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

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 very much LionHeart. Could I ask what you did? Or your process? Did you renounce your citizenship?

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.

(For some reason my reply didnt post...)

thank you very much LionHeart.
If it's okay to ask, what process did you go through? or did you renounce your citizenship?
It would be great to hear other people's experiences...
I am really new to this, and I don't know too much about anything...

Thank you!

Sure, it was more straightforward for me because I already had a SSN (moved to UK in my early 20s). I put the requested info on the Santander form and wrote at the top that I am a UK citizen and resident and have no presence, income or assets etc in the US. I also phoned them to clarify the reason for this, as I'd never heard of fatca, and they were very apologetic about having to ask me this information. I think they know it is terribly unjust.

I did streamlined after that, with the help of a UK accountant, with the intention to renounce. I still need to do one more year of tax and fbar filing (5 years of filing is required, and 3 of that was under streamlined) to be allowed to pay my $2350 fee and renounce.

Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have done that. I would have given Santander the info and then done nothing. As far as I'm aware, there are no cases of the IRS going after accidentals. The US know there is already a big outcry about this and they know it will get way worse if they are seen to go after innocent accidentals with no ties to the US.

It is an awful situation to be in and I hope that you and your husband have good luck in deciding the best course of action.

Hi - you have (not on purpose) misunderstood. Santander will report you to HMRC, whether or not you reply to their FATCA letter. This is their obligation under UK law, signed by the Queen in 2012. You cannot change this.

If you renounce without filing US tax and information returns for the 5 years prior to the year of renouncing, you will automatically become a covered expatriate and potentially owe a substantial expatriation tax liability to the IRS.

Most people in your circumstances are using the IRS streamlined procedures to catch up.

What you say is true, but the situation is very different and vastly more complex for an accidental with no SSN. For such people, entering the US tax system may not be the right thing to do. It is very likely that there will be amnesty for accidentals and indeed this has already come close to happening. Please carry out thorough research from all sides, OP, and beware of tax compliance industry scaremongering that aims at fleecing innocent accidentals and duals who owe NO tax.

What you say is true, but the situation is very different and vastly more complex for an accidental with no SSN. For such people, entering the US tax system may not be the right thing to do. It is very likely that there will be amnesty for accidentals and indeed this has already come close to happening. Please carry out thorough research from all sides, OP, and beware of tax compliance industry scaremongering that aims at fleecing innocent accidentals and duals who owe NO tax.

The OP is determined to be a US citizen and wishes to comply with the laws of the United States. As a US citizen it is entirely possible to get those laws changed by exercising ordinary democratic rights of voting and lobbying. It is fiction to pretend that the IRS do not have the resources to find people who deliberately hide. This is not the case with the OP; who has no desire to hide.

All countries back to ancient Egypt, Babylon, New Testament & Old Testament times have had tax and have had accountants trained to help people who do not feel comfortable handling their own tax affairs. If the OP wishes to use an adviser this would her choice.

My situation is that I found out as well through a Fatca letter, never heard of it before. this was back in 2015. I had been living in the UK for decades and also never worked in the US. My US passport was even expired in 2015.

This was a period were there was a lot scaremongering into complying. The renunciation process I found relatively easy. I was lucky with the back filing too in that I had very good records. I did 5 years filing, 6 years Fbars and renounced.
I have never regretted this decision for one second.

Also you do not contact the IRS or the embassy about filing or even an accountant at this stage. Gather the facts and information, talk to your husband, decide on the best course of action. My husband was pretty adamant he wanted nothing to do with this. There is much more to this than just filing. You will have problems saving for retirement abroad or investing if you decide to go forth.
There is a reason people advise you to know enter the US tax system.

Feel free to come back and ask questions any time.

My situation is that I found out as well through a Fatca letter, never heard of it before. this was back in 2015. I had been living in the UK for decades and also never worked in the US. My US passport was even expired in 2015.

This was a period were there was a lot scaremongering into complying. The renunciation process I found relatively easy. I was lucky with the back filing too in that I had very good records. I did 5 years filing, 6 years Fbars and renounced.
I have never regretted this decision for one second.

Also you do not contact the IRS or the embassy about filing or even an accountant at this stage. Gather the facts and information, talk to your husband, decide on the best course of action. My husband was pretty adamant he wanted nothing to do with this. There is much more to this than just filing. You will have problems saving for retirement abroad or investing if you decide to go forth.
There is a reason people advise you to know enter the US tax system.

Feel free to come back and ask questions any time.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

I will definitely come back to this after I talk to my husband.

Thank you all!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

I will definitely come back to this after I talk to my husband.

Thank you all!

Do let us know if you discover that you have a SSN. I am curious as to whether your parents were able to get you a US passport without also registering you with the SSA.

Do let us know if you discover that you have a SSN. I am curious as to whether your parents were able to get you a US passport without also registering you with the SSA.

Will do!

Do let us know if you discover that you have a SSN. I am curious as to whether your parents were able to get you a US passport without also registering you with the SSA.

The requirement that your SSN be provided on the passport application is a relatively recent one; back when the OP was a child there may not have been that rule.

The requirement that your SSN be provided on the passport application is a relatively recent one; back when the OP was a child there may not have been that rule.

I just recall some 30 years ago that one of the first things we did was get SSNs for our infant children, you need them for just about everything, so since she was born in the US and her parents went to the trouble of getting her a passport they may have also have got her a SSN which is why I suggested she ask.

Do let us know if you discover that you have a SSN. I am curious as to whether your parents were able to get you a US passport without also registering you with the SSA.

Hi Durhamlad

So I talked to my dad, and he said I never got an SSN.
I've sent my letter off to Santander with all the details I can give them.
We will see what happens next!

Hi Durhamlad

So I talked to my dad, and he said I never got an SSN.
I've sent my letter off to Santander with all the details I can give them.
We will see what happens next!

Thanks for getting back to us.

Good luck.