the_tones_guy

Hi Y'all,

Having a conversation on a friends Facebook post about passports, she (like me) has a British and a Canadian PP.

I said, 'I travel to the UK on my UK PP and fly back to Canada on my Canadian PP'.

Another of her friends said that this is frowned upon, I've not heard this before, are you not allowed to do that?

not2old

discussed many times on several threads previously

Leave Canada on the Canadian, at the UK passport control its the British passport, then leaving the UK & arriving back in Canada on the Canadian passport

the_tones_guy

Yes that's what one of the people said on the FB post, but why can't you do this, why is it frowned upon, that was the question?

Before I post anything on here, I ALWAYS try to find the answer by searching, as everything has been discussed here previously a million times and I don't want to bore anyone, I could not find anything, hence the post.

SchnookoLoly

Generally you have to use the same passport for the airline as you have to provide your passport information in advance. If your return flight is originating from Canada, then use your Canadian passport. If your return flight is originating from the UK, then use your UK passport.

When you get to the border, it's a different game. Use the passport that makes the most sense. Use your Canadian passport when entering Canada, and use your UK passport when entering the UK.

You could try to enter the UK using your Canadian passport but then you are processed as a visitor... if you showed them both they'd probably then take your UK one. (This happened to a friend of mine, he thought since he flew on his Canadian passport he'd have to show his Canadian one at the UK border. He told the agent he was moving to the UK and they were like "Uhhh you have no visa..." He then held up his UK passport and said "I'm also a UK citizen, but I thought I Had to enter using my Canadian passport" and they were like "Oh! That's fine then! Go ahead! Welcome!" and that was that.)

Some countries also require you enter their country using their passport, like the US. So you have to be aware of specific rules from each country as well. I don't believe Canada nor the UK have this requirement, strictly speaking. But again, it just causes more issues if you enter on the other passport!

the_tones_guy

Great reply, thank you very much.

BritInParis

It's not frowned upon - that's the correct procedure. API wasn't designed with dual nationals in mind.

Former Lancastrian

So this is what sometimes happens a person with multiple passports decides to travel. They check online for cheap flights and find a deal. The website shows a great deal and they proceed to book it. When they get to the passport details section they use the 1st passport they managed to find and book the flight.
They then get ready to travel and pack their passports in either their carry on or in some cases their checked baggage
They then show up at the airport and check in for their flight. If they are one of the seasoned traveller or one of the very few smart travellers they remember which passport they used to book their flight and present it at check in. Now we get those travellers who can't remember which passport they used to book the flight or where that passport is so they start searching the black hole commonly known as the HANDBAG or checking numerous pockets or zip up compartments on their backpack or god forbid the suitcase they are checking in.

Eventually they figure it out and get their boarding pass. They then get to the departure gate and wait to board the aircraft. They then get the boarding announcement and wait in line. When the get to the boarding agent it becomes apparent that these are one of these people who don't listen to the announcements or read signs saying have your boarding pass and photo id/passport ready for inspection. They again have to faff around trying to find the boarding pass and passport. This will also be the same person who thinks its now a good idea to put their passport into the magazine holder compartment on the back of the seat in front of them. They then arrive at their destination and decide to use the passport they booked with but is not issued by the country they are wishing to enter and hand it to the Customs Officer if they have remembered to retrieve it from the magazine compartment.
The officer begins to process them and starts asking questions. They are perplexed by this line of questioning and say something like Im a citizen of this country. The officer then might say something like well this passport is issued by this country so how would I know you are a citizen of my country. Cue the black hole search again.
Repeat above for the return journey.

pdarwin

Simply ask when you check in on your outward journey. Last time I flew Ottawa to Heathrow, the check-in lady at Ottawa said I can declare both passports and then travel on either for going or returning.

HGerchikov

And then there are those who leave both passports in a Mcdonalds 50 miles from the airport, realize it at 10:30pm, Mcdonalds closes at 10pm, reopen at 8am, flight is at 7am. Then after an hour of panicking, and eventually accepting that there was nothing to be done, finding said passports in his bag.

SchnookoLoly

First-hand experience with that?

HGerchikov

Oh yes, and of course it was all my fault because earlier in the day I had said 'why don't you let me keep all the passports together in my handbag, you are only going to lose those'. Power of suggestion apparently (in reality its power of experience, we have been married 20 years!). But for a while there it really looked like he was going to be stuck in Paris on his own (which may not have been too much of a hardship).

MarylandNed

Of course a perfectly acceptable alternative is to travel with one passport. I have a US passport and I usually use that for all travel even when travelling to other countries that I am a citizen of (Canada, Ireland and UK).

BritInParis

Whilst I am not going to open that particular can of worms again I will say that you are correct for the specific combination of countries you mention but there are a number of countries where that is not possible even if you are only visiting (the US, Australia) and it would not be applicable to most countries if your intention was to live and work.

misplacedheidi

SO last time we entered the UK, my child's UK passport had expired but he had a valid Canadian one (we were waiting to get him a UK adult one).

I showed the expired UK and the current CA one to the UK border agency who still stamped his CA one with a visitor's stamp.

Bit confused as he clearly is/was a UK citizen, albeit with an expired PP, and I know he was travelling ON the CA PP, but was that necessary? - FL any comment?

I will have the same issue with child no. 2!

MarylandNed

Right - some countries require that their citizens use that country's passport when entering/leaving (e.g. the US as you said). However, that restriction doesn't apply to the OP so a Canadian passport could be used for a visit from Canada to the UK.

The US is one of the countries that expects its citizens to leave/enter on a US passport. So I use just a US passport when I'm visiting Canada, Ireland, and the UK.