UPDATE: Sadly – the US Consulate in Dubai has just informed me that they cannot accept appointments for non-emergency services for non-UAE residents. Expatriation is considered a non-emergency to them, although I feel sure the individual wishing to expatriate would disagree. I have requested the Consulate to update me if the situation changes.
Welcome to our sandy beaches. Welcome to tax freedom.
Many US Embassies and Consulates throughout the world are not carrying out renunciation of citizenship services due to lockdown restrictions. Those wishing to renounce US citizenship are being denied the opportunity and are dealing with disrupted lives, threats of bank account closure and cancelled loans. It’s no secret that many foreign banks simply do not want US clients due to the FATCA issues that surround servicing them. For many Americans, continuing to hold US citizenship has become too burdensome. These are often “Accidental Americans” who acquired citizenship by happenstance, some of whom have never visited or lived in America at all.
Renounce Your US Citizenship in Dubai
Representing my clients and interfacing with the US Consulate, I have been successful in getting renunciation appointments for my clients at the US Consulate in Dubai. I believe I can help you or your clients schedule a renunciation appointment here on a fixed date. To date, no pre-interview at the Consulate has been required of my clients if I certify that all the ramifications of renunciation have been carefully and fully explained to them.
Travel to Dubai / No Quarantine
While the rules regarding travel are subject to change at any given time, many tourists to Dubai need only present a negative PCR test certificate (in English or Arabic) at the departure airport. Passengers coming from the UK and Germany may have the option to take a PCR test on arrival in Dubai. Other tourists must take two PCR tests; one before departure before travelling to Dubai, and a second PCR test upon arrival in Dubai. The different treatment all depends on the country from which one is traveling.
Full details about the Dubai travel rules are here, but the rules are subject to change. Given the ever-changing nature of circumstances surrounding the pandemic, the travel requirements (which are solely the responsibility of the individual traveler), absolutely should be verified with the airline carrier. One can also refer to Emirates Airline and FlyDubai which generally provide updated information.
I Can Help
I have been based in Dubai for 20 years, am admitted to the New York Bar since 1984 and been practicing US international tax for over 35 years. Expatriation is one of my specialties (all my blog posts on the topic are here), having handled my first expatriation in 1993 from Hong Kong under a vastly different US tax landscape. With my tax colleagues we can handle the tax filings required for relinquishing US citizenship.
If you need help with any aspect of giving up US citizenship, from pre-renunciation tax planning to getting a coveted appointment at the Consulate, to all the required tax filings, I am here to assist. Email me at vljeker@us-taxes.org
Posted March 5, 2021
All the US tax information you need, every week –
Just follow me on Twitter @VLJeker (listed in Forbes, Top 100 Must-Follow Tax Twitter Accounts 2017-2021).
Subscribe to Virginia – US Tax Talk to receive my weekly US tax blog posts in your inbox. My blog specializes in foreign and US international tax issues.
Visit my earlier US tax blog “Let’s Talk About US Tax” hosted by AngloInfo since 2011, it contains all my old posts. Some hyperlinks to my blog posts on AngloInfo may have expired. If you copy the expired URL, you can most likely retrieve the actual post by using the “Wayback Machine” which is an archiving service. Simply paste the URL into the Wayback Machine search box. It will show you the archived post was saved on a specific date. Click on that date to retrieve the post.
You can access my papers on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) at https://ssrn.com/author=2779920
Virginia - US TAX TALK 