MasterJays question: So if this is correct and if a USC served, for example, in the Israeli armed forces they would loose their US citizenship?
The answer is no.
In a nutshell, they will not take citizenship away nor even care if one becomes British, serves in the forces, works for the gov’t or takes a routine oath unless you go and say I quit. Could one even do it? The paper pushers would probably not have a clue what to do. I mean how many times would they have even seen a request to give it all up?
But just so everybody is aware, if one reads on further, the presumption is you wish to retain your US citizenship unless you state otherwise
only applies to the following: (I have underlined the key words)
1. is naturalized in a foreign country;
2. takes a
routine oath of allegiance to a foreign state;
3. serves in the armed forces of a foreign state
not engaged in hostilities with the United States, or
4. accepts
non-policy level employment with a foreign government,
So basically just about every member of UKY that has concerns of losing their US citizenship should rest easy.
It ain’t gonna happen. I could be wrong but I am not aware anyone in here seeking political office or gainfully employed at gov’t policy level.
But to answer a general question: Can one lose their US citizenship? The answer is yes. It probably doesn’t happen often but I am sure there are times that a US citizen gets to “help the Dept of State with their enquiries†for the following reasons:
non-routine oaths could attract attention
high policy level employment
seeking election
but even then it would be rare for them to strip a person of their citizenship.
In a nut shell, it is hard to lose one's US citizenship; possible but unlikely. Following quotes are taken Department of State's site
(highlights are DoS derived, not mine)
POLICY LEVEL POSITIONS
Conversely, a person who publicly denied an intent to retain citizenship, and/or who exercised the authorities of a very high-level foreign office in a manner flagrantly violative of United States law or otherwise inconsistent with allegiance to the United States, stopped paying his/her taxes, traveled to the United States on a foreign passport, and abandoned any residence in the United States might be found to have intended to relinquish U.S. citizenship notwithstanding certain statements to the contrary. Therefore, the Department will consider statements, as well as inferences drawn from the person's conduct, in determining one's intent to remain a U.S. citizen. Intent is determined on a case-by-case basis in light of the facts and circumstances of each individual's case. If expressed intent and conduct are consistent with a lack of intent to relinquish U.S. citizenship, the Department would generally conclude that no loss has occurred
ELECTED OFFICIALS:
This administrative premise is not applicable when an individual seeks public elected office in a foreign state or other policy-level position. In such cases, the Department of State will carefully ascertain the individual's intent toward U.S. citizenship
Because the Department's administrative practice presumes that U.S. citizens employed in non-policy level positions in a foreign government do not have the requisite intent to relinquish U.S. citizenship, there are no efforts to seek out or adjudicate the citizenship of citizens who fall into this category of employment. On the other hand, because there is no administrative presumption that U.S. citizens who hold policy-level positions in foreign governments necessarily intend to retain their U.S. citizenship, efforts are made to fully adjudicate such cases to determine the individual's intent. (Service in a country's legislative body is considered by the Department to be a policy level position.)
In some cases, it would appear that holding a foreign office may be incompatible with maintaining U.S. citizenship (e.g. if the position necessarily entails absolute immunity from U.S. law and the powers of the office are exercised in a manner contrary to United States law), although even this situation would be examined on a case by case basis. The Department does not normally consider foreign government service alone as sufficient to sustain the burden of showing loss of U.S. citizenship by a preponderance of the evidence when the individual has explicitly expressed a contrary intent. This is particularly true when the individual continues to file U.S. tax returns, enters and leaves the U.S. on a U.S. passport (as required by law), maintains close ties in the U.S. (such as maintaining a residence in the U.S.), and takes other actions consistent with an intent to retain U.S. citizenship. Conversely, a person who publicly denied an intent to retain citizenship, and/or who exercised the authorities of a very high-level foreign office in a manner flagrantly violative of United States law or otherwise inconsistent with allegiance to the United States, stopped paying his/her taxes, traveled to the United States on a foreign passport, and abandoned any residence in the United States might be found to have intended to relinquish U.S. citizenship notwithstanding certain statements to the contrary. Therefore, the Department will consider statements, as well as inferences drawn from the person's conduct, in determining one's intent to remain a U.S. citizen. Intent is determined on a case-by-case basis in light of the facts and circumstances of each individual's case. If expressed intent and conduct are consistent with a lack of intent to relinquish U.S. citizenship, the Department would generally conclude that no loss has occurred
