So I tried renunciation in Taiwan and I can’t unless I re-enter, hopefully this information helps others thinking of doing the same since the embassy has all kinds of weird requirements not documented on their site.
you can’t renounce from the US
you can’t renounce from Taiwan if you entered with your US passport (only the local TW embassy will tell you this after you register with a local number)
you can’t renounce from Taiwan if you don’t have another citizenship
you can’t renounce if you don’t have your original naturalization certificate
if you were born in the US before 18, it’s harder to renounce, need additional docs (I wasn’t)
if you went to the US originally for work purposes, it’s harder to renounce (I didn’t)
Probably some other requirements. The line is 6 months! And if you do make it to the appointment you have to pay the ~2k fee.
Unfortunately for me I have to exit and come back under a different passport.
They’re making it ever more difficult and expensive for productive citizens to escape the coming economic meltdown. It’s worth the effort to get out now though because one day the only way out will be to tunnel your way out.
They can, and in fact people have been extradited simply for the fact that they did something that involved the US in some way even though they are not US citizens. For example trafficking drugs and an associate of theirs was caught in the US, using US based mail carrier to do it (for example, Fedex, UPS, etc.), cybercrimes that involve the US. Most countries will bend over backward for the US when it comes to extradition requests because they wield that much power.
Furthermore the US since about 2010 (I really forgot when) made it much harder for Americans to renounce, you know when they increased the fee to 2000. Not sure why but they wanted to be able to go after someone for not paying American tax even if they never been to the US and were accidental US Citizens (born in the US, born to a US citizen abroad, etc.)
Not necessarily politics but any discussion about renouncing US citizenship can’t avoid politics since policies around this are generally politically charged.
People do try to escape the US. Why do you think some people try to go to Canada?
Taiwan doesn’t have extradition treaties with the US, but if the US wants you bad enough, they’ll send a few Federal agents and kidnap you. Happened before. Either that or send that “Dog bounty hunter” after you after making a reality show out of it.
If you enter on your UK, the Taiwanese will force you to renounce that. I would wait till your 5 years is up and then start the procedures in the US. You’ll have a better time once you’re a citizen.
You said it’s at least a six month wait. Have you been here long?