Presenting your US passport to TSA when traveling internationally

[EternalForeigner 57]

I know by law dual citizens must enter and exit the US with their US passport. But I'm wondering if this means one has to physically present their US passport to TSA when going through security if taking a flight out of the country (especially if you're planning to present the non-US passport at the destination). I know there's no exit immigration controls, but does the requirement to "exit" using a US passport mean just needing to take it and carry it with you so you can later come back, or does it have to be used at TSA and the like? And is there actually a difference for TSA procedurally in terms of which passport you present to them? I know travel records are kept for non-US persons.

Edited August 23, 2021 by EternalForeigner

[HRQX 4,145]

13 minutes ago, EternalForeigner said:

I know by law dual citizens must enter and exit the US with their US passport.

INA § 215(b) no longer has an associated penalty: http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2013/05/01/the-history-of-the-requirement-that-u-s-citizens-only-use-u-s-passports-to-enter-the-u-s/ "The punishment for violating the law?"

13 minutes ago, EternalForeigner said:

passport to TSA when going through security if taking a flight out of the country

Doesn't matter which of your passports you present to TSA. Essentially, it's up to you.

 

You can also present your state DL/ID to TSA when leaving the US (the part about it being a REAL ID version is specifically for travel on or after May 3, 2023): https://www.tsa.gov/real-id

Do I need a REAL ID if I’m flying internationally?

You’ll need your passport for international travel, and you can use your passport to verify your identity at the TSA checkpoint instead of a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license. If you plan to present your state driver’s license to verify your identity at the TSA checkpoint, that card must be REAL ID compliant.

Edited August 23, 2021 by HRQX

[EternalForeigner 57]

1 minute ago, HRQX said:

INA § 215(b) no longer has an associated penalty: http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2013/05/01/the-history-of-the-requirement-that-u-s-citizens-only-use-u-s-passports-to-enter-the-u-s/ "The punishment for violating the law?"

Doesn't matter which of your passports you present to TSA. Essentially, it's up to you.

 

That's what I thought. A dual citizen friend of mine said it's ok, and I saw a couple of webpages where people said the same:

 

I asked other dual citizen friends and they said it was ok and I saw some answers here, but I'd like to get some VJ insight.

 

https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/106330/leaving-the-us-with-a-foreign-passport-and-entering-with-a-us-passport

https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/157373/how-to-lawfully-leave-united-states-without-a-united-states-passport-for-united

 

I still wanted to get some insight on VJ. This friend and others also have different transliteration and spellings of their names on their two passports, yet it's not a hassle in terms of traveling as they claim, which is a bit odd to me.

[HRQX 4,145]

23 minutes ago, EternalForeigner said:

said it was ok

I edited my previous post to add the TSA link that says you can also show your state DL/ID to TSA when leaving the US

[Dashinka 24,504]

When my wife travels, she always presents the passport with the name on her tickets (her passports do not show the same name).  In general, that is the US passport as we found it easier to get the tickets with that name and only use the Russian passport when entering and leaving Russia.

[carmel34 3,633]

5 hours ago, EternalForeigner said:

But I'm wondering if this means one has to physically present their US passport to TSA when going through security if taking a flight out of the country

There is no requirement to present a US passport to TSA when leaving the country, it's optional whether you use a US passport, other country's passport, or driver's license/ID.  All they need is something to confirm your identity, if it matches the ticket they send you on your way.  The technology they use is to screen for fake IDs.  Personally, when I travel to my dual-citizen country as I did recently (Canada), I show my US passport to TSA when boarding the departing flight in the US, then show my Canadian passport when I land in Canada.  Returning I only use my US passport.  Once I showed both of my passports and that only confused the officer so I learned not to do that anymore.  Good luck with your trip!

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

I’ve never shown a passport to TSA when leaving. The airline sees a passport, but the passport they see is what you will use to enter the destination country with (hence: they check for appropriate visas etc if needed to enter there), and it does not have to be the same as what you technically leave the US with. 

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

3 hours ago, carmel34 said:

I show my US passport to TSA when boarding the departing flight in the US,

Curious where this is. I don’t believe I’ve ever gone through passport control on the way out. Or do you just mean for the security screening /boarding area entry?

[carmel34 3,633]

8 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Curious where this is. I don’t believe I’ve ever gone through passport control on the way out. Or do you just mean for the security screening /boarding area entry?

TSA checks ID and boarding pass prior to entering security/gate area.  A valid passport or driver's license/state ID is required.

Edited August 23, 2021 by carmel34

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

1 hour ago, carmel34 said:

TSA checks ID and boarding pass prior to entering security/gate area.  A valid passport or driver's license/state ID is required.

Yes, but that is for security not exit control - you are not specifically required to show “the passport you are leaving the country with” as you are in countries with immigration at exit - otherwise it would be CBP, not TSA, checking passports (I said TSA on a prior post but I meant CBP, and the one you responded to mentioned passport control, not security).

[EternalForeigner 57]

7 hours ago, Dashinka said:

When my wife travels, she always presents the passport with the name on her tickets (her passports do not show the same name).  In general, that is the US passport as we found it easier to get the tickets with that name and only use the Russian passport when entering and leaving Russia.

How does it work with Russian exit immigration though if the boarding pass has the name on the US passport but of course you’d be presenting a Russian passport with a different name?

[Dashinka 24,504]

14 minutes ago, EternalForeigner said:

How does it work with Russian exit immigration though if the boarding pass has the name on the US passport but of course you’d be presenting a Russian passport with a different name?

She presents both passports and if they ask, a marriage certificate.  She had a few questions the first time after getting her US Passport, but no one at Russian Border Services bats an eye now.

[EternalForeigner 57]

16 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

She presents both passports and if they ask, a marriage certificate.  She had a few questions the first time after getting her US Passport, but no one at Russian Border Services bats an eye now.

That wouldn’t be an option for me because Saudi Arabia doesn’t allow dual citizenship in most cases, though it does allow it for those who have another citizenship by birth in that country or through a non-Saudi parent. Though it’s “don’t ask don’t tell” and not strictly scrutinized like China and India. 
 

My dual citizen friends are US-born but they still don’t show their US passport to match the boarding pass when going through Saudi exit controls despite the name spelling being different and I’m surprised at how this works for them. But it won’t be a big deal for me because both names match exactly. 
 

I had wondered about going through TSA because as a former international student and permanent resident my departures from the US were always recorded on the I-94 system despite there being no exit controls. And I don’t think Saudi requires advance passenger info (APIS) like the US and other countries do, but I think Bahrain does (I primarily fly there) and I want to play things safely if I travel to either because they share info. So I know I can just present my Saudi passport all the way from checking in at the airport in the US up until I arrive in Saudi or Bahrain. Because of the I-94 departure recording I was wondering if there was a difference in which passport I presented to TSA. Unless it was the airline that gives the US government the departure data to be recorded on an I-94. 
 

I had contemplated slightly adjusting my last name on my official US documents but I thought it might not be worth the hassle lol. 

[HRQX 4,145]

17 minutes ago, EternalForeigner said:

Unless it was the airline that gives the US government the departure data to be recorded on an I-94.

They get that info from the airline travel reservation: https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pnr_privacy_3.pdf

 

Since you are a US citizen it doesn't matter what data is transmitted through the PNR.

[EternalForeigner 57]

11 minutes ago, HRQX said:

They get that info from the airline travel reservation: https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pnr_privacy_3.pdf

 

Since you are a US citizen it doesn't matter what data is transmitted through the PNR.

I knew US citizens shouldn’t get their travel info recorded, which is why I wondered if that stays the same even if a US citizen presents a non-US passport when checking in or going through security.