Dual Citizen Kids traveling from USA to Japan -- Which Passports to Use?

[coip 1]

Scenario:

• Husband = USA citizen
• Wife = Japanese citizen + USA green card holder
• Children = both born in the USA, neither has ever been to Japan, both hold USA and Japan passports

 

Question:

• Which passports do we use for the kids in which situations? I've been told the following:
  • Departing the U.S.
    • show the Japanese passports to the airline (so they know the kids are allowed to enter Japan)
    • show the American passports to TSA  (USA doesn't really have exit immigration, it seems, but they check IDs prior to security screening)
  • Arriving in Japan
    • show the Japanese passports to Japanese entrance immigration
  • Departing Japan
    • show the American passports to the airline (so they know the kids are allowed to enter USA)
    • show the Japanese passports to Japanese exit immigration
  • Arriving in the U.S.
    • show the American passports to USA entrance immigration

 

Is that plan valid? It seems kind of shady to me. We just want to do what is most convenient while also preserving their dual citizenship and not violating any immigration laws.

 

[Ben&Zian 4,398]

With a US passport you can enter and stay in Japan for tourism for up to 90 days I believe.... so why not just use the US passports?

[Hypnos 6,578]

Federal law requires US citizens to enter and exit the US on US passports. 

[Sukie 1,464]

And I believe that Japanese law requires Japanese citizens to enter and leave with Japanese passports.  Just hand both passports to the airlines when you check in.

 

Sukie in NY

[coip 1]

Okay. Thanks everyone.

[coip 1]

Okay, after saying this plan to my wife (i.e. show Japanese passports to Japanese immigration officials and USA passports to USA immigration officials), my wife was concerned that the immigration officials on either end would notice the "missing stamps". That is, when returning to the U.S., CBP officers would examine the USA passports and see there is no record of travel elsewhere and therefore get suspicious. Is that not a concern?

[Hypnos 6,578]

She gives CBP far too much credit.

 

You only need to have watched the news in the past week to know that they aren't the brightest (a lot of low-level federal employees aren't).

 

If it ever comes up (which the likelihood of is minuscule) then you can simply tell them about your dual citizenships.

 

You're really overthinking this.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Hypnos