[sometime lurker]

From the US State Department pages, a minor can’t renounce unless he convinces a consular office that he “fully understands” the consequences. I can’t see a consular officer being convinced by a young child, or probably any minor under the age of 14 or 15, and even that would be dicey.

I’ve seen this posted in several threads - how do you reconcile this assertion with the stated policy of the United States?

And why would the lack of a SSN keep something of public record from being available?

[SvenMagnussen]

THE MYTH OF A MINOR CANNOT RENOUNCE US CITIZENSHIP The issuance of a Certificate of Loss of Nationality (CLN) is at the discretion of the Secretary of State. In other words, the current SoS, Secretary Clinton, may issue a policy statement where a minor under the age of 14 will not be issued a CLN under any circumstance. A more appropriate question is: Would the SoS in 1965 to 1969 issue a CLN to minor who had moved to SE Asia with his mother and adoptive father? And further, let's add to the situation where the adoptive father is a military officer in a foreign army under centralized authoritarian rule. Would Secretary Dean Acheson, SoS 1964 - 1968, issue a CLN to a minor living in a SE Asian country ruled by a military dictator? Answer: YES!