en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Gilliam
1 correction found
As a result of renouncing his citizenship, Gilliam was permitted to spend 30 days each year in the United States over the next ten years, "less than any European".
This misstates U.S. law. Renouncing U.S. citizenship did not create a blanket 30-day annual travel limit; the 30-day rule was part of former tax rules for certain expatriates, while travel back to the U.S. is governed by normal visa/admission rules.
Full reasoning
U.S. government guidance says that after renouncing or losing U.S. citizenship, a person "may need a visa to return to the U.S." It does not say former citizens are only allowed 30 days per year in the country.
The 30-day figure comes from former tax rules in 26 U.S.C. § 877, not from a general immigration/travel ban. That statute applied special tax treatment to certain former citizens during a 10-year period and included physical-presence thresholds such as "more than 30 days in the calendar year". In other words, the 30-day number was a tax-related threshold under the old expatriation-tax regime, not a blanket statement of how long Gilliam was legally "permitted" to be in the United States.
So the article's wording is inaccurate because it turns a conditional tax rule into a general limit on U.S. visits.
2 sources
- USAGov: Renounce or lose your citizenship
What happens when you renounce or lose your U.S. citizenship ... Both mean that you: No longer have rights and responsibilities as a U.S. citizen ... May need a visa to return to the U.S.
- 26 U.S. Code § 877 - Expatriation to avoid tax
This section applied special tax treatment to certain former citizens during a 10-year period, and provided that it would not apply in a taxable year in which the individual was physically present in the United States on more than 30 days in the calendar year ending in such taxable year.