Certification Requirement of Section 877(a)(2)(C), Immigration Law Considerations, Lawful Permanent Residents, Tax, Tax Compliance

New Treasury Regulations Can Effect Some Long-Term Residents (“Green Card” Holders)

By · March 27, 2017 · Updated August 6, 2026

There have been numerous posts about how Lawful Permanent Residents (“LPRs”) who have not formally abandoned their green card might have adverse U.S. tax consequences as part of the U.S. “expatriation tax.”

See for instance – 

Tax Expatriation: The Numbers Affected Are Far Greater for Lawful Permanent Residents vs. Citizens

Timing Issues for Lawful Permanent Residents (“LPR”) Who Never “Formally Abandoned” Their Green Card

See, Oops…Did I “Expatriate” and Never Know It: Lawful Permanent Residents Beware! International Tax Journal, CCH Wolters Kluwer, Jan.-Feb. 2014, Vol. 40 Issue 1, p9.

The U.S. Treasury issued new Regulations that can impact LPRs who have previously filed U.S. 1040NR tax returns under an applicable income tax treaty.   On December 13, 2016, the these final regulations require foreign-owned, single-member U.S. limited liability companies (“SM-LLCs”) that are treated as disregarded entities for U.S. tax purposes to file an information return to report certain transactions. These  Treasury Regulations, 26 CFR § 1.6038A-1(c) require these foreign-owned SM LLCs to be treated as if they are a separate domestic “C” corporation specifically for reporting purposes.

An individual who is a LPR can fall into this category in certain circumstances; namely where they cease to be a “U.S. person” under IRC Section 7701(b)(6).  See, IRS Form 5472 directly here –

Accordingly, the regulations treat such SM-LLCs as domestic corporations and require them to file IRS Form 5472, Information Return of a 25% Foreign-Owned U.S. Corporation or a Foreign Corporation Engaged in a U.S. Trade or Business. The regulations also require these SM-LLCs to maintain records with respect to the reported information.

Patrick W. Martin

Patrick W. Martin

U.S. International Tax Lawyer · Shareholder, Chamberlain Hrdlicka

Patrick W. Martin is a U.S. tax lawyer licensed in California, Texas, and Washington, D.C., with 32+ years advising on the tax consequences of renouncing U.S. citizenship or abandoning lawful permanent residency. He served as lead counsel in Aroeste v. United States, the landmark federal case on green card holders, tax treaties, and the exit tax. Best Lawyers in America® (Tax Law), 2015–2025.

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