Those who still want to go ahead with the process will continue to face hurdles. They have to appear in person, overseas, before an American consular or diplomatic officer to sign an oath of renunciation.
The official website of the U.S. embassy in London details the documentation required, including a “Renunciation Questionnaire” that asks applicants to say when, if ever, they have lived in the United States, how they obtained foreign citizenship, and to list “all previous names used since birth.” However, it never asks them to specify their reason for renouncing their citizenship.
Even going to fight for the extremist militant group the Islamic State (or IS, also known as ISIL or ISIL) will not automatically put an end to an American’s rights to citizenship, although the group has beheaded some of its captives, including two American freelance journalists. To renounce U.S. citizenship, a person must still fill out the questionnaire, according to a State Department official.
This may end up making it easier for Americans fighting for a terrorist group to be killed in a drone strike by their own government than to lose their U.S. citizenship against their will.