Which passport i should take with me?

[mario777 0]

Hi all!

Im new here and just spent all morning reading here!

I found a lot of usefull info.

I have 1 quest for you guys..

First- im citizen of 2 european countries (italy-denmark), and i have 2 passports!

One passport (from denmark) i never used for travel,and that passport was issued 4 months ago here,in US from Danish ambassy.

Now, because i didnt mention my denmark citizenship on my US citizen application (only my italian) should i take it anyway to my interview?

If i take both passports to my interview im afraid it will take more confusion and additional questions!

Is there any question at the interview how many citizenships or passports i have? Can they know i have other passport even if i never used it for travel?

thanx

Edited November 5, 2009 by mario777

[*JG* 2]

I think you need to take both and explain.

Your italian would be the one they would use though.

[phillydude411 0]

Take both and they can update the application if they have to, your application doesn't have to be 100% correct when you send it to them. Its better to tell them now rather than them finding out later and causing problems.

Also, take photocopies of both passports, so they can add it to your file.

[NickD 202]

Main reason for bringing in your passport/s is so your IO can verify the trips lasting over 24 hours since you became a LPR. If you concealed the fact that you have more than one passport and they somehow find about it, can give you problems.

Odds are they will never find out, but you don't know, so will have a lifetime of stress, wondering. With our government, it's not the crime so much as it is, lying or misrepresenting yourself that causes the most grief.

In our case, wife had to renew her foreign passport during her LPR status, wanted to pitch her old one because it still had her previous married name in it. Said, I know you been married before, doesn't bother me, but you will have problems with your citizenship. She brought in both and sure enough, her IO wanted to see both to verify her trips outside of the USA during her LPR status.

[lucyrich 20]

Note the N-400 instructions ask for your nationality. And if you read the instructions, part 1, paragraph E 2, it says that if you are a citizen or national of more than one country, you are supposed to write the name of the country that issued your most recent passport on the N-400.

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/N-400ins.pdf

I'm not completely sure, but I think the reason for that is because they need to gather certain statistics, and they just wanted an unambiguous way of collecting those statistics for dual nationals.

Did you have the Danish passport when you filled out the N-400? Or was it issued after you filed the N-400? If it was issued afterward, then the N-400 was correct on the date you filled it out, but you should probably bring both passports.

[antda 13]

Hi Mario777,

In answer to your question:

On my N-400 interview letter it says to bring (note: it was a generic interview white letter for everyone):

C. All passport and travel documents (expired and current) issued to you by any government.

So in your case, more likely than not, they will ask for the same thing. So yes, bring both your Italian and Danish passports to the interview, despite not using one of them, as they just want to know what former citizenships that you have, and use those passports to clarify your dates of travel out of the USA since permanent residency to see if you are eligible for citzenship. All you have to do is just update them on the interview itself, and they should be ok with that. Better to disclose something, than to conceal it, as that would be considered lying and have worse consequences.

Having more than one citizenship before does not jeopardize you getting American citizenship at all, and they won't take those foreign passports away, from what I know. As for in the future becoming a 'dual/triple' citizen, you will have to research specifically with Italy and Denmark, to determine as to whether or not you can keep those citizenships and passports when you become an American citizen. For example, some countries accept dual/triple citizenship, while others don't, while others require you to go through some special process to keep those citizenships, so you might have to inquire about such before you become an American citizen.

If you don't mind me asking, how come you have two prior citizenships? How did you obtain both Italian and Danish citizenships and passports?

Lol...likewise, I have a similar problem too...A different birth country (something else, which I don't have citizenship of, and have no passport from, but have a birth certificate from such), and a different country of citizenship (Canada, which I have citizenship of, and have 2 passports from)...So oh yeah, it causes a lot of problems there, having so many countries to be associated with and to have to bring additional paperwork because of that..lol...

"When it doubt, explain it out...", works well here...

Hope this helps. Good luck with the rest of your journey too.

Ant

Hi all!

Im new here and just spent all morning reading here!

I found a lot of usefull info.

I have 1 quest for you guys..

First- im citizen of 2 european countries (italy-denmark), and i have 2 passports!

One passport (from denmark) i never used for travel,and that passport was issued 4 months ago here,in US from Danish ambassy.

Now, because i didnt mention my denmark citizenship on my US citizen application (only my italian) should i take it anyway to my interview?

If i take both passports to my interview im afraid it will take more confusion and additional questions!

Is there any question at the interview how many citizenships or passports i have? Can they know i have other passport even if i never used it for travel?

thanx

Edited November 8, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[Italian_in_NYC 259]

Of course, if he has an Italian and a Danish passport, they do allow dual citizenship.

Italy for sure allows it, I think Denmark as well, even though carrying both passport doesn't give you any significant extra benefits (since both countries are EU countries).

Also, I wouldn't consider them "former" citizenships. They will pretty much current. Actually most countries allow dual citizenship nowadays and it is definitely a plus.

[antda 13]

Of course, if he has an Italian and a Danish passport, they do allow dual citizenship.

Italy for sure allows it, I think Denmark as well, even though carrying both passport doesn't give you any significant extra benefits (since both countries are EU countries).

Also, I wouldn't consider them "former" citizenships. They will pretty much current. Actually most countries allow dual citizenship nowadays and it is definitely a plus.

Yes, they are all "current" citizenships for the OP. But when they become a US Citizen...

One of the things the US Citizen has to do is to "not recognize citizenships of any former countries and be loyal to the USA only" (or something like that).

Now the US does not take away one's foreign passport, but they don't accept it either.

In US immigration's eyes: If you are US Citzen...You must travel with a US Citizen passport. No other passports back into the USA...

But as for travelling with other passports to other countries..lol...no one else cares....but don't come back in the USA with such if you are a US Citzen.

For example, when I become a US Citizen, I will keep and travel to Canada with my still valid Canadian passport as a Canadian, but will use my US passport to travel as an American back to the USA....

Hence the use of dual citizenship, and the benefits of having more passports (2, 3, whatever....)

So yes, do keep those "current foreign passports", and be dual/triple that way....(if it is allowable for such, depending on the country)....

But as far as the USA is concerned..you're American when you take the oath....

And all other countries that you are a citizen of are considered "former" countries, regardless....

Hope this helps too. Good luck on your journey

Ant

Edited November 9, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[Italian_in_NYC 259]

Of course, if he has an Italian and a Danish passport, they do allow dual citizenship.

Italy for sure allows it, I think Denmark as well, even though carrying both passport doesn't give you any significant extra benefits (since both countries are EU countries).

Also, I wouldn't consider them "former" citizenships. They will pretty much current. Actually most countries allow dual citizenship nowadays and it is definitely a plus.

Yes, they are all "current" citizenships for the OP. But when they become a US Citizen...

One of the things the US Citizen has to do is to "not recognize citizenships of any former countries and be loyal to the USA only" (or something like that).

Now the US does not take away one's foreign passport, but they don't accept it either.

In US immigration's eyes: If you are US Citzen...You must travel with a US Citizen passport. No other passports back into the USA...

But as for travelling with other passports to other countries..lol...no one else cares....but don't come back in the USA with such if you are a US Citzen.

For example, when I become a US Citizen, I will keep and travel to Canada with my still valid Canadian passport as a Canadian, but will use my US passport to travel as an American back to the USA....

Hence the use of dual citizenship, and the benefits of having more passports (2, 3, whatever....)

So yes, do keep those "current foreign passports", and be dual/triple that way....(if it is allowable for such, depending on the country)....

But as far as the USA is concerned..you're American when you take the oath....

And all other countries that you are a citizen of are considered "former" countries, regardless....

Hope this helps too. Good luck on your journey

Ant

You have to use a US passport to enter the US and similarly, I have to use my Italian passport to enter Italy, there's a very similar law.

And I'm sure other countries who accept dual citizenship have laws like this.

My wife, who is a US citizen is naturalizing as Italian citizen (thru marriage, just like me).

People tend to move in different countries these days (we might be transferred abroad by my job in January) so keeping other citizenship is essential.

Rule of thumb: if dual US/other country citizen: you're American in the US, you're your other nationality in the other country of citizenship and you can choose whatever you want in any third country (actually, I think if you hold a EU passport, you have to use that in any EU country, but I might be wrong on that).

[internetkafe 0]

Nations are jealous over their citizens, it is normal to see one nation demanding exclusivity...In fact all of them do this and actually none of them get it. Do they?