Does My Wife Need a Visa To Travel Back Home?

[Dirk Nader 0]

Since the search function is down let me first apologize because I am sure this question has been asked several times before and I want to thank those who will answer this in advance.

My wife is Russian and has been in the US for five months and is getting ready to go home in two months for a visit with our son.

1: Does my wife who has a Russian passport with our son in the passport need a visa to go home?

2: If the answer is no what does she show when arriving @ passport control in the US, her Russian passport?

3: When returning to the US and upon entering passport control Russia what is she going to show, her green card?

[mox 298]

1: Does my wife who has a Russian passport with our son in the passport need a visa to go home?

No. You don't generally need a visa when entering your country of citizenship.

2: If the answer is no what does she show when arriving @ passport control in the US, her Russian passport?

Yes, and her green card.

3: When returning to the US and upon entering passport control Russia what is she going to show, her green card?

Yes, and her Russian passport. :)

[slim 1,525]

when arriving @ passport control in the US

This does not exist. The U.S. doesn't care if you want to leave.

My wife and I left the country over Christmas and the airline check-in people asked to see her passport AND green card. The rest of the way through the airport (security checkpoints) they only needed passport with ticket. At the gate to leave they stopped her again and asked to see her green card.

(Although I don't think any of this was technically mandatory, I believe they do it simply to avoid problems for themselves and their passengers.... and to detect security threats.)

If she's going to go to Russia and come back, she'll be fine showing her Russian passport (in Russia) with the green card (for U.S.) but how about your son coming back to the U.S.??? What kind of entry is he going to have? If he's covered under your wife's passport, that's all well and good for Russia, but how is he going to get back into the U.S.?

[mox 298]

when arriving @ passport control in the US

This does not exist. The U.S. doesn't care if you want to leave.

Ah, I misunderstood him to mean passport control *entering* the US. My mistake.

[Dirk Nader 0]

Let's delve just a tad deeper...

Upon arriving @ passport control in Russia my wife will show her green card but my wife will show my son's American passport. Won't they fine her because even though he traveled to Russia with him in her passport he's going back to the US on his passport?

How do I get around that?

[Chris Parker 11]

Upon arriving @ passport control in Russia my wife will show her green card but my wife will show my son's American passport. Won't they fine her because even though he traveled to Russia with him in her passport he's going back to the US on his passport?

How do I get around that?

I really don't follow this discussion at all...

She enters & exits Russia with just the Russian zagranpassport. Your son (assuming he is her son also) also enters & exits Russia with his mother's passport. A notarized child travel letter with an apostille (or prepared/notarized at the Russian embassy) is also highly recommended.

When checking in with the airline for departing Russia, the Permanent Resident card and the U.S. passport are presented as the "visa".

After arriving in the U.S., you show the immigration inspectors the Permanent Resident card and the U.S. passport for admission.

There is no fine ... the son is entering & exiting Russia on just the Russian passport. You do not show the Permanent Resident card or the U.S. passport to Russian exit passport control... they don't care about foreign entry visas (actually, they may refuse to look at them as foreign documents), they just care about use of the Russian passport for exiting their country and perhaps about the purpose of the trip to USA.

Edited January 12, 2008 by Chris Parker

[Minya's wife 25]

Let's delve just a tad deeper...

Upon arriving @ passport control in Russia my wife will show her green card but my wife will show my son's American passport. Won't they fine her because even though he traveled to Russia with him in her passport he's going back to the US on his passport?

How do I get around that?

No...upon arriving at passport control in Russia, she will enter Russia w/ her Russian passport (she can show her Greencard, but the russian border agents will stamp the entry stamp in her Russian passport). If your son is a US citizen, he will use his American passport to enter and leave Russia. (I'm assuming the child is a baby that this is even an issue, right?) I'm not sure what you mean by fining her....on what ground would they levy a fine?

Upon exiting Russia, your wife will still use her Russian passport but also will show her US greencard, which serves as the "visa" to travel to the States. Then once she lands here and goes though immiration, it is w/ her greencard that she re-enters US soil.

-P

[Satellite 1]

Just one question here:

Is the child a Russian citizen to begin with? I imagine he is since he is listed on the mother's passport. But if he was born in the US I hope you went through the official steps of getting Russian citizenship for him. Just hand writing the child into the Russian mother's passport won't do the trick.

Edited January 12, 2008 by Satellite

[Chris Parker 11]

Just one question here:

Is the child a Russian citizen to begin with? I imagine he is since he is listed on the mother's passport. But if he was born in the US I hope you went through the official steps of getting Russian citizenship for him. Just hand writing the child into the Russian mother's passport won't do the trick.

The child is a Russian citizen as I understand it. The rule is only Russian citizen children can be listed in a parent's Russian passport. The entry must be done officially after examination of the birth certificate, etc. As a Russian citizen child, he cannot enter & exit Russia with the U.S. passport as such.

[slim 1,525]

So what's the boy's official status?

Is he a USC that's also in his mom's passport... officially, or hand-written?

If the boy has a U.S. passport then he's good to get back in the U.S. However, as Satellite aluded to above, he may require a visa to get into Russia if he's not "officially" in her passport. If he is, you guys are good to go and don't need visas anywhere. That's awesome! If he's not, then he will require a visa to Russia.

[Chris Parker 11]

So what's the boy's official status?

Is he a USC that's also in his mom's passport... officially, or hand-written?

If the boy has a U.S. passport then he's good to get back in the U.S. However, as Satellite aluded to above, he may require a visa to get into Russia if he's not "officially" in her passport. If he is, you guys are good to go and don't need visas anywhere. That's awesome! If he's not, then he will require a visa to Russia.

Sounds like the boy is a dual citizen from how I read the OP's message.

No U.S. or Russian visa can be issued to dual citizen; he must enter & exit the U.S. with a U.S. passport and enter & exit Russia with a Russian passport (or with his parent on his parent's Russian passport).

Edited January 12, 2008 by Chris Parker

[Satellite 1]

No U.S. or Russian visa can be issued to dual citizen; he must enter & exit the U.S. with a U.S. passport and enter & exit Russia with a Russian passport (or with his parent on his parent's Russian passport).

The problem the OP might be referring to usually occurs in situations where the child is born in Russia to a US citizen father and a Russian Citizen mother. The father files for a report of a birth abroad and the child gets his US citizenship and passport in rather short order. The Russian authorities on the other hand drag their feet in issuing either a separate passport or writing the child into the mother's passport. The father then wants to take the child back to the US. Most commonly for proper medical care. What the Russian authorities say is that the child cannot exit Russia on his US passport without first obtaining a Russian EXIT visa. If the child gets the Russian passport or is officially written into the mother's passport and leaving with his mother he will of course be able to exit Russia on that.

Now a child born in the US of a Russian Citizen mother doesn't automatically become a Russian citizen. The mom is going to have to jump through the hoops of getting all that setup. If she does not, then the child can enter Russia on his US passport with a Russian visa.

If the mother did jump through all the hoops and this child is indeed a dual citizen, then he will be able to enter and exit Russia on his Russian passport and or through mom and enter the US on his US passport.

[Dirk Nader 0]

I have not read all the answers to my reply but I will do so very soon however for clarity my son was born in Russia. I am his father and I am an American citizen. My son has an American passport which was issued through the consulate in Moscow...

Again thank you all for your continued responses

[Chris Parker 11]

Now a child born in the US of a Russian Citizen mother doesn't automatically become a Russian citizen. The mom is going to have to jump through the hoops of getting all that setup. If she does not, then the child can enter Russia on his US passport with a Russian visa.

Try getting a visa and entering Russia with it when the child is travelling with only the Russian citizen...

Who are the child's parents? Where is the child's permission to travel from the parents? Oh, you are one of the parents? Visa and/or admission denied.

Even more fun problems would happen if you did get in with a visa and Russian citizen tries to register the visa to their own child. Registration denied---must apply for an entry in the passports.

Even in the U.S., I have heard of adjustment of status being denied for the child because one of the parents was the U.S. citizen petitioner.

Edited January 13, 2008 by Chris Parker

[Chris Parker 11]

If the child gets the Russian passport or is officially written into the mother's passport and leaving with his mother he will of course be able to exit Russia on that.

I think the OP made it very clear in the initial message---the child is already written in the mother's Russian passport.

BTW - In addition to my previous message, if the child nevertheless enters Russia on U.S. passport with a Russian visa and gets registration, the problems still aren't over since the most intense inspection happens at exit passport control, and if they learn then that the accompanying Russian citizen is also one of the child's parents, exit will be refused. Bottom line, you are doing a very delicate (not to mention illegal) dance trying to use a U.S. passport and Russian visa for child of Russian citizen traveling to Russia with only the Russian citizen parent. If you contemplate doing that, you'd better get a good story together first and be sure to strickly stick to it throughout the trip. End-of-discussion.

Edited January 13, 2008 by Chris Parker