Expatriation Act of 1868
The Expatriation Act of 1868 was an act of the 40th United States Congress that declared, as part of the United States nationality law, that the right of expatriation (i.e. a right to renounce one's citizenship) is "a natural and inherent right of all people" and "that any declaration, instruction, opinion, order, or decision of any officers of this government which restricts, impairs, or questions the right of expatriation, is hereby declared inconsistent with the fundamental principles of this government".
| Long title | An Act concerning the Rights of American Citizens in foreign States |
|---|---|
| Enacted by | the 40th United States Congress |
| Effective | July 27, 1868 |
| Citations | |
| Statutes at Large | 15 Stat. 223 |
The intent of the act was also to counter claims by other countries that U.S. citizens owed them allegiance, and was an explicit rejection of the feudal common law principle of perpetual allegiance.
The Expatriation Act of 1868 was codified at 25 Rev. Stat. § 1999, and then by 1940 had been re-enacted at 8 U.S.C. § 800. It is now the last note to 8 U.S.C. § 1481.