# Question regarding dual citizenship of the US and UK **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 17, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-dual-citizenship-of-the-us-and-uk/712952 "2015-02-17T21:17:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-dual-citizenship-of-the-us-and-uk/712952/21 "2015-02-18T19:04:28Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So very very wrong. The Constitution outlaws the United States from handing out titles and specifies that a government official (as in does not apply to other Americans) needs the consent of Congress to accept a title. Thanks, I didn’t know that. I no longer have my copy of an interesting book called [On becoming American](http://www.amazon.com/On-becoming-American-Ted-Morgan/dp/0395262836). Written in 1978 by a French aristocrat who gave up a hugely wealthy lifestyle to adopt America as his homeland . He describes his process of gaining citizenship, and includes an anecdote about giving up his title of nobility ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-dual-citizenship-of-the-us-and-uk/712952/22 "2015-02-18T19:16:54Z")
> [@Blue\_Mood](#): > > My children are dual citizens, so they too will have to adhere to these rules, despite never having lived in the US. Come to think of it, their children will as well, unless they want to renounce their citizenship. Here’s an article explaining the predicament: [NY Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/us/11iht-expats11.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) > > And there are horror stories out there involving heavy fines. [hijack]What really pisses me off about these stories is that Obama is trying to be lenient with foreign nationals that knowingly violated federal law, i.e. illegal immigrants, in the name of compassion yet he makes no effort to do the same for American citizens whose only crime was not being aware of an obscure law or who honestly thought the law did not apply to them. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-dual-citizenship-of-the-us-and-uk/712952/23 "2015-02-18T19:59:01Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Thanks, I didn’t know that. I no longer have my copy of an interesting book called [On becoming American](http://www.amazon.com/On-becoming-American-Ted-Morgan/dp/0395262836). Written in 1978 by a French aristocrat who gave up a hugely wealthy lifestyle to adopt America as his homeland . He describes his process of gaining citizenship, and includes an anecdote about giving up his title of nobility Conversely, one wonders if there breathes an American with soul so dead he could give up his nationality in mere exchange of a hugely wealthy lifestyle for life. Title thrown in. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-dual-citizenship-of-the-us-and-uk/712952/24 "2015-02-18T20:31:29Z")
> [@Blue\_Mood](#): > > My children are dual citizens, so they too will have to adhere to these rules, despite never having lived in the US. Come to think of it, their children will as well, unless they want to renounce their citizenship. Here’s an article explaining the predicament: [NY Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/us/11iht-expats11.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) A guy (or his family) “fears” his savings _might_ be “targeted”? His mom couldn’t do basic research and instead assumed everything :dubious:. Definitive cite, there NYT! > [@chappachula](#): > > Thanks, I didn’t know that. I no longer have my copy of an interesting book called [On becoming American](http://www.amazon.com/On-becoming-American-Ted-Morgan/dp/0395262836). Written in 1978 by a French aristocrat who gave up a hugely wealthy lifestyle to adopt America as his homeland . He describes his process of gaining citizenship, and includes an anecdote about giving up his title of nobility A long nonexistent title, but I assume he addresses that. If I wanted to be a baron I could throw some money at an eccentric German woman. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-dual-citizenship-of-the-us-and-uk/712952/25 "2015-02-18T21:32:18Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Mr. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of — and I swear to heck I have no idea why we _have_ one — London, is **[relinquishing his US citizenship](http://rt.com/uk/232491-london-us-johnson-citizenship/)**, from being born in New York ( not a very unique event — had he been born in Wanker County it would have been far more appealing ). And aside from the Mayor of London, there is also the Lord Mayor of London, a separate guy. He’s got a much smaller area, and presumably the Lords Mayor are more likely to think that the US is still a colony. > [@Giles](#): > > I don’t think Churchill was a US citizen, until he became [an honorary US citizen in 1963](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorary_citizen_of_the_United_States). Although his mother was a US citizen, US law at the time of his birth didn’t allow citizenship to descend through the mother, only through a US-citizen father. Éamon de Valera was born a decade later, and supposedly spared execution partially because of his US birth. I think that that’s a bit of an overstatement and there were other reasons why he was “overlooked.” And yes, Ireland was under UK then, hence their justification for death sentences! ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-dual-citizenship-of-the-us-and-uk/712952/26 "2015-02-18T22:02:42Z")
Well, Ireland itself retained the death penalty, last used in 1954. And it wasn’t as if during the War for Independence the new state authorities weren’t topping folk both officially and unofficially. Amusingly, Dev himself signed off on death penalties for some IRA people during WWII. As for the Lord Mayor of the City of London that is a most respectable position, dating back to the 12th century, and is probably the highest office an aspiring young Freemason can achieve. The Mayor of London dates back to 2000 AD. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-dual-citizenship-of-the-us-and-uk/712952/27 "2015-02-19T06:48:32Z")
> [@Blue\_Mood](#): > > Filing creates a big burden for US citizens living overseas. I’ve been doing it for 15 years and I don’t consider it a big burden. It takes about ten minutes to fill out the forms and send them. If I was actually earning enough to be liable for US taxes, that would be another story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-dual-citizenship-of-the-us-and-uk/712952.md?page=1)