oz101

Recently had issue at check in whilst flying to Uk for holiday. We're dual nationals Oz and British. Showed Uk passport at checkin and Aus passport at Australian border contral at exit in Melbourne (well that was the plan!). Checkin asked if Australian and demanded Australian passport for scaning in combination with UK passport. Somewhat made to feel we had done wrong. Don't usually travel with two passports. Does this mean we now have to? Also if only Australian passport they can stay in UK for 3 months so what is the problem? Not planning on keeping two sets of passports going for a family of five!

bcworld

If you are travelling to Australia you will need to present your AU passport at check in. In order to enter Australia you need to be either an Australian citizen or hold a valid visa - Australia doesn't do visa on arrival. Therefore the airline needs to know you have the right to enter Australia as they will bear the cost if Australia refuses to allow you entry. Their check in system can look up your visa status against a UK passport, but obviously you won't have an AU visa if you are an AU citizen.

You could happily travel on just your AU passport as the UK will let you back in without a visa being arranged in advance.

None of this is new.

oz101

Thanks for that. Not so much the issue as I'm aware of the necessity of an Australian citizen showing an Australian passport to get onto a flight from outside Australia to come into the country. We were leaving Australia on a single ticket to LHR on a UK passport (only showing the Australian passport at Australian border contral) Didn't want to enter UK on Australian passport as we had only a single ticket at that point.

quoll

I've always just presented my Aus passport when leaving except this last time when they actually asked for my UK passport as well. I queried it and the check in lady (who was, admittedly, new on the job) told me that they had been instructed to ask for other passports and her supervisor took them both and we were told that they were being "linked" in Immigration. We checked in in Canberra and I asked which one we should then use to leave when we flew out of Melbourne and she told us to use our Australian one but the identification machines there didn't register that we had checked in using our Aus passports and the surly madam in charge of the queue there was quite nasty and have us the "always leave on your Aus passport" lecture. So heavens knows what they are on about! At least Immigration should now know I have 2 passports but if you're just going on holiday to UK you don't need the UK one. Must be some new protocol that they are trying to implement (or Canberra had misread the instructions which is bureaucratically more likely!)

oz101

Sounds like our situation. If you dont bring your other passport with you what happens? o they refuse you? I'm not normally carrying around 10 passports when we go away on holiday - hard enough keeping track of 5! What happens if you dont renew one then? Flying hard enough with young ones as it is.

oz101

Spoke to Immigration today and they said they already know that we have dual citizenship and the fact that we have UK passport as we needed that to prove who we were for citizenship. Their concern was that we had to leave and enter with Australian passport - not a problem - unable to explain why checkin are asking for other passports and as the gentleman said there is no way of them (checkin) verifying that we have or had passports from another country unless they have recorded it earlier on another flight. No further forward as there's a lingering doubt now that we will have to carry all our passports to appease checkin. Any ideas?

Tr1boy

In 33 Syd-UK return flights, I've only had it happen once. We did our usual route Syd-Incheon-LHR, using Oz passport to leave Oz and Brit passport at Incheon and presenting UK passport at LHR, no problems.

Just once, i think it was about two trips ago that we were asked for both passports at LHR (we usually use the Oz ones to leave the UK and present Oz ones at Incheon when heading to Oz).

Next trips reverted to BAU. Seems a bit random.

oz101

Random yes but not how things should be done with regards to documentation. Still if we dont have our other passports with us (ie UK left at home) will they refuse us flights? Cant we just travel on our Aus passports as the places we go SE Asia and UK accept them with no issues. Surely they are not going to make us bring all our other passports on a week trip to Barli or Singapore? I understood the airline was only interested in the person having an in date passport/visa and that there would be no economic impact to them by the destination country refusing entry on the grounds of not having a suitable travel document? (returning passenger to point of origin)

Tr1boy

I think you're panicking over nothing. I'm sure the issue is using different passports on the same trip. Use the same passport all the way and all the way back (which would be the Oz one) then nothing will happen.

quoll

I honestly wouldn't worry. It sounds like a bit of a dogs breakfast with respect to who asks for what! You can travel the world on your Aus passport if you feel so inclined, you can do the same with your UK passports except enter and leave Australia (though what they would do to you if you tried to leave on your UK passport, I have no idea - the very notion that a UK passport holder would not be allowed to pass a port would raise all sorts of diplomatic ire I should imagine!). As long as you have visas if you need them, or can get them, they won't worry. I suspect it might be an overzealous newly trained checker inner!

BritInParis

You need to enter and exit Australia on your Australian passport if you're an Australian citizen as you cannot be issued with a visa. This is a hard and fast rule and hasn't changed.

If you're travelling to and from Australia then just use your Australian passports at all times bar arriving in the UK when you should present your British passports. If you don't want to carry 10 passports with then you can all travel on just your Australian passports but you should be prepared to be treated as Australian citizens at the UK border which would likely to be fine for holidays but would present a problem you intended to stay beyond six months or work.

Still Game

I was 'told off' ( extremely politely tho! ;-) ) by a Singaporean customs officer for flying in on one passport and flying out on another. However, when I arrived (having not been to SING before) I presented both GB and AU passports for their choosing. Not sure exactly what I did wrong there!

I've always flown into / out of AU on my AU one and in/out of UK on my GB one.

I can imagine it would get a little tricky with bigger family in tow, however, whenever I travel I always take both mine, not sure why really, just feel safer with both I guess (?) and insurance will always cover me if stolen/lost. I'm ridiculous I know, but I also have a photo copy of each that I store in a compartment of my handbang whilst travelling.

OP you could travel with both for all family members if you needed to and pop into safety deposit boxes on arrival on holidays.

Still Game

Beoz

Yep. Singapore give you a ticket in the entry passport. No ticket on departure ..... angry immigration man.