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Renouncing US citizenship just got 5x pricier at $2,350

September 9, 2015
Renouncing a U.S. citizenship just got more costly at $2,350. (Photo courtesy of Beatrice Murch via Flickr/Creative Commons)

Renouncing a U.S. citizenship just got more costly at $2,350. (Photo courtesy of Beatrice Murch via Flickr/Creative Commons)

On Sept. 12, the U.S. State Department will permanently raise the cost of renouncing citizenship to $2,350 despite public opposition.

Technically the price was raised from $450 a year ago, but up until now the price hike was seen as a temporary change.

It would seem that the U.S. really doesn’t want to lose its citizens, but it insists that the change is purely to keep up with the demand of expatriation.

Renounced citizenships and green cards totaled less than 100 in 2009, but rose to approximately 3,000 in 2014 according to the Wall Street Journal.

The State Department admits on its own website that money isn’t the only barrier to accomplishing the task.

“The process of expatriation for a U.S. national requires a thorough, serious, time-consuming process,” it writes.

More specifically, there are piles of paperwork, in-person interviews and many levels of bureaucracy to go through before one can finally let go of their U.S. citizenship.