SteveHarris

May be a bit off topic but here goes.

We're taking a trip back to the UK in July (first time in years) and while my UK passport is current, the wife and kids only have current Canadian passports. We're planning a short trip to Paris while we're back in the UK and we're wondering whether anyone's had any experience of traveling to France on their Canadian passports? If there any advantage in renewing the UK passports for that leg of the trip?

Cheers - Steve

FlyingDutchman6666

Not a problem. Your wife & children will be asking admission to France as Canadian citizens. No visa is required. It means that they will have to convince French officials that a) they'll stay for less than 3 months, b) they have enough funds to support themselves, and c) they'll leave the country before their time is up. These conditions are extremely unlikely to cause problems in your situation.

I presume your wife & children used their expired British passports to enter the UK as British Citizens? In that case, it may be worth presenting the expired British passports to the French officials to gain entry. While not officially allowed, neighbouring countries in the EU have a relaxed attitude towards each other's expired passports. If it doesn't work, just present their Canadian passports instead.

One thing to note - the French have an equally relaxed attitude towards checking the passports of people arriving from the UK. They will often wave people through, or passport booths may not even be manned. However, it's very important you make sure you receive an entry stamp in a Canadian passport when entering. You don't want officials to suspect an overstay when you return!

Edited to add: when returning to the UK from France, they can simply present their expired British passports. An expired British passport is a valid document for entering the UK.

JonboyE

We visited France using our Canadian passports. Not an issue at all.

Allie73

I have visited France on my Canadian passport while my husband and kids used their British ones. The only difference between me and them was that I had to fill out a landing card on the way back into the UK. Take a pen.

SteveHarris

Thanks everyone for the info - saves a few bucks that can be spent on having fun instead.

Cheers - Steve