Dual citizenship

[Lain 64]

Hello everyone,

Hope this is the right forum for my question - my mom has dual citizenship-U.S. and Lithuanian, but Lithuania doesn't allow to have dual citizenship, and ofcourse she wants to keep it as long anyone report about it. We are concerned about travelling details. Which passport to show travelling from U.S. to Lithuania(if she wants to stay longer than 3 months) and from Lithuania back to U.S.? Is it ok to go to Lithuania with Lithuanian passport and return back with U.S.? Or would that cause some problems at the border?

Has anyone experienced that?

Sincerely,

Lain

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Hello everyone,

Hope this is the right forum for my question - my mom has dual citizenship-U.S. and Lithuanian, but Lithuania doesn't allow to have dual citizenship, and ofcourse she wants to keep it as long anyone report about it. We are concerned about travelling details. Which passport to show travelling from U.S. to Lithuania(if she wants to stay longer than 3 months) and from Lithuania back to U.S.? Is it ok to go to Lithuania with Lithuanian passport and return back with U.S.? Or would that cause some problems at the border?

Has anyone experienced that?

Sincerely,

Lain

Lain,

I don't know the specific requirements for Lithuania, but if it's anything like Russia, here is the plan of action.

Assuming your mother's name is identical in both passports, she would leave the US with the Lithunanian passport, and enter Lithuania with the same, hereby avoiding the requirement of a visa.

When leaving Lithuania, she can use either her Lithuanian passport, or her US passport. When entering the US she must use her US passport.

That said, if Lithuania automatically revokes its citizenship to citizens who acquire another country's citizenship, she would claim to be a citizen of a country she is not. In the US you go to jail for that, and I would assume that the Lithuanians--if they found out--wouldn't be too friendly about that either.

[visacheck 3]

Hello everyone,

Hope this is the right forum for my question - my mom has dual citizenship-U.S. and Lithuanian, but Lithuania doesn't allow to have dual citizenship, and ofcourse she wants to keep it as long anyone report about it. We are concerned about travelling details. Which passport to show travelling from U.S. to Lithuania(if she wants to stay longer than 3 months) and from Lithuania back to U.S.? Is it ok to go to Lithuania with Lithuanian passport and return back with U.S.? Or would that cause some problems at the border?

Has anyone experienced that?

Sincerely,

Lain

If Lithuania does not allow dual citizenship then in that case your mom does not have dual citizenship. She is a US citizen that happens to have an unexpired Lithuanian passport.

I would rather worry about getting an extension of stay in Lithuania instead of possibly worrying about bigger problems later on.

[visacheck 3]

Hello everyone,

Hope this is the right forum for my question - my mom has dual citizenship-U.S. and Lithuanian, but Lithuania doesn't allow to have dual citizenship, and ofcourse she wants to keep it as long anyone report about it. We are concerned about travelling details. Which passport to show travelling from U.S. to Lithuania(if she wants to stay longer than 3 months) and from Lithuania back to U.S.? Is it ok to go to Lithuania with Lithuanian passport and return back with U.S.? Or would that cause some problems at the border?

Has anyone experienced that?

Sincerely,

Lain

Lain,

I don't know the specific requirements for Lithuania, but if it's anything like Russia, here is the plan of action.

Assuming your mother's name is identical in both passports, she would leave the US with the Lithunanian passport, and enter Lithuania with the same, hereby avoiding the requirement of a visa.

When leaving Lithuania, she can use either her Lithuanian passport, or her US passport. When entering the US she must use her US passport.

That said, if Lithuania automatically revokes its citizenship to citizens who acquire another country's citizenship, she would claim to be a citizen of a country she is not. In the US you go to jail for that, and I would assume that the Lithuanians--if they found out--wouldn't be too friendly about that either.

Im not sure on this but if she uses her US passport when leaving Lihuania wont the Lithuanian immigration look for the entry stamp when she entered Lithuania? or wont it show on their system that she entered using a different passport? Unless ofcourse Lithuania has no immigration when exiting the country (like United States). On the other hand, if she uses her Lithuanian passport to exit Lithuania wont she need a US visitor visa of some sort or must apply for VWP? I am not familiar on the visa requirements for Lithuanians or how VWP works.

Now, if and when she succesfully exits Lithuania she needs to use her US passport to enter the US. She could possibly encouter problems on discrepancies on passport stamps or visas, etc. etc.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Visacheck,

you are right, of course. Since neither of us knows exactly how the Lithuanians roll, the exiting Lithuania part is the unknown one.

Sure, she can leave the US with the L passport, enter with the L passport. I would assume someone LEAVES a country, including Lithuania (man, do I stumble typing that word), it's not an issue at all. As she has to prove to the Lithuanians that she's authorized to enter the US, she would need to show her US passport when leaving and, of course, must use her US passport when entering the US.

Assuming Lithuania prohibits dual citizenship, the only problem could possibly arise at a scenario you described, when the Lithuanians ask her when leaving Lithuania with her US Passport how she entered the country without a visa from Lithuania. She can't show them her L passport, as she would then expose her "dual citizenship."

[Lain 64]

Thank you for taking time in consideration my question.

I got an extra one,- before leaving the US with L passport she will be asked to show a proof of her legal staying in the US - visa, GC or, in this case - US passport. Is it ok if US officers would see 2 passports? As i know US tolerates dual citizenship, just want to be sure that showing 2 passports on exit wouldn't make any problems?

Thank you in advance for your comments.

[visacheck 3]

Thank you for taking time in consideration my question.

I got an extra one,- before leaving the US with L passport she will be asked to show a proof of her legal staying in the US - visa, GC or, in this case - US passport. Is it ok if US officers would see 2 passports? As i know US tolerates dual citizenship, just want to be sure that showing 2 passports on exit wouldn't make any problems?

Thank you in advance for your comments.

Normally it is only the airlines that ask for proof not immigration officers.

[bill.ashton 0]

Hello everyone,

Hope this is the right forum for my question - my mom has dual citizenship-U.S. and Lithuanian, but Lithuania doesn't allow to have dual citizenship, and ofcourse she wants to keep it as long anyone report about it. We are concerned about travelling details. Which passport to show travelling from U.S. to Lithuania(if she wants to stay longer than 3 months) and from Lithuania back to U.S.? Is it ok to go to Lithuania with Lithuanian passport and return back with U.S.? Or would that cause some problems at the border?

Has anyone experienced that?

Sincerely,

Lain

Lain:

Your mother may be an exception to the Lithuanian dual citizenship law. I quote from the Lithuania Seimas (Parliament) website:

"A citizen of the Republic of Lithuania may not at the same time be a citizen of another state, except for persons who held citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940 who were exiled or withdrew from the Republic of Lithuania in the period of occupations from 15 June 1940 to 11 March 1990 ..." [emphasis added]

So if your mother was a Lithuanian citizen before June 15, 1940, and left during the Soviet occupation, she still is a Lithuanian, as well as a US, citizen, and there should be no problem with her having to give up one or the other.

If your mother's LT passport was issued in the last 10 years, then Lithuania recognizes her dual citizenship and she should not worry. One should always enter and leave a country with the same passport so that the entrance and exit stamps match. She must use her US passport to enter/exit the US as long as she remains an US citizen. She should likewise use her LT passport to enter/exit Lithuania (or other EU country she may travel to/from.)

Edited October 6, 2011 by bill.ashton

[Fandango 1,439]

You've dug up an almost 2 year old thread....

[visapetition 2]

It's the same with Ukraine. Wouldn't your leaving the U.S. need to be recorded somehow, i.e. wouldn't they be surprised to see you entering from Ukraine, while thinking that you've never left?

[TBoneTX 45,267]

Why are we answering 2-year-old threads?

[EminTX 131]

I plan to have citizenship in two separate countries, so this DOES interest me.

If she has US citizenship, why bother to use the other passport at all? Does it grant fabulous discounts or speedy lines or some other benefit?

For myself, when traveling, my passport for the US is great for certain things and the ID I will have in the other country allows for easier travel in other places AND often deep discounts compared to foreigners on many things.

I wonder what the outcome was. Perhaps we never heard back from the OP because they are stuck in some Lithuanian prison rotting away and lamenting their passport woes.

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

***** Closing as this is a re-surrected 2 year old thread. Feel free to open your own, new thread with questions regarding this issue *****