8 U.S.C. § 1483
Section 1483 · Restrictions on loss of nationality
This is § 351 of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (McCarran-Walter)
Amended 6 times on record
Applied in 8 court decisions — leading case Kaufman v. Mukasey (2008)
Most recently applied in Gerald Farrell v. Antony Blinken (July 2021)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (6) and (7) of section 1481(a) of this title, no national of the United States can lose United States nationality under this chapter while within the United States or any of its outlying possessions, but loss of nationality shall result from the performance within the United States or any of its outlying possessions of any of the acts or the fulfillment of any of the conditions specified in this Part if and when the national thereafter takes up a residence outside the United States and its outlying possessions.
(b) A national who within six months after attaining the age of eighteen years asserts his claim to United States nationality, in such manner as the Secretary of State shall by regulation prescribe, shall not be deemed to have lost United States nationality by the commission, prior to his eighteenth birthday, of any of the acts specified in paragraphs (3) and (5) of section 1481(a) of this title.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Amendments
1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–208 struck out comma after “United States nationality”.
1994—Pub. L. 103–416 in section catchline substituted “loss of nationality” for “expatriation”, in subsec. (a) substituted “lose United States nationality” for “expatriate himself, or be expatriated” and “loss of nationality” for “expatriation”, and in subsec. (b) substituted “lost United States nationality” for “expatriated himself”.
1988—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–525 amended Pub. L. 99–653. See 1986 Amendment note below.
1986—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99–653, as amended by Pub. L. 100–525, substituted “paragraphs (3)” for “paragraphs (2), (4),”.
1981—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97–116, §18(r)(1), substituted “paragraphs (6) and (7) of section 1481(a)” for “paragraphs (7), (8), and (9) of section 1481”.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 97–116, §18(r)(2), substituted “and (5)” for “(5), and (6)”.
Effective Date of 1996 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 104–208 effective as if included in the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994, Pub. L. 103–416, see section 671(b)(14) of Pub. L. 104–208, set out as a note under section 1101 of this title.
Effective Date of 1988 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 100–525 effective as if included in the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1986, Pub. L. 99–653, see section 309(b)(15) of Pub. L. 102–232, set out as an Effective and Termination Dates of 1988 Amendments note under section 1101 of this title.
Effective Date of 1986 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 99–653 applicable to actions taken before, on, or after Nov. 14, 1986, see section 23(g) of Pub. L. 99–653, set out as a note under section 1481 of this title.
Effective Date of 1981 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 97–116 effective Dec. 29, 1981, see section 21(a) of Pub. L. 97–116, set out as a note under section 1101 of this title.
Right of Expatriation
Provisions preserving the right and disavowal of foreign allegiance, see note under section 1481 of this title.
Cross References
Definition of the term—
National of the United States, see section 1101(a)(22) of this title.
Outlying possessions of the United States, see section 1101(a)(29) of this title.
United States, see section 1101(a)(38) of this title.