Under United States federal law, a U.S. citizen or national may voluntarily and intentionally give up that status and become an alien with respect to the United States. Relinquishment is distinct from denaturalization, which in U.S. law refers solely to cancellation of illegally procured naturalization.
The State Department now requires that a relinquisher seeking to obtain a Certificate of Loss of Nationality attend an in-person interview at a U.S. diplomatic mission abroad, such as the U.S. Consulate in Amsterdam (pictured), to assess the person's intent towards U.S. citizenship.
Mike Gogulski voluntarily gave up his U.S. citizenship without acquiring any other.
Valdas Adamkus renounced U.S. citizenship to run for president of Lithuania, and was elected to the position twice.
Raffi Hovannisian
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Raffi K. Richardi Hovannisian is an Armenian politician, the first Foreign Minister of Armenia and the founding leader of the national liberal Heritage party. He is the founder of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies, the country's first independent research center.
Raffi Hovannisian at Yerevan's Freedom Square during his "Fast for Freedom" hunger-strike, March 2011.
Hovannisian addressing the crowd at Yerevan's Freedom Square on 22 February 2013