I hold dual UK/Candian citizenship. I arrived in Canada last year and showed customs my Canadian passport. I am thinking of returning to the UK. My Canadian passport has expired but I still have a valid UK one. I would only ever return to Canada as a visitor. Would I encounter problems on exiting Canada with a UK passport when I entered the country with a Cdn passport? Has anyone been in a simlar situation? Thanks.

You don't need a passport to exit Canada. There's no exit procedure, only entry procedures for the next country. In this case the next country is one for which you have a valid passport so there's no issue. When they're both current I use the UK one going to the UK and the Canadian one going to Canada.

There are now exit controls at some UK airports.

To the original poster - why not just get a Canadian passport?



Jeremy

No problem to him, he'd be leaving on a UK passport. I don't see why he doesn't renew the Canadian one but it's not obvious that failure to do so will cause any difficulty.

It should mean a smoother passage through Canadian immigration.
And it's easier to visit the US on a Canadian passport rather than a British one.



Jeremy

> But all the terrorists come in to the US via Canada ?

Rich.

I was away from Canada for so long I don't know anyone in the country to be a a guarantor for the Cdn passport.

You could use an 'in lieu of guarantor' form (basically a lawyer or notary 'confirms' that you are who you say you are) or just apply for your new Canadian passport the next time you're in Britain. The guarantor does not have to a Canadian citizen. I received a new Canadian passport in Britain with zero problems:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/canada-...ssy3-13-en.asp

I used the "in lieu of guarantor" form. I'm in Canada but don't know any Canadians who qualify to sign passport forms.

Last year I went to a local photographer to have photos taken for British passport and Canadian citizenship and PR card. Whilst waiting I got talking to an English guy who was processing image stuff on a Mac. Turned out he was one of the old typesetters who had sidled over to the image side of things. He and his wife were dual-citizens. He told me a lovely story of the the first time they went to the UK following their receipt of their Canadian passport (recent). When they got to Heathrow they took advantage of slipping through on the British passport side. On the way back they decided to use the Canadian passport, because it looked quicker. At customs, or wherever, they were told there was no record of them coming in to the UK on a Canadian passport. The guy told me they were severely reprimanded for using one passport to enter the country and another to leave. He told them 'Come in on the red, go out on the red', 'Come in on the blue, go out on the blue' 'Don't ever come in on the blue and go out on the red again'.

Poor thing!

Not even slightly, there just aren't a lot of Canadians around here.

point taken

This doesn't "sound right"

There are no systematic exit controls in the UK at the moment. They are being introduced, but not on a consistent basis currently. Any of the temporary *exit* checkpoints I've seen at UK airports don't make a distinction between nationality.

However the general point, that when exit controls are in place you usually leave on the same passport you entered, is a valid one.


Jeremy