GLR

I hope someone can help with a question that I just can't find the answer to from searching the archives.

I have my Australian citizenship ceremony in mid Sept and I understand that I then immediately become an Australian citizen. I then need to fly overseas a week after that ceremony and so won't be able to get an Australian passport in time.

Can I still use my British passport containing my PR visa to re-enter Australia (even though the PR visa lapses on obtaining citizenship) or do I need to take some proof of my Australian citizenship?

Thanks for any help you can give

Cheers

GLR

ps - been in Brisbane for 2.5 years now and absolutely love it here. Best decision we ever made...

renth

You can get an Aussie passport the same day, you can in Perth anyway. Costs more, natch but you can do it. I'm sure you'd be able to do it in Brisbane.

moneypenny20

As soon as you get citizenship your PR visa is cancelled so you can't come in using the UK passport. If you can't get a passport before the trip you will probably have to either postpone the citizenship until after the trip or postpone the trip until you have the Aus passport.

GLR

Hi Renth & Moneypen

After your warnings about using the old passport, I decided to call the citizenship and passport offices. I've arranged an appointment to lodge my passport application two days after the citizenship ceremony and I'll put it on the priority path so I should have it back well before I fly.

The citizenship helpline did say that the Immigration officials will let you back into Australia using a British passport containing a valid PR visa, even if you've subsequently obtaining citizenship but it might take longer to get through the airport.

Definitely worth playing it safe though!

Cheers

GLR

MaggieM

Hi!

Can I be nosey and ask how much was Australia Passport? Think we should maybe get that sorted out since we became citizens recently.

Cheers!

Maggie

JAJ

Or get an Australian passport overseas.

Or use a New Zealand passport (which technically you shouldn't do, but can be done in emergency), if of course you're a New Zealander.

Or (in limited cases) get an Australian Declaratory Visa stamped in a foreign passport.

dave99

Does becoming an aus citizen mean you give up british citizenships?

MaggieM

No, it means you have dual nationality or citizenship.

You can apply to both UK and Australia for passports.

Many airline crew etc do this and use UK passport to get to short queue in UK airports and Australian passport to got to short queue on return to Australia.

Regards,

Maggie

homewardbound

Just to reitterate... you can fly from oz to uk on british passport but must return to oz on your ozzie passport... reason is you would need a visa in you BP and you cant get a visa if you are australian.

And yes you will need your Australian citizenship certificate to get your australian passport.

JAJ

Not if you are a British citizen.

If you have some other kind of British nationality then it's a more complex question.

killamarsh

On the last two trips I have left Oz on my Aus passport and arrived on my uk passport and then vice versa left on uk passport here and arrived on oz when we arrived there.

Amandabee

If the answers is that you need an Aus passport you can get them issued in one day in brisbane. But you MUST make an appointment first, I think days in advance, cos they run out quickly.

If you give the passport no a call, you can book an appointment through them. One word of advice, get there early, if your not there 15 mins BEFORE your appointment they can cancel it.

HCJ

Crew enter the country using a GenDec document not a passport and we don't queue anywhere!

Wol

And her inference would be that crew need a passport for every country they enter!

Higher baggage allowance required.....

mysnix

We asked this question last week at our citizenship interview. According to the man we spoke to at DIAC the PR is cancelled as soon as you become a citizen and you are expected to get an Aussie passport, but they do give you a 12 month grace period when they will still let you in on your old UK passport.

Nikki
x