Which passport do I use now I am a Citizen?

[Paul 0]

Hi

Not sure if this is the right forum for this question- I have just had my oath ceremony and applied for my passport. I have a UK passport too, and was wondering which I have to use when I travel?

I know I have to use the US one to exit/enter the US (I think)- but what about when I get to/leave my destination?

Thanks!

[TayRivers 4]

Hi

Not sure if this is the right forum for this question- I have just had my oath ceremony and applied for my passport. I have a UK passport too, and was wondering which I have to use when I travel?

I know I have to use the US one to exit/enter the US (I think)- but what about when I get to/leave my destination?

Thanks!

Here's what I did. Used US passport to check-in at airport for flight to UK. On arrival in UK I used my UK passport to enter the UK. When I checked in to return to US I used my US passport and used the US one again to enter the US.

If you try to check-in for your flight to UK while in the US the check-in staff will look for a I-94 or a greencard, that is why you need to use your US passport.

If you enter the UK on your US passport you will be treated as a visitor in your home country and may be given hassle from UK immigration.

You need to use your US passport to check-in for your flight back to the US because if you use your UK passport you will need a VWP and the new ESTA certificate.

[Allie and Nigel 2]

Agree, to go to your birth country, use your birth passport. Going to the USA, use the American one. If you TRAVEL anywhere else, probably use your discretion on that.

[Paul 0]

Thanks for the advice. Are there any 'rules' anywhere online I could look at just in case I get a passport official moaning at me?

[TayRivers 4]

Thanks for the advice. Are there any 'rules' anywhere online I could look at just in case I get a passport official moaning at me?

Why would the passport officer moan at you.. how is he going to know you have 2 passports?

I have never found any info on line about it..

[NickD 203]

It's not fair, I vehemently object, I only have one passport, my wife has two, I also want two!!!

When we go to Colombia, she can use her US passport, but she prefers to use her Venezuelan passport when we go to Venezuela. As a USC, we don't need a visa to go to either country, but Venezuelans and Colombians need visa's with that I-94 stuff to come here. She could just as easily use her US passport to go to Venezuela, no visa, no I-94 went entering, and they like Americans coming down with plenty of US bucks in their pocket.

When leaving, doesn't make any difference with a US or Venezuelan passport, still charge you an extra $167.00 airport tax each. Don't have to pay them airport tax when you go in, if they did, nobody will go in. We played their game, they will accept bolivars at the so-called fair exchange rate, but we sold bucks on the black market at a much more favorable rate. So ended up only paying 67 bucks.

Wife's Venezuelan passport is only good for another three years, will be interesting if she wants to pay another couple bucks to renew it.

[phl_nov08 0]

Just got back from trip to Europe: US to Germany, then Germany to UK, then from UK back to US.

Used US Passport all the way with no problems at German or UK passport control/immigration.

I will probably continue to do this in future, unless I am returning to UK for a long period of time.

P

[46]

Technically, if one is a citizen of the country that one is entering, one must use the identification of that nation.

However, between Western nations, it is rarely an issue to just use the most convenient passport for short visits.

[annelizabeth 1]

One time I was returning to the UK with my USC hubby for a visit and I patiently queued up with him at Heathrow in the alien lines. When they saw my UK passport they said that next time I could just take him with me through the (much shorter) UK citizen line.

Next time I tried it and it worked without any problems.

[TayRivers 4]

One time I was returning to the UK with my USC hubby for a visit and I patiently queued up with him at Heathrow in the alien lines. When they saw my UK passport they said that next time I could just take him with me through the (much shorter) UK citizen line.

Next time I tried it and it worked without any problems.

We do that as well, never had any problems going through the EU/UK line with my husband.

[Paul 0]

Thanks for the advice. Are there any 'rules' anywhere online I could look at just in case I get a passport official moaning at me?

Why would the passport officer moan at you.. how is he going to know you have 2 passports?

I have never found any info on line about it..

Don't tell me you've never had a difficult passport officer! Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

[lucyrich 20]

Technically, if one is a citizen of the country that one is entering, one must use the identification of that nation.

Not necessarily. Technically, if one is a citizen of the country that one is entering, one must follow that country's laws and regulations regarding which passport to present.

You may be right in many specific cases, of course. Many countries may have laws and/or rules that would require a dual citizen to use that country's passport when entering or leaving, but not all countries necessarily have such a law.

There are no blanket rules regarding what passport a dual citizen should present at another country's border, because each country gets to set its own laws, and they vary widely. Many of them are not written with dual citizenship in mind. The only blanket rule is to follow the laws of the country that has jurisdiction.

But as for what passport a US Citizen must use at a US border, that's covered by INA 215(b): Except as otherwise provided by the President and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President may authorize and prescribe, it shall be unlawful for any citizen of the United States to depart from or enter, or attempt to depart from or enter, the United States unless he bears a valid United States passport. Notice that the text of that law applies equally well whether the US Citizen in question is a dual citizen or not. That's the way many such laws are written, not treating dual citizens as a special case. A US Citizen (whether or not he/she also has another citizenship) should present a US passport to US officials when crossing a US border.

Some potential travel scenarios and the issues that dual citizenship may present are discussed in the dual citizenship FAQ, which should be required reading of anyone contemplating naturalization as an adult.

http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

[NickD 203]

Just wonder, if you spoke perfect English, wore Made in China American clothes, had a state drivers's license, SS card, other American ID's, and a US passport, how would they know that you are anything else than a US citizen?

Can see if you are going to a country that requires a USC to get a visa to enter, that would be an advantage of having a passport to that country. But if they don't require such a visa, what difference does it make? An advantage of having a US passport, it's a ticket to the US embassy if you would need it.

[jeangab75 0]

Hi

Not sure if this is the right forum for this question- I have just had my oath ceremony and applied for my passport. I have a UK passport too, and was wondering which I have to use when I travel?

I know I have to use the US one to exit/enter the US (I think)- but what about when I get to/leave my destination?

Thanks!

Here's what I did. Used US passport to check-in at airport for flight to UK. On arrival in UK I used my UK passport to enter the UK. When I checked in to return to US I used my US passport and used the US one again to enter the US.

If you try to check-in for your flight to UK while in the US the check-in staff will look for a I-94 or a greencard, that is why you need to use your US passport.

If you enter the UK on your US passport you will be treated as a visitor in your home country and may be given hassle from UK immigration.

You need to use your US passport to check-in for your flight back to the US because if you use your UK passport you will need a VWP and the new ESTA certificate.

He is absolutly right

[lucyrich 20]

Just wonder, if you spoke perfect English, wore Made in China American clothes, had a state drivers's license, SS card, other American ID's, and a US passport, how would they know that you are anything else than a US citizen?

Can see if you are going to a country that requires a USC to get a visa to enter, that would be an advantage of having a passport to that country. But if they don't require such a visa, what difference does it make? An advantage of having a US passport, it's a ticket to the US embassy if you would need it.

You've got some good points. Though I'll point out that a passport shows your place of birth, which could be a tipoff. Many countries confer citizenship based on being born in their country, and some don't even have a way of ever losing that birth citizenship.

There also may be cases where a dual citizen could lose his original citizenship unless he demonstrates intent to keep that original citizenship. For an example of that sort of thing, US law says you will lose your US citizenship if you perform certain acts (such as taking an oath of citizehship) voluntarily and with the intent of losing US citizenship. See INA 349. If push came to shove and somebody argued that you had lost your original citizenship, perhaps that intent could be demonstrated by checking passport stamps to show which passport you used when entering your original home country. So if you do want to keep your home citizenship, then it may be a good idea to always present yourself to your home country's government as though you are one of its own citizens, and not a foreigner.

On the other hand, maybe you don't want to keep your home citizenship. Sometimes, there may be disadvantages to doing so.

As to your final point: regardless of which passport you actually presented to border officials, the US embassy officials are only allowed to intervene on your behalf if you are NOT a citizen of the host country. If you are in fact a dual citizen, and the host country says you're one of its citizens and they want to jail you, prosecute you, hang you, or whatever, then the US consular officials are required by the Geneva convention to keep their noses out of an internal matter between the host country and one of its own citizens. The fact that you also hold a US passport and used it to enter the country doesn't matter. Of course, if the question of your citizenship in the host country is a murky legal matter that's not clear cut, then the question of whether the US embassy could intervene on your behalf could also be a murky matter.

But yes, in many cases, it may not matter for practical purposes. You may be able to use a US passport to travel to your home country without any practical negative consequences. Using one passport for the entire trip may result in fewer confused officials at borders and airline check-in counters.