What happens if I forgot to file FBARs for several past years?

Don't panic, and don't just start filing late forms silently — choose the right correction path first. If you had no unreported income and simply missed the FBARs, the IRS offers Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures: you e-file the late FBARs with a brief statement explaining why they're late, and reasonable cause with no unreported income generally avoids penalties. If you also had unreported foreign income (interest, dividends, capital gains), the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures are usually the better fit — amend three years of returns, file six years of FBARs, and certify non-willfulness. Most honest immigrants who genuinely didn't know qualify for one of these. The worst move is a 'quiet disclosure' — filing old forms without a program — which can forfeit penalty relief. Gather your historical account balances and year-end exchange rates, then get a cross-border tax pro to pick the program. Acting voluntarily before the IRS contacts you matters a lot.