How do passports work with dual citizenship

[carmel34 3,646]

Dual citizen (from birth) here, and I have crossed between the US and Canada hundreds of times.  I carry both my US and Canadian passports with me when I travel, but I use the one where I permanently reside at the time for airlines and border officers.  When I was living in Canada, I used my Canadian passport for airline check-in and border crossings, but had my US passport with me if I ever needed it.  My current permanent residence is in the USA, so I use my US passport for travel purposes, but I have my Canadian passport close by if needed.  I have friends who hold three or more passports, and they do the same.  Use the passport of the country where you are residing.

[Mike E 11,741]

2 hours ago, OldUser said:

I thought the reason to show the a passport to airline so they can check whether you meet the requirements of destination country, not check which passport you leave US with?

That’s one purpose. 
 

The other purpose is to comply with the law requiring airlines to report exits of citizens and aliens. If I did not cooperate with that I could  lose   Global entry. 
 

When I held a green card and presented just my Canadian passport, sometimes the airline would ask for  my green card. If the check in counter didn’t ask, sometimes the gate’s boarding pass reader would refuse my boarding pass.

 

The people telling you on this thread that they don’t use their USA passport exit are committing a civil infraction, one which has no penalty other than loss of trusted traveler privileges. I advise you to not follow their example. 

 

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Then, when you go through TSA you can show them US passport?

Depends. Most TSA clerks don’t care, and so whatever ID I have that’s handy I will use that. One time at the Logan international terminal, the TSA refused to let me enter without presenting a passport. 
 

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With dual US/EU it's more straightforward. You show airline the passport you're entering the destination with (for example US), and show passport of your citizenship when exiting your European country to border control.

Yes because EU airports are designed for that (intertribal transit zones) and the EU immigration police forces want that.  Neither situation is the case in the USA. 
 

CBP doesn’t even want to do passport control at U.S. airports at all.  The pre-clearance model it has established in Canada, Ireland and  parts of the Caribbean and UAE is its preferred model.
 

When every flight to America goes through preclearance, there cannot be any possibility of international transit zones.  
 

Still from time to time CBP sets up exit controls on jet bridges and land borders. Have never experienced the latter but I read first hand reports at least once a year. I’ve experienced the former a half dozen times, but normally targeted at non whites suspected  of carrying more than $10,000 cash.  

Edited November 3, 2022 by Mike E

[nastra30 2,295]

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

 

The people telling you on this thread that they don’t use their USA passport exit are committing a civil infraction - Possibly

 

one which has no penalty other than loss of trusted traveler privileges. I advise you to not follow their example. - However, I still have my trusted travel privileges and I have exited more than 10 times without my US passport over a few years. In fact, I used my global entry a couple of months ago with no issues. But if I have to lose my trusted travel privileges I'll surely let it go; because there's no way I'll be paying to secure a visa to visit my own country of Ghana. I must add that when traveling to Ghana the airlines are only interested in one travel document; the one that will allow to disembark in Ghana. So a Ghana Passport or a foreign passport with a Ghana visa or a country with visa free arrangements with Ghana 

Again, this is just me because of certain circumstances. Though, I will advice others to leave and enter with their US passport.

Edited November 3, 2022 by nastra30

[Scandi 4,173]

Give them both passports at the check-in desk and let them decide what passport they want to use. As a dual US/EU citizen I have always put in the US passport info on the airline's website when I have booked a ticket to Europe, but the airline has ALWAYS ignored my US passport and instead want my EU passport. The people behind the desk have always changed my passenger info to match the EU passport instead of the US info that I had already entered (my passports even have different names, I always book the ticket in the US passport name). 

Edited November 4, 2022 by Scandi

[OldUser 6,979]

@nastra30 @Scandi that's exactly my point, airlines should only care and as far as I can tell, only care, about destination country and what passport you would be using to enter it.

 

I definitely understand @Mike E concern about using US passport when leaving the US.

 

Will have to deal with that in the future myself (hopefully). Luckily, my full name, DOB and place of birth match in my current passports from all countries of citizenship and will match in US passport.

Edited November 4, 2022 by OldUser

[Kanja 202]

So in terms of obtaining a passport. Yes, you can get an emergency passport. I don’t know how easy it is to get an appointment. When I did it for my kids I had to do the following:

 

1)prove that there was a death or terminal illness in the family that required me to travel 

2) present flight confirmations 

3) make an appointment with a passport agency 

 

number 3 was challenging and I eventually got one of my elected officials to make the appointment.

 

in terms of buying a ticket without a passport, in my experience, that field when purchasing is usually optional (it’s to make things easier for when you check in). However if seems you can’t purchase without the passport number I would just give the airline or travel agent a call and explain. I know many people (including myself), who have purchased before they get a passport.

 

when I traveled as a dual citizen when I left the US I showed my other passport (sometime they ask to see the US one sometimes they don’t), when I return I show the US passport (they usually don’t ask to see the other one). That’s been my experience.

[Kanja 202]

Just now, Kanja said:

So in terms of obtaining a passport. Yes, you can get an emergency passport. I don’t know how easy it is to get an appointment. When I did it for my kids I had to do the following:

 

1)prove that there was a death or terminal illness in the family that required me to travel 

2) present flight confirmations 

3) make an appointment with a passport agency 

 

number 3 was challenging and I eventually got one of my elected officials to make the appointment.

 

in terms of buying a ticket without a passport, in my experience, that field when purchasing is usually optional (it’s to make things easier for when you check in). However if seems you can’t purchase without the passport number I would just give the airline or travel agent a call and explain. I know many people (including myself), who have purchased before they get a passport.

 

when I traveled as a dual citizen when I left the US I showed my other passport (sometime they ask to see the US one sometimes they don’t), when I return I show the US passport (they usually don’t ask to see the other one). That’s been my experience.

Oh in regards to emergency passport I had to show imminent travel (within one or two weeks I believe). Meaning you can’t get an emergency passport for a trip in a month. Back In the early to late  2000s you could just walk into a passport agency with a printout of your ticket and apply for a same day passport. This is no longer the case, the passport backlog combined with “revenge travel” has made the wait for passports long and the demand high so they no longer allow walkins. 

[Dashinka 24,635]

14 hours ago, nastra30 said:

The US does require you to leave and enter the US with a US passport. However, the nuisance is that the US has no exit control by CBP like other countries. So for me personally, I check in with the airline with my Ghana Passport when I'm flying to Ghana because my Ghana passport allows me to enter Ghana visa-free. If I use US Passport to check in, I'll need a visa to travel to Ghana even though I'm a dual citizen. On my return flight to the US I check in with my US passport. 

Therefore, the lack of exist control makes it difficult for US to enforce the leave and enter with your US passport rule. On the other hand they can't deny you entry because you didn't exit with your US passport.

When my wife flies back home, she actually presents both of her passports.  The US passport to comply with the leaving rule, and the Russian passport to show she has a valid entry document for Russia.

[Chancy 6,242]

*** Moved from US Citizenship General Discussion to Passports sub-forum ***

 

[annab864 55]

On 11/4/2022 at 6:27 AM, Dashinka said:

When my wife flies back home, she actually presents both of her passports.  The US passport to comply with the leaving rule, and the Russian passport to show she has a valid entry document for Russia.

May I ask which passport information your wife uses when she buys tickets to exit the US? While showing both makes the most sense, which passport info are tickets usually booked with? I am having a dilemma about future travels now that I have both citizenships - Russia and US

[Dashinka 24,635]

7 hours ago, annab864 said:

May I ask which passport information your wife uses when she buys tickets to exit the US? While showing both makes the most sense, which passport info are tickets usually booked with? I am having a dilemma about future travels now that I have both citizenships - Russia and US

Now we buy almost all tickets in the name on her US passport the exception being domestic flights inside of Russia.  The only concern comes when she is checking into a flight to Russia (last time was in Dubai), she has to show both passports so they know she has documentation to enter Russia, but no one has batted an eye so far about the name difference.

Edited January 30, 2023 by Dashinka

[annab864 55]

1 hour ago, Dashinka said:

Now we buy almost all tickets in the name on her US passport the exception being domestic flights inside of Russia.  The only concern comes when she is checking into a flight to Russia (last time was in Dubai), she has to show both passports so they know she has documentation to enter Russia, but no one has batted an eye so far about the name difference.

Interesting, thank you! I just changed my last name as well (in US only), so this is very helpful!

[Scandi 4,173]

11 hours ago, annab864 said:

May I ask which passport information your wife uses when she buys tickets to exit the US? While showing both makes the most sense, which passport info are tickets usually booked with? I am having a dilemma about future travels now that I have both citizenships - Russia and US

I typically fly with Scandinavian Airlines as I mainly travel to Sweden. I enter the info for my US passport when I buy a ticket, but when I get to the check-in desk the SAS employees always change my info to match my EU passport instead (I give them both passports, and they are always completely uninterested in the US one, this is at LAX). Apparently they prefer that I use the passport of the country I'm travelling to. Never had any issues either way, so I don't care.

Edited January 30, 2023 by Scandi

[OldUser 6,979]

On 1/30/2023 at 8:16 AM, Scandi said:

I enter the info for my US passport when I buy a ticket, but when I get to the check-in desk the SAS employees always change my info to match my EU passport instead (I give them both passports, and they are always completely uninterested in the US one, this is at LAX). Apparently they prefer that I use the passport of the country I'm travelling to. Never had any issues either way, so I don't care.

Then what's the point of online check in if you have to show up at airline desk?

 

AFAIK for most airlines you don't need to put exact passport details (passport number, country issuing etc). Just name and date of birth is sufficient to book flights.

 

Passport only becomes relevant for check in much later in the process. With multiple citizenships, online check in is almost always useless.

[Scandi 4,173]

1 hour ago, OldUser said:

Then what's the point of online check in if you have to show up at airline desk?

 

AFAIK for most airlines you don't need to put exact passport details (passport number, country issuing etc). Just name and date of birth is sufficient to book flights.

 

Passport only becomes relevant for check in much later in the process. With multiple citizenships, online check in is almost always useless.

Even if I check in online I still have to go to the other desk to drop off my checked in bag. That's when they change my passport info.