Renunciation of citizenship
![A Certificate of Loss of Nationality, issued to a former Citizen of the United States](/Images/godic/202502/07/Certificate_of_Loss_of_Nationality_of_the_United_States1749.jpg")
Renunciation is the voluntary act of relinquishing one's citizenship or nationality. It is the opposite of naturalization whereby a person voluntarily acquires a citizenship, and is distinct from denaturalization, where the loss of citizenship is forced by a state.