American by birth, but never worked there...But now they're asking for my TIN

Good evening,

I just opened a joint account with my husband with Santander, and all of a sudden Santander has sent me forms to fill out for US taxes...
I was only born in the U.S., and have no relatives, nor do I have a TIN.
I am currently living in the UK.
I am assuming I still need to fill out this form (I have an American passport along with my Japanese)

Any advice on this...? Or even just more information would be much appreciated
(yay to paying taxes in two countries!  )

Thank you

I had a quick look at the form to apply for a US passport and a required field is your Social Security Number, which is your TIN. Do you have a SSN?

If you are correct and you are a US person you would need to file annual US income tax returns & FBARs if the appropriate thresholds are exceeded.  Your first step will be to get to the US Embassy in London and apply for a US Social Security Number, as you cannot file tax returns without.

If you are correct and you are a US person you would need to file annual US income tax returns & FBARs if the appropriate thresholds are exceeded.  Your first step will be to get to the US Embassy in London and apply for a US Social Security Number, as you cannot file tax returns without.

Even if I have never worked there...?
I was born there and my parents went straight back to Japan (I dont think I was even a year old)

Thank you for your advice!

I had a quick look at the form to apply for a US passport and a required field is your Social Security Number, which is your TIN. Do you have a SSN?

I didn't apply for one, I was born there... so I dont know if I have a SSN. But I'll double check that with my family. Thank you 

I didn't apply for one, I was born there... so I dont know if I have a SSN. But I'll double check that with my family. Thank you 

Your position is very, very common. It is extremely unlikely you have an SSN today, so you'll need to apply for one and then file tax returns in the US both for the past and every year in the future for the remainder of your life, as US tax is citizenship based.

I didn't apply for one, I was born there... so I dont know if I have a SSN. But I'll double check that with my family. Thank you 

To get a passport for you they may have applied for a SSN. As a US citizen with a passport you can always apply for your SS card by mail and they should either reissue your card or issue you with a new one.

As mentioned you are liable to pay taxes on your worldwide income (above certain limits) regardless of where you live.

Please slow down and think about this carefully. It can be life-destroying for an accidental American such as yourself to enter the US tax compliance system. Please read this previous post and refer to the links therein: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=89282.msg1156857#msg1156857

I was going to say the same thing slow down and don't panic. I was in the same boat as you a few years ago and didn't know about any of these things except I knew I had a social security number, it was a case of looking it up for me. so you are far from alone. many people have found themselves in this situation and many more will in future.

And it's not just filing, it's fbar too. which is the report of the bank account and if you are opening a joint account with your spouse, this account may also need to be reported.

You can always do what I did, renounce US citizenship. This is a personal choice and not something to do lightly without thought. depends if you see yourself ever wanting to move to the US in future or work there. and you may need to plan your exit depending on your net worth.

so there are other options rather than just filing for the rest of your life.

also another important question is how much do you earn, because there is a filing threshold and if you don't work or earn very little, you may not even be required to file if under the threshold. so think things through, gather all the information before deciding on a course of action.

You guys are amazing, thank you.
I was definitely panicking a bit, but this has made me feel a lot better.

I am working part-time in the UK, and I don't earn more than 10K/a year.
My partner is a UK citizen and works full-time, but I'm not sure if that makes any difference...

So even if I don't meet the threshold, should I book an appointment with the US EMbassy in London and file my taxes?

The letter from Santander has asked me to give them my TIN (which I dont have yet)
And any other residence where I have an equivalent of that (I have a National Insurance Number in the UK).

And that's about it... maybe they will let me know what I need?

Thank you everyone!

I was thinking about renouncing my American citizenship, but my husband really wants to go and live in the U.S. for a couple years or something, so I thought it would be beneficial for now...

Based on what you have said, US law requires you to file US tax returns. Work on the assumption that you have already been reported on by a UK bank or financial institution, because that is their obligation under UK law. Your obligation under US law is to deliver annual tax and information returns. Most people in your circumstances would use the IRS streamlined procedures to catch up.

In addition to American Expatriates on Facebook, I can recommend the pages and kind people of the Isaac Brock Society http://isaacbrocksociety.ca. Please realise that once you file, you must continue to do so for the rest of your life or until you renounce, which at the moment costs $2,350. Your husband's financial information will need to be reported under FBAR if you have any joint accounts. Please think it through and do a lot of research, and try to avoid any rash decisions. I got a similar letter from Santander a while ago and it threw me into a massive panic. Santander are just trying to comply with FATCA and citizenship based taxation, which are both VERY bad laws and are being challenged by lawsuits and several members of Congress. I think Santander are aware, as are other banks, the UK Foreign Office, and the IRS Taxpayer Advocate, about how badly and unfairly this is affecting accidental Americans.

Thank you all so much.

So the options I have right now are either to send my information to Santander and begin filing my taxes, or renounce my citizenship, correct?

I think I should talk to my husband and see if he really wants to go through with all of this hassle (because now he is involved as well).

If I were to renounce my citizenship, is it very difficult to live in the US for a few years? I understand they are very strict on immigration now...

Thank you all so much