I’m a retired lieutenant colonel from the US Army and have been living in the US again after spending over 7 years in Colombia. I’m eligible to get a Colombian passport now, but I’m wondering… would that affect my Army retirement pay? I’ve heard conflicting info online, so thought I’d ask here.
Pretty sure dual citizenship doesn’t mess with your Army retirement pay. I looked into this a while back.
Olen said:
Pretty sure dual citizenship doesn’t mess with your Army retirement pay. I looked into this a while back.
Yeah, I read somewhere it’s totally fine as long as you don’t renounce your US citizenship. No worries there.
Olen said:
Pretty sure dual citizenship doesn’t mess with your Army retirement pay. I looked into this a while back.
Wait, what does renounce mean in this case? Like giving up your US citizenship?
Olen said:
Pretty sure dual citizenship doesn’t mess with your Army retirement pay. I looked into this a while back.
Exactly. If you formally give up your US citizenship, that’s a whole different thing. But just getting another passport? No biggie.
I think the only thing to watch out for is taxes. Colombia might have rules for citizens living abroad. Not sure tho.
Harley said:
I think the only thing to watch out for is taxes. Colombia might have rules for citizens living abroad. Not sure tho.
Good point. US taxes worldwide income, so you’ll still report your Army retirement pay to the IRS. Dual citizenship won’t change that.
Harley said:
I think the only thing to watch out for is taxes. Colombia might have rules for citizens living abroad. Not sure tho.
Doesn’t the US have treaties to prevent double taxation? You’d need to look into it if you ever go back to Colombia.
FYI, if you plan on getting a security clearance, having a foreign passport could raise questions. Not a problem for most retirees tho.
Ben said:
FYI, if you plan on getting a security clearance, having a foreign passport could raise questions. Not a problem for most retirees tho.
Yeah, I heard about that too. It’s more about potential conflicts of interest. If you’re retired, it’s probably not a big deal.
Ben said:
FYI, if you plan on getting a security clearance, having a foreign passport could raise questions. Not a problem for most retirees tho.
Makes sense. I’m not planning on working for the government again, so I guess I’m good there.
Just remember to use your US passport when entering/leaving the US. You can use the Colombian one for Colombia. Dual passports are handy!
Ren said:
Just remember to use your US passport when entering/leaving the US. You can use the Colombian one for Colombia. Dual passports are handy!
True, but it’s an official requirement to use your US passport for all US entries/exits. Don’t wanna mess that up.
Ren said:
Just remember to use your US passport when entering/leaving the US. You can use the Colombian one for Colombia. Dual passports are handy!
Why is that tho? Just curious. Seems like either passport would work.
Ren said:
Just remember to use your US passport when entering/leaving the US. You can use the Colombian one for Colombia. Dual passports are handy!
US law says citizens must use their US passport for entering/exiting the country. Using another could cause issues at customs.
Colombian passport shouldn’t affect VA benefits either. As long as you’re still a US citizen, those benefits stay the same.
Adley said:
Colombian passport shouldn’t affect VA benefits either. As long as you’re still a US citizen, those benefits stay the same.
Good to know. I was wondering about that too. Seems like everything stays fine as long as citizenship isn’t renounced.