Have twin citizenship? use 2 passports when flying

It is pretty frequent lately for an American to additionally maintain citizenship with one other nation — and the second nation’s passport, too.

I used to be born within the U.S. and am an American citizen. Nonetheless, as a result of my mother and father had been twin residents on the time of my beginning, additionally they handed Italian citizenship on to me.

It is a privilege to have rights in two nations, but it surely was a bit complicated after I began touring internationally with each passports.

Which passport to make use of when is a query with a nuanced reply.

This is the way it breaks down.

Leaving the US for one more nation

While you depart the U.S., you may present your U.S. passport and probably your second passport, however — and that is extremely necessary — by no means on the identical time or on the identical level in journey. By no means hand each passports to safety or customs/immigration and anticipate them to let you know what to do. That is asking for an issue. You’ll want to perceive the method, which can make sense after you have gone via it a couple of instances.

Tip: If the journey processes are unclear to you, seek the advice of the U.S. State Division and the regional consulate of the opposite nation of which you maintain citizenship earlier than you depart in your subsequent journey.

When leaving the U.S., present your U.S. passport (or Actual ID) within the Transportation Safety Administration screening line.

You will subsequent have to indicate a passport when boarding your flight from the U.S. to your vacation spot nation. This passport should be both:

1. One that you’re legally required to make use of to enter mentioned nation. (For instance, as a citizen of the European Union, I have to enter any EU nation and the Schengen Space utilizing my Italian passport.)
2. The one that’s most useful to you. In different phrases, if you happen to aren’t legally obligated to make use of one passport over the opposite, you may determine which to make use of primarily based on the privileges it supplies. For instance, if I’m departing Los Angeles for Bangkok, I’d look to see if there’s a profit to utilizing my U.S. or Italian passport. That may imply no (or a decrease) visa price or an extended authorized keep.

As a twin U.S. and Italian passport holder, I present my Italian passport to the airline’s gate agent when boarding my flight to Italy or any EU or Schengen Space nation.

You wish to be sure that the airline’s manifest lists the identical passport data you intend to indicate customs/immigration whenever you land.

As an Italian with EU citizenship, I’ll keep away from the European Journey Data and Authorization System price as soon as it goes into impact in Europe. It will not apply to me so long as I enter the EU with my Italian passport. ETIAS, nonetheless, will apply to my husband touring on his U.S. passport.

Associated: Every thing you could know in regards to the EU’s ETIAS ‘visa’ necessities

Tip: Some airways do not let you save two passports in your on-line profile. (I am taking a look at you, American Airways.) I usually have to attach from my residence gateway within the U.S. to a different U.S. gateway earlier than boarding my worldwide flight. In these cases, I load my U.S. passport within the airline app for the primary U.S.-based leg, after which I am going to the Admirals Membership or to American’s customer support middle on the subsequent airport and have them replace the passport data related to my ticket to my Italian passport. Any gate agent can even replace your ticket’s passport data.

Arriving within the EU (or any nation)

While you land within the EU, present your EU passport to frame patrol and the identical when arriving on the airport on your departure from that nation. Should you’re touring alone, you should use the e-gates. In any other case, you may must go to an agent along with your journey companions utilizing U.S. passports.

(Should you’re not touring to the EU, simply bear in mind to indicate the passport you used to board the outbound plane when you arrive in your vacation spot nation.)

Exiting the overseas nation

As soon as your overseas keep ends, return to the airport and undergo customs and immigration with the identical passport you used to enter. Should you entered in your EU passport, undergo any exit customs course of utilizing your EU passport. Should you entered in your U.S. passport, present your U.S. passport at exit immigration.

This subsequent step is essential. All the time present your U.S. passport when boarding the aircraft again residence, and present your U.S. passport to frame patrol (or on the World Entry kiosk) upon arrival to the U.S.

Do you have to all the time journey with each passports?

Sure. You all the time must reenter the U.S. along with your U.S. passport, so that you want it when touring abroad. Additionally, if you happen to ever want help whereas in a unique nation, you need each passports to entry the embassies of each nations. When issues go flawed hundreds of miles from residence, you need all the assistance you may get.

Can you continue to use TSA PreCheck as a twin citizen?

Sure. I’ve loaded my Recognized Traveler Quantity in my airline accounts so my boarding passes all the time embrace the TSA PreCheck emblem.

Backside line

When touring with twin citizenship, exhibiting which passport comes all the way down to the place you might be within the journey course of. Present the passport that proves you could have the fitting to be the place you’re going.

The TSA within the U.S. would not care what passport you utilize for the flight. That is not the company’s concern. It solely cares about which one you utilize whenever you present it to TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Safety officers. And, by regulation, if you happen to’re a U.S. citizen, you could use your U.S. passport to depart (by way of TSA screening) and reenter this nation (by way of the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety or World Entry).

It may be complicated, however that is how one can use passports from two completely different nations when touring.