Gozit

Transiting to Malta... And yes I hate CDG but was kind of forced into it. Here's what happened -

I was sitting on the ground on my Air Malta flight going from Malta to Vienna, where I would connect onward to Toronto, when of course i'm on the ground for 2 hours, Malta International Airport's computer system crashed. So by the time I actually got to Vienna I missed the Vienna-Toronto leg, Air Malta's fault. They put me up in a hotel in Vienna, and the only flight available the next day was Vienna - CDG - Toronto on Air France. So I had to go through EU exit control in CDG - without an EU passport meant I had to go in the international queue, which took almost an hour and I almost missed my flight to Toronto.

Damn exchange students all in line waiting to leave. Of course there was the smart British guy with his UK passport who walked into the EU queue, he was the only one in the queue, quite literally. He ended up sitting on the plane beside me. (Hey, was it any of you? )

Never again, CDG, never again.


On the off topic, waiting in the international queue hopefully won't happen again for me - I got my Maltese citizenship certificate a couple days ago, allowing me to get an EU passport.

Nelson1805

Personal preference I would argue. If I am leaving the UK I go out on my UK passport and then use my Canadian passport upon arrival in Canada. Then when leaving Canada, leave on my Canadian, and re-enter the UK with my UK passport.

foreigngirl

My daughter will have 3 passports and I've been told that if she holds a passport of a country that she's entering, she should use that country's passport to enter and exit. Simples.

MarylandNed

It's not quite that simple I'm afraid. Let's say you have UK & US passports and are flying from the UK to the US. If you don't have an ESTA (or US visa) in your UK passport, then the airline can refuse to let you board the plane. At that point, you'd have to produce your US passport to prove that you are admissible to the US.

Steve_

What you should do is use a Canadian passport for everything, except the physical border in the UK, where you use your British passport. The reason being at check-in it causes issues, because the Canadian transport regs require you to have evidence you are legally entitled to enter Canada and IATA (who set the rules the check-in staff use) only recognizes passports.

Now, technically speaking you're British and British people can visit without a visa, so it shouldn't be an issue if you don't have a Canadian passport but the check-in people aren't going to give a stuff about a Canadian citizenship certificate for example. The question is going to be why do you have a return ticket to Canada and you're British?

Steve_

But they won't necessarily recognize that at check-in. CBSA are okay with that, I think the regs are okay with that, but IATA are not okay with that. This is why you have to use a passport at check-in even if you have a NEXUS card. CBP and CBSA are okay with the NEXUS card, but IATA are not.

Gozit

This is also good advice. I've been advised to do that before and it seems like a good way to do it. I would use the Cdn pport for everything, except when entering/exiting the Schengen zone passport control, where I would use my Maltese pport.

pdarwin

Last time I went to the UK I took both passports with me and asked at the Air Canada check-in at Ottawa about whether I could use whichever passports I thought more convenient coming in and out.
They said if you declare both passports at the airline check-in at the start of your journey out (presumably they pass on the info to some authority) then you are free to use both passports for the journey out and back in and no questions asked.

Gozit

Thanks. This helps... When I go home i'll do this. I was planning on doing it and then further up in the thread someone said no don't declare both!

But I can't see the harm in declaring both to the airline, so i'll do that.

Shirtback

I have never, in nigh on 18 years travelling back and forth on a Brit passport, been asked this question*.

However, I think the consensus is carry both (if one has them) passports, and use them for maximum convenience; failing that, carry proof of citizenship/residence/right to land - if not evident in the passport(s) one is carrying.

(*I have, on arrival in Canada, been asked for evidence of PR or citizenship proof, but that was not the original question )

S

Shirtback

(OT : CONGRATS !!!! Welcome to the dual/multi citizenship / EU immigration lines club )

S

Gozit

Thank-you!!

pdarwin

But still ask at the check-in, as rules change, especially when dealing with security. They will know what's what for the time you travel, better than the BE peeps.

Gozit

Will do

dbd33

The people at the check-in desk won't have any idea. They'll know that, if you're in Canada, and you have a Canadian passport, that's alright because they see that every five minutes. Anything more complicated and you're better off asking the internet.

I use the right passport for the country I'm entering, I find it's quickest. Any number of other arrangements also work.