Coming back to the UK on a new British passport

Just curious, when I come back at the end of August, should I be showing both passports to the airline check-in person, as well as Immigration in the UK?

Won't they ask why I don't have a stamp from the US?

Thank you

Oooh I just did this!

Showed the US passport to check in and go through security and showed my UK passport to the Immigration at heathrow.

And lived to tell the tale.

Welcome back

And thank goodness

The only thing now is that some airlines such as United and American have switched over to mandatory self check-in. You check-in either at home or at a computer kiosk at the airport and then drop off your bags if you have any at a counter staffed by non-airline personnel.

My experience has been mixed. I don't have a British passport yet, but it is sort of similar because I use my US passport to enter the US, and I use my Canadian passport with ILR stamp to leave the US/enter the UK. Just like you would with a British passport

With American Airlines it has been fine. If you enter the US on a US passport, their computer system has no record of your other passport. So when you return to the UK, that information needs to be entered. Fortunately in my experience, there is always an American airlines manager-type hovering around the check-in kiosks at the US airport who can verify your second passport or do a visa check.

United Airlines was not a good experience. The self check-in area at LAX was chaos. I tried to check-in with my second (Canadian) passport, but the system wouldn't let me. I had to see a United employee, but the baggage drop-off was staffed by airport employees, not United ones. There was just one United employee serving over 50 self check-in terminals, and it took a very long time before he finally got to me to enter my second passport information on the system so that I could legally (in their eyes) enter the UK.

I have never had a problem travelling to the US showing just my US passport both in London and in the US. The problem has often been coming back, when people on the US side want to see the second passport to enter the data. Or when someone at the boarding gate wants to get my green I-94 visa waiver stub before allowing me on the plane, which as a US citizen I don't have. Dual (or multiple) citizens like us need to make sure we carry both our passports at all times to prove legal entry to and legal departure from both the US and the UK. It's just departing from the US where the procedure gets a bit fraught. But again, your mileage may vary.

Umm..you could save yourself a lot of grief by just checking in with your US passport (actually, I think it's been mentioned somewhere that you're required to enter AND exit the US with your US passport if you got it) and then showing your Canadian passport at UK immigration.

I can't check in with just my US passport when heading back to Britain, because each and every time I've done so, the airline check-in folk want to check my entitlement to return to the UK. They see that I don't have a round-trip ticket to the UK and back to the US, that I'm staying in the UK, and they want to see what the basis is of my staying there. And I have to say that 100% of the time, they want to see that Canadian passport with the ILR stamp. And I won't be surprised if this time next year, they'll want to see that UK passport too.

The security people in the US don't care. It's just at check-in and (sometimes) boarding the actual plane in the US that they want to see my non-US passport.

It appears that your experience has been different, and I don't know what to say. My experience with the US carriers has been remarkably consistent, if anything.

The only thing now is that some airlines such as United and American have switched over to mandatory self check-in. You check-in either at home or at a computer kiosk at the airport and then drop off your bags if you have any at a counter staffed by non-airline personnel....


United Airlines was not a good experience. The self check-in area at LAX was chaos. I tried to check-in with my second (Canadian) passport, but the system wouldn't let me. I had to see a United employee, but the baggage drop-off was staffed by airport employees, not United ones. There was just one United employee serving over 50 self check-in terminals, and it took a very long time before he finally got to me to enter my second passport information on the system so that I could legally (in their eyes) enter the UK.

Not true. I always check in at the desk with United. I've been flying with them for 20 years and never had to use the self check in unless I wanted to. I've always found the staff to be friendly and courteous. My daughter travels on 2 passports (US & UK) and we've found it much easier to just go to the desk straight off and show both passports for her instead of having them ask why she doesn't have an I-94 in her UK passport or where her return ticket is if she's going out n her US passport. This has been my experience flying from a small commuter terminal  & checking all the way through to LHR and when checking in SFO and LHR.

Please don't call me a liar. It is true.

My experience at LAX in late June of this year is exactly as I wrote it. Compulsory self check-in followed by luggage drop-off with non-United, airport staff. It was total, utter chaos.

As I have written several times in my account, this has been my own personal experience. It may differ at various airports. It may differ with various airlines. But I stand by my initial statement, as much as I respect yours.

It may be that LAX is just a test-case for United. They may not roll it out entirely to all airports, particularly small commuter ones. But at LAX and on that particular day, I didn't have a choice.

My suggestion: Be prepared. Carry both passports, and be prepared to show them to get out of whatever sticky situation you find yourself.

london_lad: what I was disagreeing with was your statement that:

United and American have switched over to mandatory self check-in. You check-in either at home or at a computer kiosk at the airport and then drop off your bags if you have any at a counter staffed by non-airline personnel....

Which you've now gone back and edited out of your original post. I'm not calling your account of your experience a lie because it's your experience, how would I know?

That's true. My original statement was a bit over-reaching. But if United's practices at Los Angeles on that day are any indication of the future, I'd be watching their other airports very carefully. In these days of losses for the industry, I wouldn't be surprised if LAX's mandatory self check-in was expanded to other locations.

I used to be very happy with that airline, and have used it for hundred of thousands of miles.  But the level of confusion that day really shocked me. Despite arriving in with plenty of time to spare, I was literally minutes away from not getting on my plane because the single United employee there had not come around to verify me. The staff at LAX couldn't seem to appreciate the fact that an American could be living abroad, and they didn't have practices in place to accommodate an easy visa check for me and dozens of other people in a similar position. I was disappointed, I must say. As you can perhaps read into this, even a month after the event, I'm still a bit p-o'd at them!

london_lad: what I was disagreeing with was your statement that:Which you've now gone back and edited out of your original post.

I'm not sure what that means. The statement that you've quoted was never edited out. But I have clarified my point in subsequent posts, if that helps any.

I can't check in with just my US passport when heading back to Britain, because each and every time I've done so, the airline check-in folk want to check my entitlement to return to the UK. They see that I don't have a round-trip ticket to the UK and back to the US, that I'm staying in the UK, and they want to see what the basis is of my staying there. And I have to say that 100% of the time, they want to see that Canadian passport with the ILR stamp. And I won't be surprised if this time next year, they'll want to see that UK passport too.

The security people in the US don't care. It's just at check-in and (sometimes) boarding the actual plane in the US that they want to see my non-US passport.

It appears that your experience has been different, and I don't know what to say. My experience with the US carriers has been remarkably consistent, if anything.

That is just weird. Since getting to the UK three years ago, I probably took good 15 flights from US to UK and not one single time was I ever asked to produce any kind of UK-related documentation. That's been my experience at JFK, Newark, LAS, and LAX.

ETA: I shouldn't have been in such rush to respond. I saw your last line and realized I fly almost exclusively with Virgin and when I don't, I fly with BA.

I know. I'm really surprised with this myself. I really do encounter a lot of scrutiny. Must be my haircut, or summink!

The best part, by the way, was when the United manager finally got a chance to look at my residence permit. He looked at and said, "I'm sorry, but what is this?". I said, "It's my indefinite leave to remain. It's my permanent resident permit for the UK." And he looked at it and then looked back at me and said, "Okay, but when does it expire?". With all the calmness and non-b*tchiness I could muster, I replied, "It doesn't. It's permanent."

I hate writing about stuff like this, 'cuz it's so easy to come off like a spoiled twit. But I normally wouldn't care and can roll with the punches. It's just when these scenarios can actually mess you up big time. In this case, I came very close to not getting on my plane!

The initial statement that United and American have switched to mandatory self check-in at all locations may be overreaching. I admit that. Here is my experience over the last year:

American Airlines
LHR: August '08, December '08, March '09 --> no mandatory self check-in
LAX: September '08, December '08, April '09 --> mandatory self check-in with bag drop
Toronto: August '08 --> mandatory self check-in with bag drop

United Airlines
LHR: June '09 --> no mandatory self check-in
LAX: June '09 --> mandatory self check-in with bag drop

I admit that the first statement I made was perhaps too broad, as I have not personally travelled to every United/American terminal in the past year. However every experience that I personally have had in North America since August last year, has required it. In terms of LA, it's been 100%.

That's all I've got to say really...

I can't check in with just my US passport when heading back to Britain, because each and every time I've done so, the airline check-in folk want to check my entitlement to return to the UK. They see that I don't have a round-trip ticket to the UK and back to the US, that I'm staying in the UK, and they want to see what the basis is of my staying there.

This happened to me when I flew United LAX-LHR in January.  I couldn't check in at the self-serve kiosk because the computer saw that I had a US passport and no onward/return ticket, so the desk agent had to scan my ILR visa to show this was acceptable.  There were several desk agents, at least!

I don't have any other experience with this situation, though.  I expect to get much more in the coming years....