Just heard last night about a Canadian/American flying to US for a conference denied boarding. She had only her US passport with her and was told she needed both. That makes sense to me as she would return to her home in Canada, but I was told that in the past she had come and gone with only the US passport though she lives in Canada.
I'm posting this as a PSA, but since we need a question--here it is: what's up with this?
The times she came with one before she was lucky - you have always needed both although it may not have always been enforced.
Why would she need both?
I can see that it is easier to enter a country using that country's passport, less problems at immigration. But if either is valid, why does she have to tell the airline about both? The advance notification thingy you have to fill in on the internet before you can get a boarding card only allows for entry of one travel document.
Dual nationality is always tricky. Generally you need both as both countries only recognise their own citizenship at borders.
I used to work with someone who deliberately left his French papers at home when visiting his French family. It helped he had a very British name. This was when France had conscription and he was avoiding national service like the plague.
Chris, my daughter always needs both when entering the US. Mainly because they think she overstayed her tourist visa in Germany, based on the entry stamps. So, she has to show her German passport to prove that she is legally in Germany.
Everyone with dual passports ends up needing to do this.
We use a passport from the US but only a national ID card for our dual nationality. I think it must depend on the country, Bulgaria requiring two, but not France.
Jo--that makes perfect sense for your daughter.
This Canada/US denied boarding thing for a weekend conference is weird-;why would she bring a US passport if Canada is her residence?
I'm curious. What make your status that of a dual citizen? Do you have to have two passports to be considered a dual citizen? I don't recall their being a box on declaring dual citizenship on the US Citizenship application, nor do i recall a box denouncing other citizenships in the paperwork. So not having declaired one way or another, if you let your passport from your country of origin lapse.... then what? I know through practice its not a problem, but its sort of interesting given this discussion.
I was sitting in an interrogation holding room in Tel Aviv one day listening to Israle officers sreaming at a gentleman of middle eastern origins sitting next to me "you have two passports! we know you have two passports! tell us why you have two passports!" A most pleasant afternoon.
You do not need to have a passport to be a dual citizen, though it is wise to have them unless you plan on just staying at home your entire life.
Most of the time it comes at birth, due to where you were born or your parents' citizenship. It is automatic many times. A child born in the US is a citizen. A child born in Germany with one German parent is a citizen. They don't have to do anything at all, it is automatic.
There are some people who have a 3rd or 4th country citizenship, though this is rather rare.
"if you are a US citizen, you need to enter on your US passport."
Canada now has this same rule - this is a recent rule change (as of November 10, 2016). That is the answer to Bets's original question. In the past, this traveler's US passport was sufficient; now it is not. She must enter the US on her US passport, and must enter Canada on her Canadian passport.
Source: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/dual-canadian-citizens.asp
Interesting discussion...my husband was born in the old Yugoslavia. When the country broke apart, he registered as a Croatian and received a new birth certificate. All the time he was already an American citizen. Last October he went back to bury his father and while settling the estate, he was registered as a national living abroad. He did not get a passport even though they offered it. We went to Rome this past February with no problems, using only his US passport. No one asked about another one. I feel like I am missing something here.....
Then there are times where you are considered a citizen of a particular country even if you don't want to be considered as such.
Thanks Harold. It's clear now. Recent rule change. So this may also explain the difference between Kaeleku's wife's experience and ours entering different EU countries.
Barbara--I don't think you're missing anything. Under normal circumstances if this Canadian-US dual had tried to fly to a conference in the US on only her Canadian passport, since her residence is Canada, IMHO she would have entered without problem, as your husband did in Italy and we do in France. But she had only a US passport and there were new rules. Maybe she had read about US border entry difficulties that had been in the news and decided a US passport would guarantee entry. One question, tho, for us and your husband is if we choose to stay over 90 days-- then, what passport and how do we proceed. We never paid attention in the past. There must be a right way to do it.
Barbara: Your husband is now a citizen of Croatia and the US. So, you have to check the rules for those particular places.
As far as I'm aware, there's no problem entering other European countries that are not Croatia with a US passport, as a citizen of Croatia (so that's why he had no issue getting into Italy). But if he goes back to Croatia, he may have an issue. As I posted, Canada just changed its rules, so you do have to check for the latest info.
A friend of mine (US citizen by birth) has gotten Polish citizenship (via his grandfather). It was made very clear that now he had to enter and leave Poland on a Polish passport. In other words, Poland has the same rule that the US and Canada have. However, he has not gone to Poland since then, and has been in various other EU countries on his US passport without any problems.
Thanks for the info, we will have to check this out before we travel next summer. What a pain in the ..... Just when you think you read everything and are up-to-date on Schnegen, etc the rules change. So glad for the information I find out on this forum, again.
Barbara, based on the rules I have come across with friends is:
As far as the US is concerned your husband is a US citizen. He should present US documentation to that effect entering or leaving.
As far as the Republic of Croatia is concerned, he is a Croatian citizen and therefore the same for the Republic of Croatia.
As far as the rest of the world is concerned, 'meh'. Be an American or Croatian citizen, but your rights in country three are defined by how that country treats citizens of the US or the Republic of Croatia.
Barbara, this is so easy and not a pain at all. Your husband just needs to carry both passports and show them if needed. It doesn't take any extra time, there aren't extra questions.
