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How to Easily Travel with Two Passports – A Guide to Understanding Dual Citizenship

Are you a dual citizen looking to travel with two different passports? Has exploring multiple countries with two separate documents confused and overwhelmed you? If so, worry no more because this guide, specifically tailored for dual citizens, will provide all the details needed to make navigating international borders with multiple nationalities effortless. Here, we’ll cover everything from obtaining dual citizenship in the first place to how it works when you get on a plane or cross border checkpoints.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

How to Travel With Two Passports?

Dual citizenship, as its name suggests, is holding citizenship in both the US and another country simultaneously. This can occur in several different ways depending on the situation. The first is by birth. If a child of a US citizen is born in another country, the child holds citizenship in both countries.

Marriage is another way that this can occur. Most countries automatically extend citizenship to people from the US who marry a person from that country. The third is by going through the naturalization process. This is where a US citizen will become a naturalized citizen.

When this happens, the person does not lose their previous status as a citizen of their home.

If you hold dual citizenship and are traveling with two valid passports, there are a number of essential things to keep in mind.

What Are The Benefits of Having a Second Passport?

The most important thing to know is that even if you are a dual citizen traveling with two completely valid passports , you will always need to travel with your United States passport at all times. You must use your US passport when you attempt to re-enter the US. The other passport is for the country where you have dual citizenship and want to enter that country.

The passport you should present when entering a country often depends on which passport you use when booking your airfare or other travel accommodations. For example, if you hold dual citizenship in France and the US, you may book your first flight with your French passport.

Then, book your return trip with your U.S. passport. In that event, you would present your French passport when you reach your destination. Hence, you’re US passport when you return home to the US. As a general rule of thumb, you should always use the passport number for the country you plan on visiting when booking any round-trip ticket.

Issuing and Renewing Passports

If you hold dual citizenship and plan on renewing or applying for a US passport , your second passport is not part of the application process. It can, however, be used as proof of your identity. Renewing your foreign passport while living in the US requires contacting your country’s embassy. Many will require you to return your current passport to complete the renewal process.

All in all, dual citizenship has many benefits, making it an attractive option. It can open the door for more opportunities to expand your career, study, and travel. Having dual citizenship also allows you to exploit two countries’ economic and political systems.

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What is Dual Nationality?

Dual nationality   means a person is a national of two countries. They have legal rights and obligations in both countries. A person may hold more than two nationalities, and the same guidance generally applies. Having dual nationality has advantages. These include ease of living abroad and access to government programs. But dual nationals should understand the potential legal issues. These can make life and travel more complex.

How Do You Get Dual Nationality?

• You may knowingly or unknowingly be a national of another country, even if you have not been issued a passport by that country. You  may  become a dual national of the United States and another country by:
• Being born in the United States, and subject to the laws thereof, to one or two parents holding a nationality other than United States, with your second nationality based on the other country’s nationality law;
• Being born outside the United States to one or two U.S. citizen parents, with your second nationality based on the foreign country’s laws; or
• Naturalizing as a U.S. citizen while keeping the nationality of another country.

Requirements for U.S. Citizens Holding   Dual Nationality

While the United States allows for dual (or multiple) nationality, there are some requirements that U.S. citizen dual nationals must follow, regardless of whether they hold another nationality:

• You must enter and leave the United States on your U.S. passport. You are not allowed to enter on your foreign passport, because U.S. law requires all U.S. citizens to enter and depart the U.S. on a valid U.S. passport. U.S. citizens are not eligible for a U.S. visa.
• If your child is a citizen of the United States, they are not eligible for a U.S. visa. This is true even if you have not taken steps to document them as a U.S. citizen. If you want to enter or depart the United States with your child who is a U.S. citizen, you must obtain a U.S. passport for your child.
• You may need to file your U.S. tax returns, even if you do not owe any taxes. Your worldwide income is subject to U.S. taxation. You may also need to file a tax return in the State where you were last resident. You may want to consult a tax advisor experienced in dual-national filings.
• If you have more than $10,000 in overseas bank or brokerage accounts, you may need to fill out the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Account (FBAR) .

Potential Challenges to Holding   Dual Nationality

Different countries have different laws on dual nationality. Some countries may not permit it. Research the laws on dual nationality in your destination before you travel. The Country Information Page  for your destination is a helpful resource. You may also check in with the embassy of any country where you have a foreign nationality before you travel. Examples of regulations that may impact dual nationals include:

• Entry and Exit Requirements:  When traveling to a country where you have U.S. and that country’s nationality, you may need to use a passport from that country or show an ID from that country. Some countries impose restrictions on its departing citizens. For example, they may need an exit visa.
• Exit Bans:  Some countries may impose exit bans on dual nationals as an alternative to criminal detention or in civil or familial disputes. Exit bans may also be used coercively on people not facing charges. They can be used to compel an associate or relative under investigation to return from abroad. Those subject to an exit ban may not know how long the restrictions or investigation may continue. Exit bans and lengthy document processing often cause a significant financial burden. This includes unemployment, unexpected living expenses, and fines.
• Limited U.S. Assistance Abroad:  Local authorities may not recognize your U.S. nationality if you are also a national of that country. This is especially true if you did not enter the country using your U.S. passport. Even if dual nationals who are detained ask police or prison officials to notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate , U.S. consular officials may not be allowed to access them police or prison officials to notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate .
• Military Service:  Dual nationals may have to do military service in the foreign country where they are a national. This obligation may be imposed immediately upon arrival or when attempting to leave the country.
• Registration:  In some countries, you may be required to register your other nationalities.
• Prohibition of Dual Nationality:  Some countries prohibit dual nationality. You may be forced to give up that country’s nationality if you are also a U.S. national. You could be compelled to do so through a formal act of renunciation. We recommend that you research the dual nationality laws of your countries. This includes countries where you are a dual national, or where you want to naturalize. You can find a list of local attorneys who may be able to assist you on the websites of U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, or  travel.state.gov.

Additional Resources

• Information on possible loss of U.S. nationality if you seek public office in a foreign country .
• Information on possible loss of U.S. nationality if you serve in a foreign military .

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A Guide To Travelling With Two Passports

Last Updated on January 10, 2023

by Michael Rozenblit

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. That means if you click a link and make a purchase, we may make a small commission. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see our privacy policy.

I acquired dual citizenship a couple of years ago which meant that recently I started travelling with two passports.

And while I’ve been clear for a very long time about the benefits of obtaining dual citizenship and the flexibility that it allows me, it was only until about a day before my long trip through the Balkans that I realised I actually had no idea about the practicalities of having a second citizenship. I had no idea which passport I should use when booking a flight, checking in or passing through immigration.

So after doing some frantic last-minute research, I went to the airport and showed my foreign passport. What ensued was fifteen minutes of confusion when I showed the airline check-in in Australia my foreign passport. The concierge was left whispering to other staff before finally asking me how I had entered Australia and whether I had a visa to stay in the country.

When I meekly showed him my Australian passport, he shook his head at me like I was an idiot and proceeded to tell me, “In Australia, ALWAYS show your Australian passport.”

I’m sure that I’m not the only one that has experienced confusion or uncertainty as to how to travel with two passports from different countries so I’ve created this step by step guide to ensure that you know exactly which passport to use at each stage of travelling!

Disclaimer: I am not an immigration lawyer and this article is only meant to be used as a guide to travelling with 2 passports based on my own experience. I recommend speaking to the relevant embassy if you want more information on your specific situation. 

Table of Contents

A Guide For Travelling With Two Passports

1. booking your flight.

When booking your flight, airlines will request you enter your passport information as part of the booking process. For countries where you are required to pass through immigration before departing, you should typically enter the details of the passport which you are using in the country of departure.

For example, as an Australian, I will always use my Australian passport when booking a flight out of Australia.

Apart from travelling from Australia, I have generally found that it doesn’t matter which passport you use to book your flight, particularly if you don’t pass through immigration when exiting the country.

For example, in the United Kingdom or the USA, there is no immigration when exiting the country and airlines don’t seem to be concerned with your visa status in the departure country.

In countries that don’t recognise dual citizenship, it would be advisable to book your flight on the passport which you are legally using in the country.

2. Checking in at the airport

Whichever passport you have used to book your flight is the same one that you should show when you check in at the airport. It is, however, worth making sure that you add both passports to your packing list as an airline might request to see proof of onward travel.

For example, if I book a one-way flight to Europe, the airline might request to see a return flight as if you’re not a dual citizen they want to make sure you’re not planning on illegally overstaying your visa.

By showing my European passport it gives the airline evidence that I can stay in Europe without any additional visas.

3. Immigration at your departure airport

The passport that you have used to enter the country is the same one you should be showing immigration when leaving the country.

4. Immigration at your arrival airport

Whichever passport allows you the most hassle-free stay is the one you should show when arriving at your destination. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using one passport to exit a country and then entering on another passport.

Also, it’s worth remembering that most countries require you to use the passport of that country if you are a citizen. So if I’m entering Australia, I should enter on my Australian passport rather than obtaining a visa on my European passport.

Whenever planning a trip, a great website I use is the Compare feature on PassportIndex.Org  for deciding which passport to enter with at my destination.

It allows you to line up different passports next to each other and see how the visa requirements vary for every country around the world. This is a fantastic way to save money and time and ensure that you don’t pay any unnecessary visa fees!

Example Scenarios when Travelling with Multiple Passports

Example 1 – australian and uk dual citizen travelling from sydney to london..

1. Booking your flight – Australian passport

2. Checking in at the airport – Australian passport

3. Immigration at your departure airport – Australian passport

4. Immigration at your arrival airport – British passport

Example 2 – US and EU citizen travelling from Paris to Istanbul.

1. Booking your flight – EU passport

2. Checking in at the airport – EU passport

3. Immigration at your departure airport – EU passport

4. Immigration at your arrival airport – as Americans require an eVisa to enter Turkey but EU citizens can enter visa-free, you should use your EU passport.

Can you have Two Passports?

Citizenship law varies from country to country so your ability to acquire two different passports will depend on the specific laws of the two countries of which you wish to have passports.

For example, certain countries like the US, UK, France, Australia, Canada and Switzerland put no restrictions on dual citizenship and you are able to acquire multiple passports as long as it’s allowed by your second country of citizenship.

Some countries put restrictions on your ability to acquire dual citizenship and have quite complex laws to do with how they recognise dual citizenship.

For example, there are no restrictions for Spanish citizens if acquiring dual citizenship with certain Latin American countries but there are restrictions with other countries. In Germany, there are certain situations where citizens will have to choose between nationalities by a certain age. In Pakistan, dual citizenship is only recognised with certain countries.

Other countries such as China and India don’t recognise dual citizenship at all.

Dual citizenship laws are constantly changing and it’s important to keep up to date if you are a dual citizen or wish to acquire citizenship of a particular country. It’s also important to remember that, when travelling, if a country doesn’t recognise dual citizenship then you might not be able to receive embassy assistance if you have entered that particular country on your other passport.

I, therefore, recommend that travellers consider carefully which passport to use, particularly when travelling in more volatile countries.

Travelling with Two Passports with Different Names

In some situations, different countries might issue you passports with different names due to how the name has been translated or a country wanting to use their native language version of your name.

The first thing to do is to see whether the country that is issuing you your passport can add your regular name as a translated version on the page opposite where your main details are located. This will help prove that the passports have the same identity if you ever need to.

When booking your flight, you should ensure you enter the name as it appears in the passport for which you are purchasing and checking into your flight. This will ensure that when you check in and show your passport, the records match up to when you bought the ticket.

In my experience, it’s not a problem to then enter your destination country with your other passport (even if it has a different name) as immigration isn’t checking details against the airline’s manifest.

As always, try to make sure you travel with both passports in case there are any misunderstandings!

Is Travelling with Two Passports Illegal?

For many people there is nothing illegal about having two passports, however, some countries don’t allow or recognise dual citizenship so you need to look into each country’s specific laws.

For citizens of countries such as the USA, Canada, UK & Australia it is common for many citizens to get a second passport from another country.

Other Things to Consider For Dual Citizens

As previously mentioned, I would also recommend taking both passports with you if you are a dual citizen even if you think you’ll only have the need for one of them. It could be helpful for proving onward travel or in the worst-case scenario having two embassies you could contact should there be an emergency when travelling.

Make sure to also  buy a passport holder that allows you to carry two passports! Many passport holders are unfortunately only designed for people with a single passport which can increase the likelihood of you misplacing your other passport!

Before setting off on any trip, are you considering travel insurance? World Nomads offers flexible and simple travel insurance policies with coverage for more than 150 activities that you can buy or extend while on the road.

Another option if you’re looking to save money is SafetyWing which offers travel medical insurance and is one of the most affordable providers on the market.

Travelling with two passports is a privilege for people fortunate enough to be able to do so. Hopefully, this guide clears up any confusion as to which passport you should use at different stages of travelling! 

Do you have two passports from different countries? What issues have you encountered on the road with a second citizenship? Let us know in the comments below! 

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About Michael Rozenblit

Michael is a co-founder and writer for The World Was Here First. Both solo and with his partner, Maggie, he has travelled to over 50 countries across the globe and has a particular affinity for the Balkans and Eastern Europe. He’s lived in numerous countries worldwide but currently resides in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Read more about Michael

Its a pity you didnt leave the reverse scenarios ? Say you leave UK on US passport and enter Turkey on EU passport what do you do in the reverse senario Do check in with your passport you booked with from the UK ? or the one you arrived on ? Do you switch them around quickly at passport control ?

That would be really helpful to know to people as thats the crucial bit missing.

Hi, I and my kids have dual Serbian and Hungarian (EU) passports.We live in China and our Chinese visas are in our Serbian passports. We plan on traveling to Thailand and am wondering how to go about it as Thailand doesn’t require tourist visas for Hungarian passport holders, however I’ve never traveled with two passports and as I’ll be traveling with kids, I’m a bit concerned.One of my child’s first names is also spelled differently in his passports so that’s another thing.Also, if I book us return tickets, which passport do I use at which point?What I understand is that I should use the passport that let’s me travel with no hassle, however if I buy I return ticket, it will be with our Serbian passports that we used to enter China. But then the same passport will be the one on the return ticket so wouldn’t it be a problem if I enter Thailand with my EU passport, but exit with the Serbian one(as that’s the one I bought the ticket with)?

I’m both citizen from France/Canada I’m planning to go to Paris, France from Canada so if i understand clearly for my round trip , i should follow this:

Canada to France 1/ departing from Canadian airport : always show my Canadian passport 2/ arriving in France, always show my french passport

france to canada 3/ departing from french airport, always show my french passport 4/ arriving in Canada, always show my Canadian passport

i understand i should always be ready to show either my french or canadian passport upon request by the airline staff.

Am i right ?

I have two passports: one is Pakistani, and the second one is from Dominica. If I plan to visit Italy, I will book a ticket from Pakistan to Italy using my Dominica passport, as Italy offers free entry for Dominica passport holders. Now, the question arises: which passport should I present during the boarding and immigration process in Pakistan, and which one should I use when returning from Italy? And while returning back which Passport I do show at Italy at boarding and Immigration. If I show Dominica Passport at Italy boarding then they must ask for Pakistan visa since Pakistan is not visa free for Dominica Passport. So advise what to do? and how to book return ticket?

Hi, I am in mid-process of applying for my three kids’ British Passports. I am British their mum is Japanese and we currently live in Japan. They currently hold New unused 5 year Japanese passports 2028. I have already received one of my twin girls’ British passport already. Am I to understand when they choose to visit family members in the UK 1. they book flights using Jp passport 2. checking-in with Jp passport 3. boarding using B passport 4. entering UK immigration using B passport 5. leaving UK use B passport. 6. Boarding use Jp passport. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Hi I was living in canada as permanent resident and having Indian passport but this month I moved to uk on work permit. Soon I will be going back to canada for my citizenship oath .my question is how I can transfer my work permit from Indian passport to Canadian and where I should get it done in canada or in uk , if in uk on which passport should I travel to uk from canada

my 18 yr old grandson arrived from Australia in June on his Aus passport. His British passport arrived recently. He plans to stay here for about 9 months. We know he has to leave the country by 21st December on his Aus passport to ‘validate’ the 6 months he’s allowed to stay, so we are planning a weekend in Spain. does he have to book 2 single flights because easyjet want the passport numbers. If he shows Spanish immigration his British passport ,the numbers won’t match. We’re a bit confused and would like clarification about leaving and re-entering UK

Thanks for the great info and blog! Also many other readers comments are very helpful.

As a recent dual citizen of the US with a UK passport, what led me here was seeking clarity on DEPARTING other countries for a return trip to the US. No longer having a Green Card or Visa makes returning to the US impossible….as the airline is screening on behalf of US immigration. So, if I flew into a ‘third” country on a UK Passport, I would have no choice but to present my US passport for a return flight to the US. Reading comments here, it seems to me that the only time that this becomes an issue is where I am arriving into a third country with a specific entry / exit visa requirement.

If I was traveling between the US and the UK and used my UK passport to enter the UK and present my US passport for a return to the US, that should not create any issue with my UK passport…..is that accurate?

Thanks again for all your great advice

I have a question if I may.

My mum has a British and Thai Passport but the surname in her Thai Passport is still in her maiden name and the British is in her married name.

So working this out right, it should be British passport leaving UK to Thailand. Enter to Thailand in Thai Passport Leave Thailand on British Passport and enter on UK on British Passport.

Am I correct in this?

My husband and I have dual citizenship (Canada/UK) but our two children have Canadian citizenship (but not a Canadian passport yet) so both currently travel only on their UK Passport. We are entering the USA. In the past, I was told to enter and leave the USA on my UK passport because I was flying with my UK passport dependents. So I have an ESTA for all of us. However, should I not be able to enter on my Canadian passport and leave on my UK passport to return home (we live in the UK)? I have read conflicting answers as to whether or not I would need to enter my Canadian passport for both the inbound (to USA) and outbound (to UK) flights, even though when I get to Britain I have to enter on my British passport. Basically, we are trying to confirm whether my husband and I actually do need an Esta of if we can enter as Canadians and leave as Brits!

Am citizen of Ghana and dual citizenship of Bahamas but I enter Qatar with my Ghana passport but now wanted to leave Qatar to Czech republic with Bahamas passport, is it possible to exit on that since the entry stamped was on Ghana passport?

Very informative article. I have UK and Canada passport. Since Brexit, UK citizens are in the 90/180 day restriction. Which is same restriction for Canada passport in some EU countries., So I want to try to use Canada passport for some trips. For example going to Spain. Can I book airfare and exit UK on Canada passport. Enter Spain on Canada passport. Exit Spain in Canada passport. Enter UK on British passport. So all the days for that trip are in my Canada passport.

My husband and I are on holiday in Australia, we have dual nationality and possess both UK and Australian passports; We live in France with permanent residence cards (carte de sejour).

We’ve used our Australian passports to come here, are we right in thinking that on our return trip to France we use our Australian passports on exiting the country in transit at Singapore we can use our Australian passports and at immigration in France show our English passports with our residence cards (carte de sejour).

Travelling with Malaysian and American passport to Malaysia from America

Summary I have a Malaysian and American passport with the below situation and appreciate thoughts on below especially on return to America because of visa requirement.

Situation Passports – I have both Malaysian and American passports Visas – Malaysia requires visa to visit America but America does not require visa to visit Malaysia or second country Hong Kong Policy – I understand America doesn’t care that I have a not allowed Malaysian passport but Malaysia does not allow me to have an American passport and will make me choose passport if discovered

Travel Book ticket in America – use Malaysian passport Check in at starting airport in America – use Malaysian passport Departing immigration in America – Not applicable Arriving immigration in Malaysia – use Malaysian passport

Book ticket – do I have to book 2 one way tickets instead of round trip because I have to use Malaysian passport to depart Malaysia because I don’t have visa for Malaysian passport to visit America and switch passports in intermediary country Hong Kong on the way? Check in at returning airport in Malaysia – use Malaysian passport Departing immigration in Malaysia – use Malaysian passport

Intermediary country Hong Kong arriving immigration – switch from Malaysian to American passport despite flight data? Intermediary country Hong Kong departing immigration – use American passport to match arrival and departure passport? Intermediary country Hong Kong check in – use American passport

Arriving immigration in America – use American passport

Scenario above doesn’t even get into the complications of having to renew Malaysian passport in Malaysia because I don’t have a green card to renew Malaysian passport while living in America. I appreciate anyone’s advice. Thank you.

Trying to figure this out for a trip coming up. I have dual citizenship USA/Portugal. I am traveling to Barcelona in March, but my first stop in Paris is where I will go through passport control. Is this the process: 1. Show US passport at San Francisco airport 2. When I arrive in Paris go to the EU line with my Portuguese passport 3. When returning I show again my US passport at airport 4. Use US passport at SFO.

I only use my EU passport when I arrive in Paris correct?

Also my name doesn’t match on them. EU one is my maiden name.

Hi, I hold dual citizenship, British and Italian. I had always understood that in Britian I should use the British one and in Italy the Italian one. I was told by the Italian authorities that I could book the ticket and check in with either passport but had to show my Italian passport at Italian passport control and my British passport at British passport control. I had always booked the tickets with my British passport and showed the necessary passport at the passport controls and had never had any problems (including several visits this year between the two countries) until this week, when I left Britain to come back to Italy, where I am resident. I had checked in online with my British passport but at the bag drop in Heathrow a message came up saying my documents had to be checked. The airport member of staff then told me that because I was resident in Italy and travelling to Italy I had to travel on my Italian passport even though I was leaving Britain. This had never happened before. Has something changed? Does this mean that every time I leave Italy I have to check in with my British passport as I’m travelling to Britain but use my Italian passport at passport control in Italy and the British one on arrival and then when I leave Britian check in with my Italian passport? This is what I understood from the member of staff but it is different from what the Italian authorities told me.

Hi, I have 2 passports Swedish and Vietnamese with 2 different names. In order to be exempted from visa when entering Vietnam, the round-trip air ticket should be shown as the name on the Vietnamese passport. However, I do not know how should I show right document to the police at Arlanda airport when I leave and back Sweden? Thanks

Very helpful site Michael. I hold dual US and NZ citizenship,and live in USA.I am thinking of moving to Australia,(elderly parent) and as a NZ citizen can enter Australia on my NZ Passport and be automatically granted a Special Category Visa.(SCV 444)),which permits me to stay indefinately. However as I have to leave the US on my US Passport,would I need to obtain an entry visa from Australia in my US Passport to prove to US immigration(or airline officials) I have authority to enter Australia?

Hi, the thing that is confusing is the following. I booked an international ticket online (turkish airways). I think (but can’t recall) if it asked me to enter my passport number (I think if it did, I filled out my USA passport number) to buy the ticket. When I leave NY they will want my ‘i.d./passport’ so I was going to show them my USA passport (I do not want them knowing I have another foreign passport).

Now the issue is this – when I transit in Istanbul (I think that’s where immigration might be, or is it the final destination? Not sure but I think its the first foreign country you land in?), I was planning only then to pull out my Bulgarian passport to show (Turkey), not even mentioning I have the USA passport. Then when the flight continues from Istanbul to Bulgaria, I was going to use my Bulgarian passport to enter Bulgaria (not mentioning the USA one). Would that all work out fine?

The main issue and conflicting part from several articles I have read is in the booking of the ticket – that whatever passport number you used when buying the ticket – that is what Immigration in the destination country will see (your US passport #) – which would be a problem (since I booked with my USA one). I want to know is it true that Istanbul or Bulgaria receive some type of ‘manifest’ that shows I left the USA with a US passport, but now am trying to enter these countries with a non-US passport?

Its confusing – because I read ‘as a US citizen, to always enter and exit on the USA passport’ YET if the ticket you are booking is to a foreign country (that you are also a passport holder of) will that cause problems when entering that other place without your US passport (since you bought the ticket with a US passport number and are showing only that US passport that at the US ticket counter)? Not sure if this is making any sense.

If you can explain this I would appreciate it.

To those of you who will be asked ‘where is your onward ticket’ – and you don’t want to pull out your other passport – since I feel its a violation of my privacy, and I don’t want to advertise that fact – you can always go to onwardticket and print out a ticket (or on your phone) for $15.00 to shut up the rep at the ticket counter at check in.

UK and USA passport. If I go USA to UK, I understand I should leave the US and return to the US on my American passport, and enter and leave the UK on my UK passport. On the understanding that you should leave and enter on that countries passport. My question, if I book my USA-UK flight and check-in with UK passport, should I then switch to my US one when going through the US security to leave the US. Or should I book, check in and security with my US passport only and then swap over to the UK passport upon landing in the UK.

Hi Michael I have a British and an Australian passport. Can I use my British Passport in order to stay 90 days in Spain and then return on my Australian passport to Spain for another 90 days without the restriction of the 90/180 day rule?

Can you book a return ticket with 2 different passports? Country of departure for your outward trip and country of departure for your return trip. Someone told me that you can’t do that. Is that true?

Hi I have a NZ Australian passport and would like to travel home to NZ for a few weeks. Can I leave Australia on my Australian passport, enter NZ on NZ passport then when I leave NZ again use my Australian passport?

I’m dual British/Australian and due to travel back to the uk to see my family for a short visit. My British Passport expired last year and currently being renewed. If I don’t get the new one in time am I ok to travel from Oz to England and back again only with my Aussie passport??

I have British & German citizenship. When I travel to the European Union I want to stay there for more than 90 days so I will need to use my German passport. Is it OK to leave Britain using my British passport & land in the EU using my German one? Which passport should I use when filling in the advance passenger information? Thanks

Hi Michael, thanks for your article and sharing your experience! I hold an Argentinian and Spanish citizenships. I’m currently in Australia with a visa (issued with my Argentinian passport) and I’m planning on going back to Argentina for a few weeks and then return to Australia. The thing is, as there are limited flights, I can only reach Argentina if I transit through the US (ie, Australia – US – Argentina) and I understand I need to hold a US transit visa, which I do have with my Spanish passport. So, I’m not sure if I need to depart Australia with my Argentinian passport (since I entered Australia with it), even though the visa to transit the US is linked to my Spanish passport, or if I need to depart Australia with the Spanish passport (since my US visa is linked to it), but maybe that generates an issue when trying to leave Australia. I appreciate any piece of advice. Thanks!

My case is bit complicated and would love some insight from you guys. I’m a dual US-Algerian citizen with a planned flight from Washington to Algiers. I’m also doing an overnight landside transit in heathrow. I will be sleeping at a hotel nearby, which means I would have to go through border control et? Can someone tell me which passports to use at which point but especially in heathrow during entry and exit. Also APIS from which passport should I use in the different steps of the trip? Thanks in advance.

Hello Michael, thank you for a very informative article.

I’m citizen of United States and Ukraine. My dilemma is that I have two different last names. Due to marriage to US citizen. Ukraine doesn’t recognise dual citizenship. Is there a way of travelling as it is and just showing a marriage certificate? Thank you

RE: Traveling between two countries I don’t have passports for?

Hi Michael – thanks so much for this blog! I’m wondering – I have dual citizenship – Taiwan and USA. Both countries allow visa free stay for 90 days within the Schengen states in a 180 days period.

Traveling from USA, I will be in Switzerland for 90 days, and ideally would like to head to Germany right afterwards instead of having to wait for the extra 90 days out of the Schengen state area to go back into Germany.

Is it possible for me to enter Switzerland as a Taiwanese citizen, and after my 90 days stay in Switzerland, to immediate enter Germany as a USA citizen?

Where can I find more information on this type of situation?

Thanks so much!

Hi Venetia, I don’t believe this is allowed. You can contact the relevant embassy for confirmation.

Hello! Let me start off by saying this is a great article and I think it’s great you have kept up with it after so many year. My question is, I am Japanese but i have recently obtained Canadian citizenship. I want to move back to Japan but i dont want to have any issues seeing as Japan doesn’t allow dual citizenship. So when i leave canada, should i only use my Japanese passport (buy my ticket in Canada, board the plane from canada, and land in japan all with my japanese passport)

Thank you for your time!

Thanks Joe! That sounds like a reasonable plan!

Hi Michael. Thanks for this post. I just came across it. However it has also got me really worried.

Some background on my situation. I am an Australian Citizen by birth and have lived here all my life. I have an Australian Passport. I also acquired Greek citizenship by decent and recently obtained a Greek passport. I mainly did this so that my children could in the future claim Greek citizenship through decent.

The name on my Greek passport and Australian Passport differ (as my name in Greek is spelt differently, and they also do not have a middle name). Surname is the same on both.

Australian Passport first name (plus middle name): George Steven SURNAME
 Greek Passport first name (no middle name): Georgios SURNAME

To date the difference in names has not concerned me as I always planned to travel to Greece using only my Australian Passport.

However I recently came across the proposed new ETIAS Visa Waiver authorisation (due by start of 2023). This will complicate the situation for dual citizens (who hold an EU passport and say an Australian Passport as I do). Technically I may not be able to apply for a Visa Waiver as I am an EU citizen with a valid passport (even though I would be happy to apply for an ETIAS Visa Waiver so that I could just travel on my Australian Passport)

My understanding to date on how to use both passports- until reading your post- has been the following:

FLYING FROM AUSTRALIA to GREECE – Buy a one way ticket using Greek passport details A. I purchase the airline ticket in the name of the passport that will allow me to enter the destination country. So in my case if I fly from Australia to Greece , the name should be booked under GEORGIOS SURNAME as I will not have an ETIAS Visa Waiver (as I am a citizen of an EU nation). B. At Australian immigration I would present my AUSTRALIAN Passport (as Australia wants you to exit and enter on the Australian Passport) C. At Greek immigration I would present my GREEK PASSPORT

However ,based on what you have written in your post I should purchase my airline ticket to Greece and check in at the airline desk with my Australian Passport details . The concern if I do this I that will not be able to enter the EU using my Australian Passport as I will not have an ETIAS Visa Waiver (even though I do not need one as I am a Greek Citizen with a Greek passport). Theoretically the airline could stop me from boarding.

RETURN FLIGHT GREECE TO AUSTRALIA A. The flight ticket would be the same as my Australian Passport (GEORGE STEVEN SURNAME) B. At Greek immigration I would present my GREEK PASSPORT 
C. At Australian immigration I would present my Australian Passport

I am really at a loss as what to do based on your post. I feel like I may never be able to travel back to Greece for a holiday (or at least until my Greek passport expires).

Changing names is not option . I have been advised by the Greek consulate that a change of name is virtually impossible for Greeks without going to court. Changing my name in Australia would be crazy because this is where I live , work , study and everything I have is in my Australian name.

I cannot understand why I am not able to purchase my flight to Greece using my Greek passport details and then exit Australian immigration my Australian Passport ?

Any advice would really be helpful. This has really upset me

Hi George, If you show your Greek passport to the airline in Australia that should be sufficient evidence for them to prove that you can enter Europe legally, regardless of the passport you book your ticket with.

Hi Michael. Thank you for responding so quickly. Still trying to get a handle of this.

Just to clarify your approach:

A. Purchase airline ticket from Australia to Greece in Australian Passport Name : George Steven Surname B. At Airline check in show them Australian Passport (as it will match ticket name) – however no valid ETIAS Visa Waiver would be linked C. At Australian Immigration departure go through with Australian Passport D. In Greece use EU passport on arrival

A and B above still concern me because my Australian Passport will flag on the system that I do not have an ETIAS Visa Waiver. I will then show them my EU passport, but the names GIORGOS and GEORGE STEVEN are different (but the surname, face, DOB and other details will be the same). If they accept this then I assume there must be some system override which they would have to notify Australian Immigration via the Advance Passenger Processing system (APS) and BOC and somehow link the passports ?

I have been reading on adf.gov.au about airline obligations. It states that airlines must: a. Provide advance passenger reports on all passengers and crew B. Not carry undocumented or inadequately documented passengers

My logic is still telling me that I should book the flight from Australia to Greece using my Greek Passport name as the airline will want to make sure I can go through immigration in Greece ……….but there must be something I am missing from your post. When you originally stated that the airline said to you “Always show your Australian Passport”, did that mean “show” or to “book your ticket with that passport” ?

Hi George, As the ETIAS waiver isn’t in force yet, I do not know how or if the advice in this article will change.

Hi, i am a dual national and was wondering how the iata travel pass would work given that it stores passport details but when i depart my first home country i use passport A which is registered with iata travel pass but my arrival country, passport B is not tied to the iata travel pass…

Hi, Michael Thank you for all your information. I have US passport and Thai passport. Before I became US citizens, I had Green card. I traveled to Thailand with my Thai passport. After years later, I became US citizens and I applied US passport. I traveled to Thailand many times by useing only US passport because at that time, I don’t know I still can use Thai passport to enter to Thailand Until my Thai passport expired, so I went to renew Thai passport at Royal Thai Embassy and it was expired 4 years ago. If I renew Thai passport and I will be going to use Thai passport to enter Thailand. Do you think Thai immigration will giving me hard time by asking me such as where have you been? Etc I don’t use my Thai passport over 20 years. Any advice woud be much appreciated. Thank you

Hi Saowanee, I don’t know specifics about Thai immigration rules for dual citizens.

Hi Michael,

I’m a US citizen with a Turkish passport with a different first and last name than my US passport. I would like to Travel to Mexico using my Turkish passport. Can I book the tickets with my Turkish name and depart to Mexico with my Turkish passport without showing my US passport? Upon my return I would need to show my US citizenship in order to enter back in the country but would I run into any sort of trouble? I would like all my flight info and immigration to be from my Turkish and not US.

I would also like to do the same thing with future travels. Book/travel with my Turkish passport/name but enter back into the States as smoothly as possible given my situation.

HI Michael I will be entering Spain on my Australian passport therefore I know I can stay a maximum of 90 days before exiting to UK (able to enter there with UK passport) for 90 days. I have applied for an Irish passport but this is delayed by the lockdown in Ireland. I understand that no matter what I will need to depart Spain on my Australian passport to show I have exited the Schengen zone. My question is that if my Irish passport arrives can I re-enter mainland Europe and/or Spain before my 90 days out of the zone in UK is up? Obviously I will still be the same person who could only stay in the zone for 90 days out of 180 days, but with an Irish passport I will have the right to live and work in Europe. I do not want to break the law but also am not hugely keen to stay for 90 days in UK if it is not necessary. Any advice woud be much appreciated.

Hi Anie, I think once you have an Irish passport as an EU citizen there shouldn’t be any restrictions on your ability to enter Spain or any EU country outside of any current restrictions imposed. If you would like confirmation, I would suggest contacting the Irish Embassy.

Hello – I reside in Canada and hold Canadian and Taiwanese passports. Flying from Canada to Taiwan, should I be filling out my departure flight passport info with Canadian or Taiwanese? Am I able to check into the flight with Taiwan passport and show Canadian passport at departure security? Otherwise not seeing at what point will it register on my Canadian passport I have departed Canada. I know I’m to use Canadian upon return but will there be an issue if it never showed that I left on Canadian?

Hi Bron, you should show your Canadian passport when going through immigration at your departure airport – this doesn’t have to be the same passport as the one you check in with.

Hi, I’m a dual citizen of Australia and Uk, living in the UK. My UK passport was recently stolen… but is it possible for me to travel out of, and back into, the UK, using my Australian passport?

Hi Spencer, you should get a new UK passport before leaving the UK. Typically countries which you’re a citizen of won’t allow you to enter on a different passport.

Hi, I am sooo happy to find someone to ask this to. Thanks for your help. I am a dual citizen Spanish-Mexican, I recently visited the US and entered with my Spanish passport with the ESTA, but when leaving, I decided to do check-in on line, my Spanish passport was there, but it did not let me do the check in, I was told by the airline I needed my Mexican passport to go back, so I simply entered the Mexican’s passport info and it went through fine, went to the airport, printed the boarding pass on a kiosk and went through security handing my Spanish passport only to realize that what they did scan was the boarding pass on which the Mexican info was in. They let me through as they only check the name, boarded the plane and left. Will I have any problem when going back to the US?

Hi Karen, I can’t say for certain but I doubt this will be an issue. When applying for an ESTA you enter your dual citizenship information so I imagine the US system has your information linked.

Thanks for the helpful post. Any idea what procedure dual US-EU citizens should follow when traveling from the US to Europe starting in 2021? European authorities will soon require American citizens to apply for a visa waiver travel authorization (ETIAS) before departing on flights to the Schengen zone.

Until now, I’ve always presented my US passport at check-in when leaving the United States (which, according to the State Department, is the law for US citizens). However, the ETIAS authorization will complicate things for dual citizens, who are supposed to exit the US with an American passport, but won’t need the visa waiver authorization because they are also EU citizens. Which passport should dual nationals share with the airline on flights to Europe? Do we add the US passport details upon booking but check in with the EU passport? Or enter the EU passport details into APIS when booking?

It looks like dual nationals may need to register their EU passport with the airline for flights from the US to Europe, and their US passport at check-in for flights from Europe back to the US. I’m a bit reticent about departing the US on my EU passport, as the US would have no record of my leaving the country. Yet if I fly out on my US passport, I can see a messy situation where the airline might deny boarding on a flight to Europe because they don’t see an EU travel authorization (even though I wouldn’t need one as an EU citizen). Thanks for any advice.

Hi Justin, I doubt it’ll be much of an issue as long as you travel with both passports. Showing the airline your EU passport should be sufficient even if booking on your US passport to prove that you can enter the EU without an ETIA.

Hello Michale, I am a dual CZ / VN citizen. I will fly with my friends to Vietnam and we would like to stop in China and visit Beijing. Should I fly with Cz passport and then when entering and leaving Vietnam prove the Vietnamese passport? I bought a ticket for a Czech passport. Thanks for your advice.

Hi Nga, Most countries require you to use that country’s passport when entering if you are a citizen.

My scenario is different. I have dual citizenships of two countries (eg. Kenya and Cameroon) which you certainly need to apply for a visa for entry into most parts of the world. I would like to know if it is possible to apply and obtain a Schengen visa on both passports. I currently have a multiple entry Schengen visa on one passport, but I would like to use the second passport/nationality at times visit Europe. Can I apply for another Schengen visa on the other passport at the same time? Thanks for your advice.

Hi Kongi – you should ask this to whoever is processing your Schengen Visa.

Hi Michael I am a dual UK/US citizen. I live in the UK and always have done but my mother is from the States. My children are not dual nationality so just have UK passports.

My UK passport has expired so I am using my U.S passport to travel with my children on a family holiday. I am doing this because a few years ago I was reprimanded by a TSA agent for travelling on my UK passport and thus having had to apply for an ESTA. He told me that under no circumstances was I to travel on a UK passport into or out of the USA if I was a US citizen.

Last year I travelled to Italy from the UK with my son, and because I was using my US passport and he was using his UK passport he and I had to endure standing in a 2.5hour queue for non-EU citizens on our return to the UK. We were then reprimanded by UK passport control officers and not allowed re-entry to the UK because they said I had no documentation to say I had leave to stay in the UK. I live in the UK and had my UK bank cards and drivers license etc but that wasn’t acceptable proof. THEY told me I need to show my UK expired passport alongside my US passport on re-entry to the UK. (However, only one month earlier I had returned from Spain and travelled both ways on my US passport without any problems!)

What do you suggest I do this time? I am travelling to the US in 2 weeks, and my UK passport is still expired. Should I try to rush a renewal through???

Most countries have rules that if you are citizen you have to enter that country on its own passport.

I’m a US/NZ dual citizen. Just want to clarify. I booked a flight from NZ to US using my NZ passport. I show my NZ passport to check-in and NZ immigration whilst keeping my US passport available just in case they wish to see it. Then once arriving in the US, I use my US passport at customs there for entry. Again, keeping my NZ passport available just in case. Upon exiting the US, I show my US passport, then upon entry into NZ, I show my NZ passport. Correct? Do I need to obtain an ESTA visa since I used my NZ passport to book my return flight from NZ?

That sounds right to me. You shouldn’t need an ESTA as you are a US citizen.

Hi Michael, I will be renewing my US passport in HK, however I live in China and I have another country’s passport with my visa to China in it. Do you think I would be allowed to travel back to China and stay there while waiting for my American passport to finish the renewal process?

If you enter HK on your US passport then you’ll need it to leave HK and go back to China. If you enter HK on your other passport then I don’t think it should be an issue.

Nice article Michael.

Very well written and very helpful article, thank you!! I soon will become an Australian citizen and will be a dual passport holder. Unfortunately my first citizenship is from a country that does not allow two citizenships and I don’t want to give up my original passport. After reading your article then I should follow example 1 on your article however I have some questions that I hope you might be able to help given my circumstances.

1. If I booked my flight, checked-in and go through Australian immigration using my Australian passport, would my Australian passport details be pass on to my original country and raise a flag when I arrive there?

2. If I booked my flight, checked in using my original passport and then use my Australian passport at the Australian immigration, would this be a problem at the Australian immigration as they may only the details of my original passport from the airline? If yes is this something that can easily resolve by showing both my original passport as well as my Australian passport?

Also would Australian immigration providing my Australian passport details to the arrival country or this only be done by the airlines and not the Australian immigration department?

I hope my questions aren’t too confusing and a million thanks in advance.

Hi, I imagine the amount of information that is shared between immigration offices will be based on the relationship between the two countries. I’m not sure exactly what Australian immigration will pass on but I do know that you will get questioned at check-in if you try to check in with a passport that you haven’t used to enter Australia. I suggest reaching out to some other people in your situation and see what their experience is.

Hi, Thanks for this article. I have two passports (AUS/UK) and was wondering, if I enter France for example on my Australian passport (and also leave on it) and then the next time I enter on my UK passport, can the system recognize that I am the same person travelling on a different passport or am I technically ‘two different people’? Thanks, Jess

Hi Jess, AUS & UK share information so they’ll likely be able to connect the dots, particularly if you have the same name on both passports.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us all!

I have a question and I’d like to know if anyone could help.

I have Japanese and Brazilian passports, and I live in Tokyo. I’m going to Italy in 2 days but I just realized now that you need to have passport that is valid for over 90 days to enter Europe. My Japanese passport will expire next month.

I think the main issue would be with the airline during check-in. If I show them my Japanese passport (to prove I’m a citizen of japan) but explain that I plan on arriving in Italy with my Brazilian one (that is valid for 5years), would they be okay with that? Even I bought the ticket with my Japanese passport?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

I think it should be fine however you could call the airline to confirm.

Hi Michael, My wife and I have valid US and Armenian passports. We’ll be travelling to Prague for four days, then to St. Petersburg, RU. I’d like to enter without visa, as my Armenian passport should be visa-free. What do you think?

Hi Leo, I don’t think it should be a problem – just show your Armenian passport when entering Russia.

Hello, I’m Chinese but now have the Italian citizenship. I have the Italian passport but also the Chinese one, renovated recently. I also still have the residency permit for Italy. Do you know/think if they will let me enter without a visa in China? I think I will stay like for a month.

If you have a Chinese passport, wouldn’t you need to use that to enter China?

Thank you for responding and yeah but you know that China don’t allow have two citizenship or passports. And I’m afraid that they won’t let me pass or something like this.

I suggest trying to contact some people that might be in a similar situation to you as I’m not sure about the practicalities of the Chinese dual citizenship laws.

My son has German and South Korean passports. We live in China, and we plan to travel to Russia, which means we have a round trip flight tickets. He has his Chinese residency visa on his German passport, but he can travel to Russia visa-free using his South Korean passport, so we’d like to save money and not apply for his Russian visa on his German passport. Which passport number should he be using for airline ticket booking? I tried calling the airlines, all relevant embassies, and at one point even the immigration office, but no one seems to be able to give a clear answer. Perhaps you can help…?

Hi YL, in terms of immigration, he can use his German passport to exit China and the South Korean passport to enter Russia. Theoretically, it shouldn’t matter which passport you use on the airline booking though some countries have their airline check-in linked to immigration which might cause confusion if you’ve entered a passport that you haven’t used to enter the country (this could occur in both China and/or Russia). I’m not sure if that is the case in China or Russia, however, hopefully as long as he has both passports with him, then it can be used to clear up any confusion.

I have booked a return ticket for my mom departing from (Johannesburg, South Africa) and arriving in New York (United States) in September.

My mom is a South African Citizen that holds dual citizenship by having also having an Italian (EU) passport.

The problem is that my moms South African Identity Document and South African passport are in the name of her married surname, but her italian(EU) passport is in her maiden name. Apparently she was told that in Italy they always use your maiden surname for your passport.

The problem is that i have booked the ticket in her Married surname which matches her South African passport ,but differs from her Italian passport that uses her maiden surname. Of course it is easier to enter the united states on her Italian passport as you get a visa exemption by application for the ESTA online application. It is alot cheaper as it is about 17$ as apposed to 100$ plus for applying for a full visa on your South African passport.

I have considered cancelling the ticket and re-booking it in her Italian maiden surname, but then my issue lies that leaving South Africa legally you need to leave and return on your South African passport. The problem then is that the surname on the ticket and south african passport will differ.

What complicates matters further is that she got divorced years ago but still retained her married name so we can’t even use a marriage certificate to indicate the difference in surnames on her South African and Italian passport.

I sincerely hope you can guide me with which is the best way to handle this. I am worried that the current way of booking the ticket on her Married surname will result in her being detained from entering the united states as the surname will differ to that on her italian passport. But then, if we change the ticket to her maiden Italian passport surname , we might have issues getting her out of South Africa to New York, what to do 🙁

Hi Marco, She could fly out of South Africa on her SA passport, do the ETSA application on the Italian passport and then enter & exit the US on her Italian passport. The airline might ask for proof that she can enter the US and then showing the Italian passport should be sufficient – you can call the airline to clarify this to make sure.

Thankyou Michael. After much effort i was able to get some clarity on the airlines twitter support handle. It seems it will be fine whether we booked on the SA passport name or Italian passport name as long as we bring both passports.

Great to hear Marco!

Hi! I am a Kuwait and Philippines passport holder.

In a few months, I am flying to South Korea, where my Kuwait passport doesn’t need a visa. I will be coming from the Philippines. (The Philippines passport needs a visa to enter Korea. I have done this before and was granted single entry whilst my Kuwait passport was being renewed.)

This time, can I use my Kuwait passport, or should I just apply for a visa to Korea using my Philippines passport again? What details should I use for booking, and which passport should I present/bring at what point in the process?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Hi Fati, You can enter/exit Korea on your Kuwait passport and enter/exit Philippines on your Philippines passports.

I have British and NZ citizenship and passports, but live in the UK. I have a new NZ passport acquired in the UK, but not used. I am awaiting for my British passport to be returned from the Russian embassy with a visa to visit Russia (meant to be fast track and posted back), but am worried that I might not have received it back by the time I leave for a trip planned to Armenia early next month.

In the event of my UK passport not arriving before the Armenia trip could I use my NZ passport to depart the UK, and then for return to the UK? I don’t think there would be any issue using the NZ passport to enter and leave Armenia.

The trip to Russia is not until early July.

Grateful for any advice.

Hi Paul, Many countries don’t allow you to enter a country that you are a citizen of with another passport. I’m not sure about the UK specific rules but I think this might cause an issue when re-entering the UK. Do you have a UK ID Card you could use to enter instead?

You shouldn’t have an issue leaving the UK as they don’t check passports and New Zealand is visa-free for Armenia so you could theoretically enter Armenia on your NZ passport and then use a UK ID Card to return.

Hi, Michael

My 11 year old nephew is a US citizen by birth and Chinese citizen by descent. Since China doesn’t recognize dual citizenship, he holds a Chinese travel document (equivalent to Chinese passport for minors) and a US passport. Next month, he will be traveling from US to Spain to China.

My questions are:

1) Should he enter Spain with US passport (no visa needed) or with a Schengen visa to be obtained on his Chinese travel document?

2) Should he book the airline ticket using US passport (departing country) or Chinese travel document (final destination)?

3) If he enters and leaves Spain with US passport, will Spain exit immigration or airline see this as a problem because his US passport doesn’t have a visa to China? Will showing them Chinese travel document suffice?

4) Can he enter Spain with US passport and leave Spain with Chinese travel document? or this could be a problem because he wasn’t “logged out of” Spain on his US passport?

5) Enter Spain with a Schengen visa on Chinese travel document. Will Spain even grant him a short-stay Schengen visa because he’s US citizen?

Would appreciate your insights on this, thank you!

Hi JG, I suggest you speak to somebody that understands the implications of entering China after visiting a country with another passport as I’m not sure about the checks that China would specifically do.

In terms of entering Spain, if he enters with his US passport then he needs to leave on his US passport. Spanish immigration won’t care about whether he can enter China legally or not however the airline might ask for proof that he can enter China (showing a Chinese travel document should be sufficient). I’m not sure whether Spain would grant a Schengen visa in such a situation.

One option if possible could be to book the USA to Spain leg on the US passport and then Spain to China on the Chinese passport, however, as suggested above, it’s probably best to speak to somebody that is across what checks China specifically does when entering the country to ensure he doesn’t have any issues.

Ok it may have been answered already and I’m sorry if it has. I booked a flight to Portugal from Vancouver but I have two connections one in Montreal and in Amsterdam before arriving to Portugal. My passport details when I booked my flight is Canadian. When I arrive into Amsterdam should I use my Canadian passport or Portugal passport or my Portugal identity card (my Portuguese passport will be new 2 months)

Hi Gina! If you’re staying in the Schengen Area for under 90 in 180 days then it doesn’t matter which passport you use (the line might be shorter for EU passports though!). If you’re staying for longer than that then use your Portuguese passport. I think an ID card is valid in the same way as a passport when entering into the EU.

Hi, my girlfriend wants to come visit me in Holland. Her departure is from Thailand and as far as i know Thailand doesnt support dual citizenship, if im correct. Her new german passport will arrive soon and im wondering what would be best. I thought it would be best to register her Thai passport on the ticket and check-in + immigration from Thailand (departure) with her thai passport. Then at arrival in Holland use her German passport. At departure from Holland use the german passport again and at arrival in thailand use her Thai passport again. Is that correct?

Besides, i wonder if the thai immigration will ask for her visa going to Holland cause as a thai citizen traveling to holland you need a visa. Or is that only the concern of the Dutch immigration? That way it wouldnt be a problem arriving in holland with a German passport.

We have been doing alot of research and it is just hard to tell what is right or wrong.

Hi Kevin, The airline she’s flying with will need to check that she can enter the destination legally. I suggest contacting the airline and confirming with them that showing the German passport will be sufficient proof.

Usually when going through immigration they don’t check or care where you’re going. I don’t know if Thai immigration is any different but that usually means that they just stamp you out and don’t do any further checks. As you’ve said when in Holland, enter and exit on the German passport and then re-enter Thailand on the Thai passport. Hope that helps!

Im trying to figure out in advance the new pre-screening that USA citizens will need to enter Europe beginning in 2021. I have both passports and usually travel in the exact way that you suggest. However I’m unclear now as to whether I will need to pre-screen, I have the EU passport, but if I book and exit the USA with the USA passport it seems I could be required to pre-screen? Any thoughts on this?

I’m not across all the details of pre-screening but if you have an EU passport then I can’t see why you would need to do anything differently. If you get questioned why you don’t have it in the US then showing your EU passport should solve any confusion.

Ok, thank you for your reply. It makes sense)

Hi. I have two passports one British one Canada..I am currently living in India on a one year visitor visa,I have a visa on my Canada passport but I am applying for a retirement visa in thailand and want to do so on my British passport.Can I leave India with my British passport even though i have india visa on my Canada passport..

Hi Graham, When you leave India, you’ll need to show immigration your Canadian passport. When you enter Thailand, you should show immigration your British passport with your visa. Hope that helps.

Hi I’m travelling with NZ and UK passports. I am in Bolivia and both passports allow a stay up to 90 days per year. Last year I stayed for nearly 90 days on my NZ passport then travelled to Peru. I returned by flight and changed to my UK passport. No body asked if I had another passport and I got the entry stamp with no problems and stayed another 90 days. Do you know if I have broken any laws by staying for 90 days twice with separate passports?

Hi James! I’m sorry but I’m not sure of the specific laws in Bolivia. Sorry can’t be of more help!

My wife and have passports from Hong Kong due to our birth and America passports after we immigrated here 30 years ago. We are traveling to Russia from US with stopovers in Europe for both outbound and inbound for non visa related reasons. The names on my wife’s passports are not the same. One with her maiden name and one with only my last name. We plan to enter Russia with our HK passports since no visa required, and we booked our airline tickets with the names on the HK passports. For our return flights back to US with few days in Lisbon, we booked the tickets with particulars on our US passports. My wife now worries whether she will have problem when leaving Russia with air tickets on a different passport than the one for entry. Appreciate your insight and advice.

Hi Sing, in most countries this shouldn’t be an issue as long as you show immigration the passport you entered with when exiting the country. I’m not certain if this would be different in Russia – I suggest calling the airline and see if it’s an issue in Russia specifically.

Hi, currently located in UK with a UK passport and an Australian passport. Usually I will not use my Australia passport to travel unless going to Australia. However, with EU exit with no deal in 10days time, the advice was to make sure UK passport holder have 6mths validity on it. Mine was just under!!! I’m travelling in 3 weeks time to Italy for 2 weeks, and I do not want to pay extra to get a new passport. Do you think I could exit UK with UK passport, using my OZ passport to enter Italy (as will have more than 6mths validity), then depart Italy with Oz passport, and enter via immigration (as got kids with me, cannot use e-gate) with UK passport? And when I enter my info for the airline, I will use my Oz passport info, as there’s no check on departure at UK airport? Many many thanks!!

Hi Carla, What you’ve suggested doing with your Oz passport seems fine to me. If the UK doesn’t leave the EU at the end of the month then using your UK passport shouldn’t be an issue but given the uncertainity, it’s good to have a second option! 🙂

Thanks! still no clear sign of we leaving EU or not in 2 days time!! Anyway, I now need to enter advance passenger info for the airline in order to do online check in. I suppose I should use the Oz passport details since that’s most likely what I should and will use to enter Italy?

Yes, it shouldn’t a problem to use your Oz passport when travelling to Italy – have a great trip! 🙂

Hai Michael,

I have Malaysian and US passport. If I wanted to go to US, as per my understanding I will leave and come back to Malaysia by Malaysian passport and enter and exit US by US passport. The one that I’m curious is about the exit stamp from Malaysia when I came back from US. They will not asking where did I go? Where did I coming from? Thanks in advance

Hi Raeyzar, I, unfortunately, don’t really know about the Malaysian immigration rules. If both countries recognise dual citizenship it shouldn’t be an issue, however, I suggest trying to contact other people with dual citizenship in Malaysia to see how they get around this.

hi raeyzar, i have malaysia and us citizenship as well and was wondering if you still do and can compare notes about the experience? i’m planning to renew my malaysian and travel to malaysia soon. hope you don’t mind corresponding by anonymous account. thanks

Michael – Thanks for all the help. I’m amazed at how responsive you are! My question goes back to having differing surnames on passports. If I depart/fly using one name/passport (say passport X), can I still use the second other name passport (passport Y) at immigration of the arrival country? If airlines share passenger manifests with immigration, won’t this raise a red flag for them, since the name/citizenship of the second passport (passport Y) will not exist on the flight manifest? Thanks

No problem JP! I have two passports with different names and will often use a different passport on arrival and I have never had an issue with immigration. The only time I think this could be an issue is if you’re travelling to a country where they don’t allow or restrict entry to certain passports. In these situations, it’s probably best to depart on the passport that will be allowed to enter at the destination (however, the airline probably won’t let you board in this case anyway!)

Regarding different spellings in the two passports (“When booking your flight, you should ensure you enter the name as it appears in the passport for which you are purchasing and checking into your flight”):

How does this work with round-trip tickets between the two countries of citizenship, when it is required to use passport A (with spelling A) in one direction and passport B (with spelling B) in the other direction? For a round-trip ticket, the name has to be spelled the same way in both directions, so there will be a mismatch in the name on the ticket versus the passport in one direction or the other. How do you (and how do the airlines) deal with that?

I would suggest checking with the airline that you’re flying with. I don’t think it should be an issue in terms of immigration as you can still show the passport of the country when leaving and hopefully the airline will be satisfied if you show both passports upon checking in.

Hi Michael. A current question! We live in France (UK citizens and passports), I have recently received my Irish (ie European) passport. Are you saying I should enter my Irish passport number to leave France (and re-enter) and my British passport to enter and leave the UK? All such a mess and my husband will still have to queue in the “rest of the world” queue while I (hopefully!) sail through!!

Hi Patsy, Usually you should leave the country on whichever passport you entered on. At the moment while the UK is in the EU, I don’t think it matters which passport you use to leave France as you’re not stamped in when entering the country. Obviously, this could all change in a month’s time and I don’t think anyone really has a correct answer yet for what to do. Hope this helps 🙂

Hi Michael, I have dual citizenship Netherlands/Thai. Right now I’m in thailand I want to go back to Europe but my Netherlands passport cannot be use in thailand. how should I go back and do I need a visa for my thai paspoort to go to Paris ？

Hi Pramot! You should use your Thai passport when leaving Thailand and show your Dutch passport to immigration when you enter Europe – this will mean you don’t need to apply for any visa on your Thai passport!

Hi there, I have dual citizenship (Australian/Russian). My Russian passport on my maiden name, my Australian passport on my married name. If I am flying from Australia to Russia and back, how do i need to book return ticket, i mean what name should i use?

Hi, I’m not sure what Russia’s stance is on dual citizenship and whether their airline systems are linked to immigration which could complicate this situation. I think as you’re leaving from Australia you need to book with the name on your AU passport. However, I suggest contacting the airline (and possibly an immigration expert) to see if they think there would be any issues when you board your return flight from Russia.

Hi Michael, I am a dual citizen of Australia (born and living here) and Greece. I am wanting to live and work in the UK for several months – a year.

Would I leave/enter Australia and book flights on Australian passport and use my Greek passport for entry/exit immigration in UK? (I’m past age limit for a work Visa via Australia/Commonwealth; and I believe EU passport holders in UK don’t have to do anything until late 2020 or 21 re: Brexit.)

Thanks for the info on your blog! Very helpful.

Hi Sebastian, Yes, while the UK is in the EU you can book flights from Australia on your AU passport and enter the UK on your Greek passport and have working rights. However, as Brexit negotiations aren’t finalised yet there is still uncertainty as to what rights EU citizens will have once they leave the EU at the end of March – this should hopefully be clearer in the next couple of months!

Hello, I am a South Korean having British passport. South Korea does not allow a dual nationality. I flew to the UK with my Korean paasport and got 6 months visa on my Korean passport.

As 6 months passed, I flew out to Iceland for a week with a Korean passport. From the immigration entering to the UK, I presented a Korean but for some reason, the immigration officer did not gave me a visa, telling me that I should travel using my British passport.

With a Korean passport, I flew to Iceland, got a stamp, but flying back to the UK, I didn’t get a stamp…

On my Korean passport, I phisically flew to and flew out of Iceland but I have gone nowhere as British immigration did not stamp on my Korean passport.

Now, I have to go back to South Korea as a South Korean.

What should I do? Please help me I got a butterfly in my stomach…

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Hi Sen, I suggest you speak to an immigration expert in Korea who understands the implications of this. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if you’ll have any issues when returning to Korea. Hope it all works out well for you.

Hi Micheal,

I am dual Canadian with UK, I am flying to Thailand from Canada threw Hong Kong and the same route on the way back, I live in Canada full time. Should I bring both passports and which one is best to use Canadian or UK passport? Thank you Derek

Hi Derek, As both UK and Canada passports allow visa-free entry into Thailand & Hong Kong, you can enter those countries on either passport. As you’re flying in an out of Canada, it’s best to use your Canadian passport.

Hi Michael – Great article! My parents are dual citizens of US and Bosnia. They currently reside in the Balkans and will be traveling to US for visit. In terms of immigration, there should be no problems as they will carry both passports, but could you please provide your advice in terms of booking tickets and boarding (especially on the way back from US back to Europe). Thank you. Sasha

Hey Sasha! It shouldn’t matter which passport you book with, however, I would probably suggest booking using the US passport as there are no restrictions for US citizens travelling to Europe. As you’ve said, as long as they have both passports with them when checking in then there shouldn’t be any problems!

I have both UK and New Zealand passports. I wish to enter Australia using my New Zealand passport. When booking a return ticket from U.K. which passport should I register with the airline? On return to the U.K. Do I leave Australia on my UK passport?

Hi David, when arriving in Australia, show immigration your NZ passport. Likewise, when leaving Australia, exit on your NZ passport. It shouldn’t matter which passport you register with the airline in the UK – just make sure to show them your NZ passport if they ask how you’re entering Australia.

I just recently became a dual Australian / Canadian. The problem with this situation is that both countries require electronic travel authorization in order to be able to board a flight. So for example, if I was only Australian and I wanted to fly to Canada I would have had to get an ETA from Canada, which would be checked by the airline. If I was only Canadian I would need to do the same if I was going to Australia.

The problem now is that as a dual citizen I need to enter and exit each respective country on it’s own passport, but neither passport will have an ETA because you can’t get one as a citizen.

My understanding of how it’s supposed to happen, is that you check in and show the airline the passport of the country you are going to travel to, but at the exit immigration you show the passport of the country you’re currently in. So if I were to leave Australia I would check in to my flight on the Canadian passport and then at the exit gates I would show my Australian passport.

To the best of my knowledge, the airline should not be concerned with whether you are in the country legally or not – that’s not their job. Their only responsibility is to ensure that you are the the actual holder of the passport, and that you are authorised to travel to your intended destination.

There’s a lot of confusing information out there though and I could be mistaken – I’ve not had the opportunity to put this theory to the test yet.

This is a great discussion here and it’s all extra pieces to the puzzle!!!

Thanks for your comment Barry! In my experience, airlines in Australia don’t let you check into a flight with a different passport if you’re an Australian citizen (that scenario is actually what promoted me to write this article!). However, there is nothing wrong with booking with an Australian passport and then entering your destination country with a different passport.

I think the reason it was an issue in Australia is that the systems are more advanced and are linked to visa data. This is probably not the case in many countries and might not be an issue elsewhere.

I have dual citizenship, American and Peruvian. I am traveling to Russia from Los Angeles via Spain. My plan is to leave the US with my American passport and checking in Spain with my Peruvian passport. Then, fly to Russia and checking in with my Peruvian passport since visa is not required there for Peruvians. I will fly back to Spain from Russia using my Peruvian passport as well. Before returning to the US, should i leave Spain showing my American passport all the way for check-in and immigration? and, Is my travel plan actually making sense?

Hi Joseph! That plan makes sense to me! When leaving Spain, you should show Spanish immigration your Peruvian passport (as you entered Spain using that passport) and then when you return to the US, show immigration your US passport.

Thanks a lot, Michael!

Hello , it’s still all confusing to me about going home for a visit To NZ. I was born in NZ and immigrated to US and became a citizen in 1995. I let my NZ passport expire . I got a new one when I was there for s visit around 2010 . I’ve always gone home on US and was told once come on NZ passport . This is my concern . I always book a return ticket .fly from LAX. And I have booked with US passport . If I get to the airport and decide to use NZ passport ,and give it to Air NZ .. my ticket will say my name , NZ passport number . So when I go through the lines and it’s checked in the US as they scan it and give my US passport as I see you must leave and enter on US . Won’t that be a problem handing them the US passport with the ticket saying NZ passport number with my name ? And when I return leaving NZ I think you have to apply for the visa a few days before , but I won’t need one as I would have my US one but I’m not sure if NZ will let me change the details in their system as they will have NZ info not the US . I hope I have explained this . I get to the airport and always chicken out from trying to use my NZ passport as I think I won’t be able to get through the tsa or back in the USA. I don’t know now if USA has a passport check as well before I get on plane Thank you. Diane

Hi Diane! I think the best solution for you is to book your return ticket from the USA, using your US passport. Then when you arrive in NZ, show NZ immigration your NZ passport. When you arrive back in the US, simply show immigration your US passport. Hope that helps!

Thank you for replying , I had thought of doing that before. But what made me uncomfortable is I had heard that before the plane arrives the manifest with all the passengers and their countries is sent on to NZ, mine would say USA and on the plane the arrival card I never know what to ask for a visitor or a returning resident card . So Ive always done a visitor . I thought if I filled out a NZ citizen card and handed that in would they be running around looking for a American that boarded in LAX but didnt depart ? I know they have those self scan kiosks for NZ citzens there but I didnt use them . I know its foolish but I dont want to make a mistake . I also thought coming in as a US citizen ( i would bring my NZ passport ) if something happened and I needed to stay longer would they give me a clearance to stay longer than 90 days . I wish dual citzens could use the one passport. Thank you another question, how would I leave NZ ? My ticket would say US but I give immigration the NZ passport to check or the US ?

I don’t think you’ll have a problem with NZ immigration. There is nothing wrong with having US and NZ dual citizenship so when you show NZ immigration your NZ passport, they won’t care what details you put on your flight booking. On the off chance that there is any confusion, you can easily explain that you have dual citizenship. I’ve often booked tickets on one passport and then entered my arrival country using my other passport without any problem.

When you leave NZ, simply show NZ immigration your NZ passport and then when you land in the US, show immigration your US passport. My main advice would be to always travel with both so if there is ever any confusion you can easily explain the situation and show proof of your dual citizenship 🙂

Thanks for your great article Michael!

I’m a dual Australian/British citizen with two passports – the latter currently (!) marked EU. I live in Australia.

I understand about leaving and entering Australia on my Oz passport.

I’m doing a round trip soon: ex Oz, to Germany, Italy, the U.K. (first visit in 15 years) then back to Australia.

I plan to show my EU passport on arrival in Berlin and so on.

Can I enter/depart the U.K. on my British passport back to Australia when the airline (Etihad) has my Oz passport details registered? I’m unsure which passport to show at Etihad check in and immigration at Heathrow?

Hi Lisa – thanks for your comment! You shouldn’t have any problems if you enter the UK with your British passport. When checking into your flight, you should show whichever passport you’ve booked your ticket with. At Heathrow, you don’t actually pass through immigration so you won’t have to worry about that.

I’ve travelled back to Australia before from the UK booking with my Australian passport despite living here on my EU passport and haven’t had any problems! 🙂

I’m dual citizen both Somalia and Uganda, am planning to go to Somalia which passport do I use and which one do I show the airliner

Hi Zakaria! I’m not across the specific rules for Somalia but most countries require you to enter on that country’s passport if you are a citizen. I suggest contacting the embassy to confirm the rules for your specific situation.

Hi, I have two passports US and Indonesian. I’m currently studying in Paris and am wondering which way is best if I want to travel to London (Indonesians need a visa).

If you don’t need a visa for one of your passports then it’ll be a lot less hassle to travel to London on your US passport 🙂

Have you heard of anyone running into problems while doing this because they have two different names on their passports. The two different languages on a Russian and Yemeni passport mean that my name is quite different and one has my fathers surname and one has my mothers surname. Do you think this would cause problems with the systems being linked?

The names in my two passports also differ – I think the only issue is that if you book your plane ticket with one passport and then try to check in with your other passport, the airline won’t recognise your ticket. From an immigration perspective, it doesn’t really matter as you only ever show one passport to the border guard.

Thank you for the great information! I am a dual citizen of US/Canada and always travel with both passports. However, since I live in the US, I used my US passport to enter Europe about 2 months ago. Now that I’m here, I discovered I was eligible to apply for a Working Holiday visa to Germany with my Canadian passport, which means I can stay in Germany for a whole year. However, I am now concerned about my eventual flight back to the US, as I used it to check into Europe. If I use my US passport to leave, they will think I have illegally overstayed my 90 days, but if I use my Canadian, I will not have a record of entering (or of exiting on my US). Any advice you can offer, or direction to point me in would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Julia! You should exit the Schengen area before your current tourist visa expires on your US passport. Then re-enter Germany/Schengen Area on your Canadian passport with the working holiday visa. 🙂

Hi Michael, thanks for your response! Does that mean a full on flight back to the US? My concern is if I exit Schengen (London, etc.) then fly back into Europe with my Canadian passport, won’t my US passport still be “in” London?

You don’t need to return to the US – anywhere outside of the Schengen is fine! So if you fly to London, just show UK immigration your Canadian passport and that means you’ll enter as a Canadian rather than US citizen.

Sorry for the double post… ok, just to be clear, I am currently in Slovakia. I can get a cheap flight to London from Vienna, so I fly to London and I show my US passport to enter London. Then when I fly back to Germany from London, I show the exit border in london my US passport, which will officially “log me out” of London. Then when I enter Germany, I show them my Canadian Passport with the new Visa?

Yes that would work! Alternatively you could also enter London on your Canadian passport when you exit the Schengen the first time 🙂

Hi there, I have dual nationality, Israel and Poland. I live in the UK on my Polish passport which I sent to the DVLA to get my driving license sorted. I booked a trip to France and only have my Israeli passport now. I’m trying to figure out if I’m going to have any problems leaving England with a different passport from the one I entered with. Thank you so much for your help.

Hi Elita, You might raise some flags when leaving (many airports in UK you don’t actually go through immigration though!) however the bigger issue will be returning to the UK as you don’t have your Polish passport which is what you’re usually to legally live in the UK. I would suggest trying to get your Polish passport back before leaving 🙂

Hi, Thank you for the wonderful explanation with regards to dual nationality travel. I have some doubts to be cleared, please help me if you can.

I am a holder of Indian Passport and a Portuguese Passport, and I am currently residing in U.A.E on work visa on my Indian passport, and since my Visa is getting over the end of this month, I am planning to travel to UK directly from U.A.E with my Portuguese passport. (For UK – Visa free travel for Portuguese & Visa required for Indian Passport) Can I do the same without any problems?

If yes then under what passport should I book my ticket?

Also, what passport should I show to the respective Immigration and the airline?

Any guidance will be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Mufeed, this shouldn’t be a problem! When you leave the UAE, show immigration your Indian passport and when you arrive in the UK, show immigration your Portuguese passport.

In my experience, you can book your ticket under either passport as long as you have both passports with you when travelling and can show proof to the airline that you can enter your destination country legally. Some airlines might have slightly different processes (e.g. their system linked to visas records) though so it might be best to contact the airline and confirm with them.

Hi there Have you heard any issues with using dual citizenship to bypass the 90/180 rule for staying in a country? Example using British passport and visa to arrive and stay 90 days. Leaving country, then returning in a week using USA passport with a different visa and passport # I can’t imagine they could match by name and DOB at the border

Hi Charles! I haven’t done this before – I think theoretically it’s possible but countries with more advanced computer systems might be able to match up your passports based on previous travels (e.g. if you’ve used one passport to exit a country and the next country using your other passport).

The problem is that most developed countries these days scan e-passports into a central database and link them with biometric data (from the passport photo and/or fingerprints) so they would know you were the same person with different passports and so were overstaying.

Unfortunately not. 🙁 Dual citizenship should not be such a contentious issue, should it?! At least not when the travel documents are valid and the individuals have no criminal records.

It really shouldn’t! Hopefully, it doesn’t cause any issues as a lot of the time countries don’t necessarily care about exit stamps from the previous country unless it’s a political issue.

What happens when you have two passports and one of the countries does not allow double citizenship while re-entaring the country which does not allow double citizenship and you do not have a stamp because on the other side you used your other passport…

Good question! Theoretically it shouldn’t matter but who knows how certain border guards would react. Is there anyway you can avoid this situation by using the same passport in both countries?

Good question! Theoretically, it shouldn’t matter but who knows how certain border guards would react. Is there any way you can avoid this situation by using the same passport in both countries?

Hi Michael! I’m a Chinese citizen currently studying in the UK on a student visa. I’m planning a trip to Switzerland soon. I’m wondering whether I could leave England with my New Zealand passport (Otherwise, I would have to get a Schengen visa for my Chinese passport in the UK) and re-enter England with my Chinese passport . There is no departing immigration in airports in England so the only place I can show my passport is at the airline check-in. Do I have to show both passports at the airline check-in?

Or is there any way I could travel with both passports? Thank you so much!

Hi Julia! I don’t see any problem with this – even if there is UK immigration, you can show your UK visa when leaving and then enter Switzerland on your NZ passport. I would keep both passports with you when travelling so you can prove entry and exit.

Just a short note about dual passports. I have a Chilean passport…and my name in that is the Hispanicised version of the name in my UK passport. The UK has recently – 2017 – decreed that anyone with multiple ID’s or passports, is obliged to ensure the next time they renew their UK passport, that the names in ALL these documents are the same. So, in my case, I will be obliged to change the names in one of my passports….by deed poll its easy enough in the UK, but in Chile it would present a bureaucratic nightmare. Maybe other countries don’t have this policy.

Thanks for sharing! I also have different versions of my name in both passports however my second passport has a translation that matches my Australian name on the page opposite the photo ID. Maybe see if that’s possible to do for one of your passports?

Ha, that’s interesting. In my case, the UK will in ‘ exceptional circumstances ‘ allow the use of the phrase ‘ also known as ‘ , followed by the alias. But my circumstance is apparently unexceptional!

I have a conundrum: I have a Chilean and a British passport. I plan an overland trip to Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania. I will fly to Georgia, ( which does not require a visa from Brits ) and then travel overland to Russia. Russian charges Brits £140 for a Visa, but does not charge Chilean passport holders any visa charge ( only an admin fee ). Ukraine does not require a visa from a Brit. Nor does Romania….my next stop. The I will fly back to UK from Romania. Can anyone out there tell me in simple steps, the easiest and hassle free way of doing the trip!

Hi Tim, I would just show whichever passport you want to use in each country when you enter it. Overland border crossings will have two checkpoints so I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t use your UK passport in Georgia, Ukraine & Romania and then enter Russia on your Chilean passport.

Michael – I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Its as I thought. As you say, in theory, each crossing has an EXIT and an ENTRY – with a little ‘no-mans land ‘ in between! I show the UK passport as I leave Georgia, and show the Chilean one as I enter Russia. And yet…..! When I entered Montenegro from Croatia last year, at a tiny little border crossing near the sea, there was only one person….I guess what his left hand did was unknown to what his right hand did!! He was managing both exits from Croatia and entries to Montenegro! Fingers crossed it works…. PS – I enjoy your site and blog.

No problem Tim and thanks for reading! Funnily enough, the same thing has happened to me in the Balkans as well 🙂

Hopefully it all goes smoothly – I’d be surprised if Russia doesn’t have its own border guards given they have very different visa requirements to its neighbours!

I have a French passport and a Philippine Passport. Now, my Philippine passport is about to expire and I should renew it as soon as possible. I noticed that in the renewal there’s an option to declare I have another passport, But my father said I should not declare it because I’ll only be paying taxes and it doesn’t change anything. What are the advantages/disadvantages of declaring it? Also, is it illegal to not declare it?

P.S. The french embassy don’t mind that I have another passport and they did not ask me when getting french passport.

Hi Ger, Unfortunately I don’t know the details about Philippines tax system or their rules about dual citizenship. Maybe consider contacting a taxation lawyer?

Thanks for the interesting article. I will be returning to live in South Africa from the UK as I hold dual citizenship by birth and parents. My question is – do I need to apply for a SA passport or is it fine to stick with one I.e. my British Passport…? Thanks in advance.

Hi Amy, I think you will need your SA passport to re-enter South Africa. Otherwise, when you try to enter on your British passport you will only be able to stay for a limited amount of time.

I’m currently traveling and arrived in Spain yesterday. I have dual citizenship (US and Spain). I entered the frequent flyer number which saved the details of my Spanish passport on my reservation for my US departure. Will I need a visa and/or return flight when leaving Spain back to US?

Hi Bianca, you need to enter the US on your US passport (which you should show to immigration) In terms of boarding your flight the airline should let you board if you show your US passport as proof that you can enter the US. If you’re worried, I suggest calling the airline to confirm that this will be fine for them. 🙂

Hi Michael! Im planning on traveling to Russia from the US through Italy and spend 1-2 days there. I am a bit confused about which passport I should use to purchase tickets and to show at the customs. I have dual citizenship – Russian/American. I know that with the US passport you don’t need a visa to Italy but with Russian you do. Should I use my American passport to purchase tickets? Will I have any issues entering and leaving Russia if my tickets were purchased using the American passport? Thank you.

Hi Nadya, I suggest contacting the airline to confirm that it will be okay. My gut says that you should be able to book on your US passport and then just show your Russian passport to the airline if they require proof of you being able to enter Russia. From an immigration perspective, just make sure to show your Russian passport in Russia.

I’m a dual citizen of Australia/UK (I’m living in Australia) and wanting to go to Hong Kong for a holiday. I will of course leave and return to Australia on an Australian passport but am I able to enter and leave HK on a British passport? Also, with regards to airlines wanting passport details, which passport should I give them? When I check in my luggage, do I show them the passport that I entered on the airline/travel website?

Hi Declan, thanks for your comment! When flying out of Australia as an AU citizen, you should use your Australian passport on your airline ticket & when checking in your luggage. When entering HK just show immigration your British passport if you want to enter as a UK citizen.

My sister who lives in Australia was going on holiday to Canada, she has dual nationality, Australia/United Kingdom. When she arrived at the airport she was told by the Canadian airline that she had to have both passports with her. She couldn’t see any reason why she would want her British passport with her and said so. She was then told that she would have to go home and get it, by this time she was getting upset as she lives 1 and a half hours from the airport. Eventually they got a more senior person and agreed to let her just have her Australian passport,she was in tears as she was going on a cruise and coach trip which had cost a lot of money. Surely this cannot be correct and if it is it is ridiculous.

Sorry to hear your sister had to go through that! I agree that technically there is no need for airlines to see both passports however I usually recommend travelling with both passports as airlines can make their own rules on what ID is required. Glad to hear it worked out in the end!

Thanks for the reply Michael. We got lucky since we just received his Canadian passports.

Very useful article. My son is a dual citizen (Canada/France) leaving in the US on a H4 visa. His Canadian passport, which is tied to his US visa, is expired so we sent it to Canada for a new passport. We need to travel soon to France, but we have not yet received his old and new Canadian passports. We are planning to leave the US and enter France with his French passport but I’m worried that this will raise flag at check-in since we never enter US on his French passport. While in France, we are planning to get old and new Canadian passport send to us, so he can re-enter US visa the Canadian passport that contains the visa. Any feedback on this issue? Thanks

Hi Patrick, I haven’t travelled in the US extensively, however, I imagine you could have problems leaving the country if you can’t prove that you legally entered the US and I wouldn’t suggest risking it. Can you pay extra to have your Canadian passport sent back quicker?

I am a dual citizen (Hong Kong SAR/British Citizen) living in the Hong Kong SAR and will be flying up to Russia for traveling with a Transit in United Kingdom (London). I enter United Kingdom with my British passport, which requires Visa for entering Russia, whereas HKSAR Passport is Visa-free to enter Russia for 14 Days. How should I do for checking in the following flights? 1. Hong Kong – London 2. London – St.Petersburg 3. Moscow – London 4. London – Hong Kong Info: Hong Kong immigration requires Hong Kong Identity cards (a prerequisite for holding HKSAR passport, with Right of Abode in Hong Kong) to enter / depart Hong Kong Also, can a through check-in at Hong Kong to be performed with 2 passports for Flights 1 & 2?

Hi Derek, the key thing is make sure that you use the right passport when clearing immigration in each country. So when entering the UK, use your British passport and then when entering Russia use your Hong Kong passport etc.

For Flight 1, i think you should check in with your HK passport and then clear immigration in London with your British passport. Flight 2 is tricky as you should probably check in with your British passport as you’re in London however they will require proof that you can legally enter Russia (I would clarify with the airline that showing the HK passport is sufficient)

For Flight 3, check in with your HK passport and clear immigration in London with your British passport. For flight 4, check in with your British passport and clear immigration in HK with your HK passport.

I am a dual citizen (Canada/United States) living in the US and will be driving up to Canada to visit family before flying from Toronto to Scotland. I will be travelling with my girlfriend, she is a US citizen. I enter Canada with my Canadian passport and she with her US passport. The part I’m not sure of, is leaving Canada and entering Scotland, and then leaving Scotland and entering Canada. I was planning on travelling on my Canadian passport and just going through the other line (for non-citizens) with my girlfriend when we returned to Canada. Is this the proper plan or should I be doing something else?

Hi Kevin! I don’t think it matters whether you use your Canadian or US passport in the UK (I assume both have visa free entry!) I’m not sure how the lines work in Canada but in other countries the citizen’s line is faster however you can use any line.

Im a japanese and filipino citizen. Im flying to japan using my japanese passport. Is that okay? Or i should have use my philippine passport flying to japan?

Usually, if you’re a citizen of a country, you need enter on the passport of that country. I assume it’ll be the same situation for Japan 🙂

Use your japanese passport but show your fil passport to phil immigration as well. When u reached japan you dont need to show you fil. Passport.

my daughter has dual citizenship, British and filipino. i had to cancel her flight to uk as she could not find her dual citizenship certificate and her philippine passport is expired. did i do the right thing or i should have just let her travel?

She would need a valid passport to enter the UK. I think given she’s British she needs to enter on her British passport however it’s best to check with immigration 🙂

I’m sorry if this isn’t correct,

But isn’t it the other way around? For example, if I am flying from Paris to New York and I am a dual citizen of France and the United States, I will book the flight on the number of my US passport and show it at the Check In, and then when I arrive at the exit immigration I will show them my French passport?

In my experience, the airline’s systems can be linked to visa systems so if you book a flight out on a passport which hasn’t entered the country it might raise some flags when you check in. As long as you have both passports with you I don’t think it should be an issue either way when you check in.

I have both Australian and US passports. I use the US passport to book airline tickets and to check in at the airport when travelling to US. This is because Australian citizens need visa to go to US. Checking in with my US passport does not need US visa. I use my Australian passport when exiting Australia. Entering US I use my US passport. Coming back to Australia I use my Australian passport for entry.

Yes. The airline makes a list of the passengers and sends it to the DESTINATION immigration. It is also responsible for ensuring that all passengers have the right VISA to enter the country they are flying to. So… in you case at he check-in you show the US passport. As you exit Paris immigration you show the French passport and at your destination you show again the US passport.

I’m curious about traveling on dual passports. I’ll be going from Canada to Georgia with British/Canadian. I was intending to use my Canadian passport to get to Georgia. But I’ve decided to visit my parents in Britain on the way back to Canada. I’ve been told I must use my Canadian passport for Canada and I must use my British passport for Britain. The airline accepts only one passport. I’ve also been warned by relatives that I shouldn’t use my Canadian passport in Georgia, I should use my British because allegedly, if there’s a problem, Britain wouldn’t aid me if I’m not using a British passport.

Who/what to believe? I’ve been getting a lot of conflicting information.

You’re right that you should use your Canadian passport in Canada and British passport in the UK. Even if put the Canadian passport on your airline ticket then isn’t anything stopping you from giving immigration your British passport when you land.

I would enter Georgia on whichever passport you feel most comfortable on. I don’t think either countries require a visa for Georgia so if it puts your relatives at ease then you can enter using your British passport 🙂

I have old & new passport but my employment visa is issued by old passport number so will i be able to clear the emmigration department?

Hi Rajesh, I suggest you contact the visa department for the country that issued you your visa and ask them. 🙂

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How to Travel with Two Passports

October 18, 2022

Updated: February 9, 2021 Dateline: Mexico City, Mexico

Dual citizenship can be a very exotic idea for many people. It’s mystical enough that when these people first find Nomad Capitalist while looking for second passport options , they have a hard time figuring out the logistics of something that seems so obscure.

“How do I travel with my second passport?” they ask. 

“How do I manage having two, three, or even four passports?” they wonder.

“What kind of problems is this going to cause and how do I avoid them?” is a common concern.

These questions can sometimes feel overwhelming. But, with a little bit of knowledge, most people find that there are pretty straightforward answers.

Here at Nomad Capitalist, we have the answers and knowledge that you’re looking for. In this article, we’ll cover which passports will help simplify your travel and what problems you should look out for while traveling. 

PASSPORTS AND FLAG THEORY

Now, if you’ve kept up with Nomad Capitalist and have read at least a few of our articles or watched some of our videos on the subject, you know that my approach to citizenship is a little different from that of other people.

The traditional dual citizen that people see on YouTube or Instagram is a Canadian or a US citizen that has branched out to explore somewhere else. Perhaps they had a grandparent from Ireland or another ancestor from Italy or Poland and picked up their second citizenship through descent .

This person now has two passports that allow them to travel visa-free around the European Union (EU) and North America. At this point, they’re basically traveling back and forth between the two regions, living in one and visiting the other. This is a relatively straightforward way of handling having two passports.

If you can get a European passport through ancestry, that’s fine. In the long term though, having a European passport may be a negative for your tax strategy . However, if you can get a free passport, you should take the opportunity while you can.

What I’m concerned with, and what we look into here at Nomad Capitalist, is how you can get and use passports to support your financial strategy and nomadic lifestyle — meaning passports that you can obtain from a country that you can use as a base in your international strategy to go where you’re treated best.

This means looking at all the available options that will best suit your needs rather than simply picking a place that sounds nice and trying to make it work.

As far as traveling is concerned, this involves knowing what kind of opportunities for visa-free travel are available through each citizenship. To this end, we’ve created the Nomad Passport Index to help our readers. Not only does the index account for visa-free travel but it also considers factors such as taxes and public perception to better inform you of a passport’s true value based on your personal situation and needs.

We have also created a tiered system to break down the quality of travel available with each passport. For this article, we’ll focus on these three tiers:

• Tier A Passports: Since the United States is the most difficult country to get into, Tier A passports are from countries that have visa-free access to the US as part of the US Visa Waiver Program . This is a very short list.
• Tier B Passports: These passports allow those carrying them to visit Europe’s Schengen Area without a visa. Europe is much more lenient than the US, but still not freely open to every passport holder.
• Tier C Passports: These passports are much more limited and do not allow visa-free access to the US or the EU.

The traditional example of a dual citizen is someone with two Tier A passports that has a relatively simple way of getting back and forth between destinations.

The catch is that those two Tier A passports come with tax burdens and other potential downsides that may not make the benefits of having those two passports worth it. These people will potentially have or want a series of Tier B passports that allow them a wide variety of opportunities, but with less of the drawbacks they want to avoid.

Having renounced my US citizenship, I now use a portfolio of Tier B passports that give me almost the same amount of visa-free travel as my old US passport. It’s a solution that truly allows me to go where I’m treated best.

COMMON TRAVEL COMPLICATIONS WITH MULTIPLE PASSPORTS

Whether you have two Tier A passports, a combination of Tier A and something else, or a portfolio of Tier B passports, you will certainly run into a few common complications when traveling with two passports.

The following are the issues my team , my clients, and I commonly face while traveling from country to country:

Juggling Passports with Airlines and Immigration

The first thing to consider is what you’re telling the airline (or whatever other method of travel you’re using) when you’re traveling between countries. 

Some people worry that the airline is going to hover over them, making sure that whatever passport they entered in the airline’s database is the passport they’re going to use. In reality, this isn’t the case.

The airline’s job is to make sure that you aren’t going to be denied entry into the next country. They aren’t worried about what passport you use to get through immigration. They just want to make sure that they don’t have to get you back after you’ve been denied entry.

Customs, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. If you live in the United States, you’re supposed to enter and exit with your US passport. They don’t want you to come in as a German or Norwegian citizen if you have a US passport. While there aren’t any exit controls, they want you to leave as a US citizen as well.

They want this because, for all intents and purposes, they consider you their citizen on their soil and no one else’s. And the same thing happens if you travel to the EU. They still view you as their citizen, no matter what other travel documents you may have.

All in all, this is not as huge of an issue as it may seem at first. Each group will expect the appropriate passport and, as long as you present the documents that airlines and customs are each expecting, you shouldn’t be held up.

If you aren’t a citizen of one or both of the countries you’re traveling through, the same principle applies. Show whichever passport is most suitable to the airline you’re traveling with so they know you won’t be denied entry. Then, show customs officers whichever passport will allow you to pass through freely.

Nothing too complicated, especially if you’ve done your research beforehand.

Residencies and Traveling

Another thing to pay attention to as you travel is if you’re going through a country where you have a residency permit . What passport you use while traveling through these countries can be potentially helpful or hurtful.

For example, if I’m going to Malaysia, I’m going to advise the airline of the passport I have that has my ten-year Malaysian sticker visa in it — just to make things easy and straightforward.

At the end of the day, it might not make a huge difference to the airline which of my passports I use as long as I can get in visa-free. The problem that could come up, however, is that entering Malaysia on another passport may invalidate my sticker visa.

Mexico is another country where this could be a problem. If I have a Mexican residence permit associated with one of my passports but enter on another, it will immediately nullify my residence permit.

The solution here is to understand the terms of entry to these countries. Mexico and Malaysia don’t really care which passport you use to enter. You’ll only have problems if there’s some other kind of immigration status to be concerned with.

As long as you keep straight which passport will admit you when you get there and understand the rules of the country you’re going to, this won’t be a problem.

Passports, Privacy Concerns, and Dual Citizen Restrictions

Privacy is something you’ll also want to keep in mind when it comes to restrictions on your dual citizenship status, more so for travelers who aren’t citizens of western countries. 

There are certain countries where you have to report dual citizenship and other countries where you aren’t allowed dual citizenship . India, for example, only allows a very select few to have dual citizenship.

What’s often advised is if you have a second passport and want to retain your Indian passport is to always travel through a third country. In this situation, you would fly from India to somewhere where Indians have visa-free travel and then switch in that country to your second passport. By doing this, there will be no record of your second passport in the Indian immigration system.

That being said, if you find yourself in a situation like this, you’ll want to take the time to get all the information you can from the people who helped you get the passport as well as lawyers in your own country. 

I personally don’t want to advise on something where you are potentially going to get in trouble at home by not reporting other citizenships.

Again, this isn’t normally an issue for westerners, but it can be for a few countries, including China.

What you should be aware of is that whatever passport you use with the airline database or to get through customs and immigration may go into a system that allows other groups to see what passports you have used as you traveled.

Any airline that flies into the United States, for example, is required to share its passenger data. You have to be careful how you enter and exit a country and how you’re representing yourself to the airline if you have a passport that you’re worried about. 

There are certainly privacy concerns here, but the reality of the situation is that a lot of data is being shared across borders. Increasingly, countries will be asking you what passports you hold.

Whether it’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization ( ESTA) or the Electronic Travel Information System ( ETIS) in the European Union, there is going to be much less privacy around citizenships in the coming years. If you’re traveling with multiple passports, the big issue will be being cognizant of any potential problems or issues that can come up that could endanger your dual citizenship.

CAN A SECOND PASSPORT GIVE YOU A TRAVEL LOOPHOLE? 

There are actually two definitions for “second passport.” 

In one case you have two passports from two different countries where you have citizenship. The other case would be if you had two passports from the same country for whatever reason — say one of your passports was in an embassy getting a visa sticker so you got a second passport from your country so that you could continue to travel. 

I get asked questions about whether you can travel in a different way, have more travel privileges or break some of the rules by having either type of second passport. People have asked if there are legal loopholes that having two travel documents can afford you. 

Of course there are some privileges that come with a second passport. 

Having two citizenships means you have two travel documents. If one of your countries has some kind of problem it can affect your travel options. 

We have been seeing this during the COVID-19 pandemic. Persons from certain countries were refused entry when traveling to other countries. If you were Chinese and you were trying to enter a country, it didn’t matter if you didn’t actually live in China, some countries were turning away all Chinese citizens. 

Additionally, not every passport can get into every country. Most Western passports have pretty good visa-free travel, but you probably can’t use them to get into Russia or China. If you have passports from two different countries it can expand your options for travel and business. It’s a good diversification strategy overall. 

But other than these benefits, people want to know if a second passport can provide a kind of travel loophole. 

Many want to know if you have two passports that both give access to the Schengen area in Europe if they can use the two different passports to extend their stay. For example, an American passport gives them 90 days out of the overall 180 days that they can spend in the Schengen area. The theory is that a second citizenship from another country that also has access to the Schengen area can provide an additional 90 days. 

Could they use these two passports to go to the Schengen area visa-free for 90 days with their American passport and then leave, turn around and come back with their St. Lucian passport for another 90 days visa-free? 

Other people have asked if they have a US passport and got a second US passport that has a different number, could they do the same thing where they leave and then come back and reenter the area using the other passport to get more visa-free travel. 

While there are still a lot of countries that don’t do biometrics and some that still don’t take your photo, most countries keep good records. 

When you go to a country, they scan your passport. Many countries now require biometric passports. They’re going to look at your name, date of birth, and photo and they’ll keep that on record. Sometimes they’ll capture your fingerprints or make sure they have photos. 

If you leave a country and come right back on a different passport, there are certain countries that may not mind. Certain countries will let you in as long as you’re respecting their visa rules. 

Let’s say you get 30 days or 90 days visa-free, if you leave every 30 or 90 days and come right back, some countries don’t care if you do that over and over again with the same passport. They can’t let you overstay but as long as you’re coming and going it’s fine. 

But other countries have a rule like 90 per 180 or 30 per 365. For example, Colombia has a 90 per 180 rule, meaning you can only spend up to 90 days in a 180 day period there, regardless of the number of entries. 

For those countries, it’s generally inadvisable to try and trick them by reentering with a different passport. If a country says you have visa-free access for 90 days out of every 180 days — this is the rule in the Schengen area — they aren’t talking about the passport, they’re talking about the person. 

You can’t use all your different passports to come and go. 

Many countries have interesting residence permit options. If you want to spend full time there I would recommend getting a residence permit or even citizenship in the country you want to live in rather than trying to trick them with two separate passports. 

Many people view dual citizenship and traveling with two passports as something exotic, but what they don’t realize is that it’s really just a practical issue with a practical solution. That solution breaks down into two simple ideas:

• Enter and exit a country on its own passport, wherever possible.
• Present yourself and your documents in the most practical and suitable way possible as you travel.

Depending on the reason that you have that second passport, this will look very different in each situation.

If you have a US passport along with a Tier B passport that you picked up through economic citizenship as a Plan B, you’ll probably still use the US passport in most emerging countries if both provide you the same visa-free access.

If you have two passports (or a portfolio of passports ) from nations that are very geopolitically different, like Montenegro and Serbia, appropriately using each of those passports will allow you to gain visa-free access to parts of the world you wouldn’t have on each one individually.

Sometimes these benefits are much smaller. For example, you can get into Armenia with either a US or St. Lucia passport, but the US passport will get you through faster with fewer questions. 

In other countries, being a US citizen may not be as favorable. 

All in all, if you’re able to create a true, cohesive story about who you are, where you’re from, where you’re going, and why you should be welcomed there, life is going to be much easier. In my experience, the more disjointed your story, the slower and more complicated your travel will be.

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