Passports Of Dual Citizens

[Delete This 0]

My wife (US Permanent Resident) is deciding whether to become a USC. However she is also considering purchasing some vacation and possibly retirement property in the Philippines. She is a filipino. She would like to travel back and forth using her Philippine passport. Is it possible for a USC to travel outside of and more importantly re-enter the US with a foreign passport ?

[YuAndDan 153]

Use foreign passport for dealing with foreign authorities, but use US passport when dealing with US officials like visiting US embassy or consulate, and when re-entering the USA.

[payxibka 10,045]

There is a former CBP officer on this site... He has stated several times that a USC must enter the USA as a USC, period.

[lucyrich 20]

To reinforce the responses already given, see this page from the dual citizenship FAQ.

It cites the exact chapter and verse of the laws which require a US Citizen (whether a dual citizen or not) to use a US passport when dealing with US authorities.

[Delete This 0]

There is a former CBP officer on this site... He has stated several times that a USC must enter the USA as a USC, period.

Ok, so would there be issues with re-entering the US with a US passport and not having the passport stamped with the country you visited ?

[YuAndDan 153]

There is a former CBP officer on this site... He has stated several times that a USC must enter the USA as a USC, period.

Ok, so would there be issues with re-entering the US with a US passport and not having the passport stamped with the country you visited ?

No problem at all CBP does not look for foreign entry exit stamps, case in point the US/Canada border, Canada does not stamp the passport either way, and US POE officer does not look for the stamp, just verifies that you are a US Citizen by scanning and looking at the biographic page of the US passport.

[Delete This 0]

To reinforce the responses already given, see this page from the dual citizenship FAQ.

It cites the exact chapter and verse of the laws which require a US Citizen (whether a dual citizen or not) to use a US passport when dealing with US authorities.

Thanks, I read it... Sounds like the US is not concerned with how you gained entry into the foreign country, in fact it's suggested you take both passports if thats your choice.

Once again thanks to all who responded.

[lucyrich 20]

There is a former CBP officer on this site... He has stated several times that a USC must enter the USA as a USC, period.

Ok, so would there be issues with re-entering the US with a US passport and not having the passport stamped with the country you visited ?

No problem at all CBP does not look for foreign entry exit stamps, case in point the US/Canada border, Canada does not stamp the passport either way, and US POE officer does not look for the stamp, just verifies that you are a US Citizen by scanning and looking at the biographic page of the US passport.

That's my experience too. I (USC) have visited countries that do stamp your passport, and other countries that don't. In all cases, when re-entering the US, they look only at the bio page of my passport. They've never thumbed through any of the pages containing stamps. They have no reason to. When you're a US Citizen, you have an absolute right to enter the US, regardless of where you have been or for how long.

In the unlikely event there IS some question about where you've been, you could, if asked, show them your other passport containing stamps. The law doesn't prohibit you from carrying two passports (as long as both of them were validly issued), nor does it prohibit you from showing a foreign passport to a US official after you've shown your US passport. It merely requires that, if you're a US citizen, you must carry your US passport and present your US passport to US officials.

[Aussielad 37]

Plus, if your going to enter the U.S. with a Filipine passport, thats going to create confusion, simply because a Filipino needs a visa to enter the U.S.

So just think of the confusion, when your wife approaches the P.O.E., ses she's a U.S. citizen, and then presents the P.O.E. officer with a Filipino passport, he'll first ask "how" is she a citizen, then he'll probably ask why she hasn't got a U.S. visa for her Filipine passport and how anyone let her on the plane to begin with.

[warlord 73]

You need to enter the US on a US passport if you are a USC period. She would have to do what many dual citizens do and either just use the US passport and travel with that, or carry both national passports with her. She will encounter big problems trying to enter the US if she is a citizen on a forgeign passport...

[Mononoke28 134]

When I fly back to Colombia I enter with a Colombian passport which is in my maiden name and then when I come back to the States I enter the US with my US passport. It's very normal and tons of people do it everyday. Also, my US passport does not have any stamps whatsoever because Immigration doesn't stamp it upon entering, they just scan it.

Diana