Welcome to a world of onerous tax filing requirements for U.S. tax purposes. Were you born in the United States? Was one of your parents born there? If you answered “yes” to either question, then there’s a good chance you are a U.S. citizen and have been since the moment you took your first breath.

This, of course, is an overly simplified statement since the determination of one’s citizenship can entail a surprisingly difficult legal analysis of the relevant facts against applicable laws. But it’s important to know. Why? Well, the U.S. is one of only two countries that we know of that taxes its citizens based on citizenship. U.S. permanent residents — commonly known as “green card” holders — are also taxed like citizens of the U.S. And, if you spend a lot of time in the U.S., you can also be taxed by the U.S…

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