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How long can a U.S. citizen stay outside of the country without losing citizenship/residency?
Anonymous4 views5 answers
How long can a U.S. citizen stay outside of the country without losing citizenship/residency? Must the U.S. citizen apply for a visa with the particular country he/she wishes to visit for an extended period of time?
Giacomo Jacques BeharImmigration AttorneySan Diego, CACA licensed ·
A US citizen may remain outside the USA forever if he/she so wishes and will never lose his/her US citizenship. All that citizen will need to do is walk into a US embassy every 10 years and simply apply for the renewal of his/her US passport.
Note that a USC has the obligation to file income tax returns every year, even if living abroad, and report his/her worldwide income.
The answer to your last question depends on the laws of each such individual country the USC is considering residing long term in. In general the answer is "yes", since while a US citizen is able to travel visa free to almost any country around the globe, with a few notable exceptions of some dictatorships or theocracies and other obscure third world countries, a US citizen (or the citizen of any country) will have to apply for a special "long-term residence permit" visa if wish to remain beyond the few months allowed visa free.
Ronald David WiltonEmployment / Labor AttorneyEncino, CA ·
An American citizen does not lose their citizenship merely by living in another country. It would depend on the country you are in to determine how long you can stay with or without a visa.
You can't lose your citizenship for living abroad - only a green card holder risks losing legal permanent residence status in those circumstances. If the country you are visiting participates in the visa waiver program you may not need a visa, but check with the country you plan to travel. Extended travel almost always requires a visa.
Simply living outside of this US,, by itself, does not cause a person to lose their US citizenship. Every country has its own immigration rules, the US does not determine whether another country will require you to have a visa to visit.
