Bern. 

“If you decide that this is the course of action you wish to pursue, there are several steps you need to take. including an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Bern”.

“At the in-person interview you must demonstrate to the consular officer that you fully understand the nature and consequences of the oath of renunciation, that you are not subject to duress or undue influence, and that you are voluntarily and intentionally seeking to renounce your U.S. citizenship.”

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Citizens can give up their passport only if they are tax-compliant, that is, if they have filed their declarations each year and don’t owe any US tax. Otherwise, they must pay up what they owe before they are allowed to proceed with the process of renunciation.

Also, they must pay a $2,350 fee. The whole process takes between several weeks to months, depending on how many applicants the embassy has at any given moment.

Currently, due to the pandemic, the embassy in Bern is handling only a limited number of cases.

An important thing to remember is that only people who have dual nationality can give up their US passports.

What are the disadvantages of renouncing US citizenship?

This act is irrevocable — once a person is stripped of his or her citizenship, they can never get it back.

By giving up their passports, they also renounce their rights as citizens, including permanent residence, work, and voting.

Ex-Americans can still visit the United States, but only under the same conditions as any other foreigner, which may include visa requirements and limits on the time they can remain in the country.

 

 

 

 

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Anonymous 2020/12/12 10:48
This article does not mention how the US taxes American citizens living abroad on their 2nd pilar pensions as well. All contributions, including the employer match are considered income and therefore taxed. Donald Trump can get away with years of tax fraud but us average working citizens are supposed to be penalized for our foreign pensions. It truly is an outrage!
Anonymous 2020/10/29 16:04
I have both. But currently live in the US. I tend to be less critical than some sideline commentators of US policy but worldwide taxation--I have to admit--is as dumb and as unfair as it gets. Were I to move back to CH I dump my US passport like my morning constitutional.

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