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Topic: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?  (Read 3652 times)

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US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« on: November 27, 2006, 08:15:54 PM »
The title pretty much says it all.

If I have to leave the US on my US passport then that is the information the airline will pass on to the government. If I then go through the UK citizen line will that screw things up?


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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2006, 08:32:03 PM »
While you, a US citizen, are required to *enter* the US on your US passport, as far as I am aware, there are no such requirements when departing the US - you should be able to travel on either passport. :)


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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2006, 08:48:21 PM »
you must leave the US on your US passport- I'm pretty sure that's a requirement also.  However, there should be no problem with you subsequently entering the UK on your UK passport- lots of dual citizens do it that way all the time.
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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2006, 07:04:56 AM »
I'm a dual US/Swedish citizen.  I leave the US using my US passport, but MUST enter Sweden using my Swedish passport.  I should think it would be a similar thing for the UK.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2006, 08:24:56 AM by IdahoSwede »
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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2006, 07:48:52 AM »
I'm a dual UK/US citizen, and I use my UK passport exclusively, regardless of the rules. I like having all my cool passport stamps in one place!  ;D
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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2006, 09:15:37 AM »
(Please delete...redundant information...sorry....)
« Last Edit: November 28, 2006, 09:21:38 AM by crabbit.expat »
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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2006, 12:48:59 PM »
Most people find it easiest to enter and leave on the passport of the respective country.  This sometimes causes a few raised eyebrows, if they check your passport and don't see any stamps for example, or trying to explain to a check in agent that you don't need a visa or something to stay in the other country.

If you enter the US on a UK passport, you must leave with your UK passport, because of the US VISIT program tracks these things now.  The UK has plans to do something similar.  If you enter the US on your US passport, you are not tracked on the way out (yet).  Also, entering the UK on a UK or EU passport is a lot easier then entering the UK on a US passport.
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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #7 on: November 28, 2006, 02:34:43 PM »
I have dual citizenship with US/UK.  Both times that I have travelled to the US from the UK, I have left the UK on my US passport, entered the US on my US passport, left the US on my US passport, and entered the UK on my UK passport.  Although I'm sure it's possible to do it differently, the way I have done it seems to work out and doesn't require me to fill in the landing forms that non-US citizens have to fill out when entering the US.  I had no trouble using my UK passport to enter the UK even though I used my US passport to leave the US.  All they do is scan your passport, give you a good hard stare, and send you on your merry way :)

One possible thing to think about is, if you enter and leave the US on your UK passport, there is a green immigration form that is stamped into your passport when you enter the US and subsequently taken when you board the plane to leave the US.  While I'm not exactly sure what this form is used for after it is surrendered, it could potentially have some impact on taxes or claiming residency in either country.  Not sure, but it was something I thought about when I travelled back from NY yesterday with my British companion.  As far as the US government says on their immigration pages, US citizens must enter and leave on their US passport or they will be treated as foreign visitors while in the US. 

This is from the US State Department website:

Quote
Most U.S. citizens, including dual nationals, must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States. Dual nationals may also be required by the foreign country to use its passport to enter and leave that country. Use of the foreign passport does not endanger U.S. citizenship.

So while I'm sure it is possible to enter and leave the US using a foreign passport, it doesn't look like it's recommended. 

Anyway, hope that didn't confuse ya lol.  :)




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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #8 on: November 28, 2006, 08:02:34 PM »
My main concern is to remain legal with both countries.

I plan to enter/leave the US on my US passport. I am fine doing the same with the UK as well although my family will all be on US passports. I guess that means we will have different lines to go through. ??

The only thing that may be strange is that I received my UK passport outside of the UK so I will enter the UK with no stamps of any kind, not even an exit stamp. Maybe a few raised eyebrows will be all I get.


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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #9 on: November 28, 2006, 08:20:47 PM »
Quote
The only thing that may be strange is that I received my UK passport outside of the UK so I will enter the UK with no stamps of any kind, not even an exit stamp. Maybe a few raised eyebrows will be all I get.

Same with my UK passport.  In fact I don't have any stamps in it at all and I really thought that would raise a red flag.  But no one at passport control at Heathrow or Gatwick (or Stansted for that matter) have even looked in the pages.  All they did was scan the bar code across their readers, take a look at the picture page, and that was that.  I think probably because if you travel anywhere in the EU with a UK passport they usually don't stamp it either.  So I'm sure they are used to seeing few or no stamps in a passport these days.




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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #10 on: November 30, 2006, 12:51:02 PM »
The MP for Henley, Boris Johnson had a problem flying through Houston enroute to Mexico.He presented his UK passport which stated he was born in the U.S. His U.S passport had expired years earlier. He was told to he would need to go to the embassy and apply for a new one or leave. He choose the latter.He ended up flying to Mexico via Spain. If you were born in the U.S you must enter and leave on a U.S passport.

http://www.boris-johnson.com/archives/2006/08/thats_it_uncle_sam.php


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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2006, 01:59:40 PM »
You could always just get a Right of Abode stamp on your US passport, then you only ever need to use one passport when you travel.

Vicky


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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2006, 03:44:47 PM »
The only thing that may be strange is that I received my UK passport outside of the UK so I will enter the UK with no stamps of any kind, not even an exit stamp.

I got my UK passport in the US. Who issues exit stamps? The US doesn't, neither does the UK.


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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #13 on: November 30, 2006, 04:52:16 PM »
I got my UK passport in the US. Who issues exit stamps? The US doesn't, neither does the UK.

I have two exit stamps in my passport - one from when I took the Eurostar from London to Brussels (it says "09.07.04 Lft Londres A 148" and has a little train on it) and another from a flight back to Heathrow from Paris (that one says "18.07.04 Roissy-CDG B 399" and has a little picture of a plane on it) - so the UK and France both issue exit stamps (or did in 2004), though I've never received one when flying out of Heathrow, Gatwick, or Manchester airports. :)


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Re: US/UK Dual Citizen entry into UK - Which Passport do I use?
« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2006, 05:02:05 PM »
My main concern is to remain legal with both countries.

I plan to enter/leave the US on my US passport. I am fine doing the same with the UK as well although my family will all be on US passports. I guess that means we will have different lines to go through. ??

The only thing that may be strange is that I received my UK passport outside of the UK so I will enter the UK with no stamps of any kind, not even an exit stamp. Maybe a few raised eyebrows will be all I get.

If you're travelling with your family, you can go thru with them. That's what i was told about going thru UK immigration (I could go thru with my UK cit husband on my US passport), and at US immigration (tho there we had to wait til the US citizens had all cleared, then we could go thru together in teh US cit line)...


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