Americans considering giving up their U.S. citizenship just received a major update from Washington.
The U.S. Department of State has dramatically reduced the cost required to formally renounce American citizenship. Under a newly issued rule, the fee has been lowered from $2,350 to $450. The change represents a roughly 80 percent decrease and restores the cost to the same level that was in place more than a decade ago.
The policy shift was finalized through a rule published in the Federal Register on Friday. According to the State Department, the adjustment was made to address concerns raised by Americans living overseas who said the previous fee placed an excessive financial burden on individuals attempting to complete the process.
Officials acknowledged those concerns directly in the rule announcement.
“help alleviate the cost burden for those individuals who decide to request CLN services by returning to the below-cost fee that was in place from 2010-2014.”
The move marks a significant policy change after years of criticism from expatriate Americans who argued that the government had priced the process far beyond what many people could afford.
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