‘Accidental’ Americans in France welcome lower fee to give up citizenship

The Association of Accidental Americans (AAA) – representing people who have US citizenship due to birth in America, but with few other links to the country – has welcomed a reduction in the price for renouncing citizenship.

The reduction, from $2,350 to $450, comes into play next month and follows years of lobbying by the group.

Many AAA members dislike obligations relating to bank account reporting and tax filing that come with US citizenship.

The association reports that the final rule was published in the Federal Register (official journal of the US government) on March 13 and effective 30 days later.

It estimates therefore anyone with a renunciation appointment scheduled before April 12 will be charged the old rate with the new fee will apply to those with appointments on or after the date.

A State Department spokesperson said: “The Trump administration is committed to strengthening the integrity of American citizenship.

“US citizenship is a gift that should be cherished. Those who freely and without duress wish to renounce their citizenship should not face unnecessary burdens to remain US citizens longer than is absolutely necessary.”

The fee relates to obtaining a ‘Certificate of Loss of Nationality’ from US embassies or consulates overseas.

AAA president Fabien Lehagre, who is French, said the lowering was a “historic victory” and came after “six years of relentless legal action and advocacy”.

Noting that US founding father Thomas Jefferson once described voluntary renunciation a “natural right”, Mr Lehagre said they will continue to press for it to be recognised as a “fundamental constitutional right”.

In December 2020, the AAA and 20 individual ‘accidental Americans’ of 10 nationalities filed a complaint before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the constitutionality of the current high fee.

The AAA attributes “pressure from this lawsuit” to the State Department’s decision on January 6, 2023 to notify the court of its intention to reduce the fee.

In June 2025, the AAA wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, demanding publication of the reduced fee and in January 2026, the association reports having filed a new federal action.

It estimates that at least 8,755 individuals have applied to renounce citizenship since the State Department first promised to reduce the fee in 2023.

This is based on data from the ‘Quarterly Publication of Individuals, Who Have Chosen to Expatriate’, published by the IRS (US tax service) in the Federal Register.

The US has a strict version of what France calls le droit du sol, meaning that in this case anyone born on US soil is American. 

Objections of AAA members with regard to US citizenship include citizen-based taxation, which means most Americans are required to submit annual American tax returns of their worldwide income, creating an administrative obligation (in many cases, however, there is no extra tax to pay due to the US-France double tax treaty and high US tax allowances).

In addition, legislation known as FATCA, requiring foreign banks to report to the US about their American customers, reportedly causes complications with opening bank accounts, obtaining mortgages and other financial dealings.

Legal action is ongoing, arguing that renunciation is a constitutional right that should not be monetised.

We have identified wording drafted by Jefferson in A Bill Declaring Who Shall Be Deemed Citizens of This Commonwealth (1779) that refers to “...that natural right, which all men have of relinquishing the country, in which birth, or other accident may have thrown them”. However, no rules on this appear specifically in the (1778) US Constitution itself. 

The AAA was founded in 2017 by Mr Lehagre, representing people who in many cases have never worked in the US or lived there for a significant part of their lives and who often do not even speak English.

Some only became aware of their US nationality when FATCA came into force.