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kookaburrah · Post by **kookaburrah** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 4:48 pm

As I know even more Americans who dug around their family trees to get their Irish/British/Italian passports! Nothing 3rd world about that either.

kookaburrah wrote:Sorry. The US passport. I know many Brits who took up US citizenship.

JR8 wrote:
kookaburrah wrote: There is nothing 3rd world about this, and you will find many Britons who have acquired blue passports because it made sense to them.
What is a 'blue passport'?

I don't think I know any Brits who have dual nationality.

zzm9980 · Post by **zzm9980** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 5:45 pm

kookaburrah wrote:As I know even more Americans who dug around their family trees to get their Irish/British/Italian passports! Nothing 3rd world about that either.

kookaburrah wrote:Sorry. The US passport. I know many Brits who took up US citizenship.

JR8 wrote: What is a 'blue passport'?

I don't think I know any Brits who have dual nationality.

Having a 'blue passport' is a very large financial burden. I don't think there is anything third world about trying to minimize tax exposure. In fact, it sounds very much like a first-world 1%'er thing to me.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 6:05 pm

zzm9980 wrote:Having a 'blue passport' is a very large financial burden. I don't think there is anything third world about trying to minimize tax exposure. In fact, it sounds very much like a first-world 1%'er thing to me.

When I wrote the question, I had no idea what the suggested nationality was. It was simply that IME people who shop for additional nationailities are normally trying to flea or evade a dysfunctional one.

At one point in time I was entitled to the hallowed 'green card'. But when I understood the implications of it, I passed it up. 20 years later I've never regretted that decision.

No I'm all for minimising tax, but can't see how taking up additional citizenships changes a US tax liability. In fact I thought the IRS had you on the hook for life...

zzm9980 · Post by **zzm9980** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 7:51 pm

[quote="JR8" It was simply that IME people who shop for additional nationailities are normally trying to flea or evade a dysfunctional one.[/quote]

This is 100% true, even as it applies to Americans looking to flea the US IRS's deep talons....

JR8 wrote:No I'm all for minimising tax, but can't see how taking up additional citizenships changes a US tax liability. In fact I thought the IRS had you on the hook for life...

Once you have your new passport, you renounce the US Citizenship, potentially paying a painful exit tax in the process. Less legitimately, you just leave the US, stop paying, and don't go back to the US. As long as you don't do anything to pop-up on their radar, they likely won't notice.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 8:14 pm

Meanwhile... none of you Yanks have renounced US citizenship have you?

It's all theoretical?

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 8:43 pm

JR8 wrote:Meanwhile... none of you Yanks have renounced US citizenship have you?

It's all theoretical?

Eduardo Saverin, Co-founder of FB did.

Bernie Utchenik of Botak Jones gave up his US Citizenship in 2009 for Singapore Citizenship.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 8:48 pm

So that's two people, out of 300 million.

Meanwhile another 20 million wetbacks have arrived.

hehehe .... 'nowhere else to go' ...

zzm9980 · Post by **zzm9980** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 9:14 pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24135021

The number of expatriates renouncing their US citizenship surged in the second quarter of 2013, compared with the same period the year before - 1,131 cases to 189 in 2012. It's still a small proportion of the estimated six million Americans abroad, but it's a significant rise.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 9:22 pm

JR8 wrote:So that's two people, out of 300 million.

Meanwhile another 20 million wetbacks have arrived.

hehehe .... 'nowhere else to go' ...

hehehe.... obviously it's not theoretical is it.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 9:25 pm

I sense insecurity. Not knowing what you think you might perhaps fear, but haven't clocked yet.

It's complex, but I with others stand back and look on, smiling...

Post by **Strong Eagle** » Thu, 31 Oct 2013 10:38 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:I believe SE has UK/Can/US passports.

True. Canadian by birth. UK by right of descent. US by naturalization.

So, I was a British citizen from moment of birth, then became naturalized US citizen.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Fri, 01 Nov 2013 7:12 am

Hmmm. Do you have three passports, and do you use them all, and if so when/how? I suppose I curious what the virtue is.

Are there other additional burdens? (Such as, as I mentioned earlier, a US 'Green Card' requiring you to file US tax returns).

katbh · Post by **katbh** » Fri, 01 Nov 2013 8:03 am

Many many people - people you would not suspect - have 2 or three passports. And what is wrong with this? It merely reflects their life, where they were born, their family, their work. I believe it is as it should be.
And it is all well to say 'such and such' has given up their US/UK/AUS/MAL citizenship to take up citizenship in country that will not allow dual citizenship. But guess what, they mostly take it back up again after the process in the new country.
Some countries take pride in not allowing any other country to tell their citizens that they must give up citizenship.
So all a bit of a moot argument really.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Fri, 01 Nov 2013 8:27 am

Er, but that doesn't answer my question.

p.s. I never suggested there is anything 'wrong' with having 2+ passports, it's just I can't understand the net benefit (for most people).

PrimroseHill · Post by **PrimroseHill** » Fri, 01 Nov 2013 8:31 am

JR8 wrote:
kookaburrah wrote: There is nothing 3rd world about this, and you will find many Britons who have acquired blue passports because it made sense to them.
What is a 'blue passport'?

I don't think I know any Brits who have dual nationality.

Many Brits are

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