eastrunner

I have a British passport, and sometimes certain embassies etc... take ages to process visas or entry permits, so the PRO in my office suggested I have 2 passports to speed up processing of documents etc. Also some countries i.e. the US do not like one to have entry stamps from some middle eastern countries outside the GCC. has anyone done this? can one have 2 British passports.


TIA


ER

Leannmean

" People who have valid reasons can have more than one passport document. This applies usually to people who travel a lot on business, and may need to have, say, a passport to travel on while another is awaiting a visa for another country. Reasons and supporting documentation (such as a letter from an employer) must be provided "

as per the above paragraph , you could , but the Yanks will know for sure that you've been into Arab countries and usually it is not that big of a deal unless you have s suspicious background

Bahtatboy

Frequently done. You'll need a letter from your employer explaining the situation. I don't know if the current world-wide security situation will make it more difficult.

DXBtoDOH

I have entered the US with Syrian, Iranian and Afghan visas on my UK passport and no one batted an eye.

A good mate here in Dubai is American and he has Yemeni and Iranian stamps in his passport and says he never has issues returning to the US.

mission

yep you can - we have done it for a couple of our consultants - you just need a letter from your employer explaining the need for 2 passports eg one gone for visa application and one for travelling due to rotation schedules

mission

that is surprising.....I been told as soon as you get an Iranian visa in your pp, kiss goodbye to ever visiting the US.

iggle

I have two passports; one old with my UAE visa, one new passport. I have to carry both when i travel

DXBtoDOH

Def not the case these days.

Millhouse

you have only one valid passport. The other is only a place holder for your visa.

Millhouse

It is not as helpful as you may think. Most (all I have tried) embassys will only put a visa in the passport that has your Residence Visa in. And, in theory, you cannot leave or come back into the UAE without your Residence Visa. Thus, it doesn't help you at all.

If you were in the UK then two valid passports is helpful. It's not so useful here.

eastrunner

Thanks all, very interesting points, glad to hear the folks across the pond are not as hard core about certain county stamps these days.

ER

Ditzy

You can have two passports and the second is easy to obtain following the procedure above (ie letter from company explaining that the 1st passport is frequently held up obtaining visas etc).

The poster is correct in that you need your Passport with Visa (or Egate) to exit UAE. However if you wanted to use your 2nd passport to enter the USA you could do that, i.e use the one with your UAE visa to exit UAE and then use your 2nd passport to enter the USA.

Depending on how your ticket is routed though (if you were coming direct from the UAE for example) they may ask where your exit stamp is from the UAE.

mikelincs

But he is an American citizen, so can't be refused entry, that is his advantage.

TheShed

I currently have (and have had for 10 years) two valid UK passports. I use the one with my UAE visa to apply for visas in UAE and occasionally use the second for getting visas out of my London office(as if I was there). Technically you should carry your UAE visas in and out of here, but egate allows me to leave it behind when I need to.

You will need a letter from your employer explaining the circumstances and they will require a scan of every page of the current passport. The same process is followed to renew either of the passports when they expire/fill up.

Hope this helps.