BellaE

Hello all you dualies....I'm sure somebody has asked this question before, but I couldn't find a thread on it.
I arrived at Heathrow this morning on my first trip back since I became a USC. I had both my US and British passports with me. A colleague who is an Irish dual citizen said he had been questioned upon re-entering the US because his US passport has no entry stamps for the UK or other EU countries he travels to (he uses his Irish passport to enter the UK/EU). So I filled out the landing card, stood in the long queue, and used my US passport, and got an entry stamp. But I felt ridiculous, knowing I had my British passport in my handbag the whole time. On this trip I am going on to Belgium and Spain, and will use the British passport. But I am wondering, what do others do?

Noorah101

Use your UK passport to enter the UK and travel in Europe. Use your us passport to re enter the USA. It won't be a problem.

Rene

ian-mstm

The UK does not require you to use your UK passport when entering the UK... but you were perfectly free to do so. As for your friend, I'd have been surprised if he did have any stamps in his US passport. It's a non-issue as long as you enter the US with your US passport... and most CBP officers don't fully understand the concept of dual citizenship.

Ian

Noorah101

Yep, my Iranian USC husband leaves the USA showing both passports. He enters Iran using his Iranian passport. He re-enters the USA using his US passport, but of course there are no stamps in it because he was not a visitor in his own country of Iran. It's never been an issue.

Rene

jeffreyhy

Showing them to who? Just curious.

Regards, JEff

lansbury

They sometimes ask when they hear the accent and see the place of birth in your US passport, if you have a British passport. If you say you have it with you, they will ask for it and land you using that one, and not stamp your US passport.

Noorah101

Whoever looks to make sure he's got a visa to go to Iran, if necessary. I suppose he could just show his Iranian passport, which proves he doesn't need a visa to go to Iran...but his Iranian passport doesn't have any proof of his legal status in the USA, either. His US passport shows that.

Whever he checks in, he says he just always hands over both passports.

Rene

BellaE

Thanks everyone. No more standing in the long queue for me!!

jeffreyhy

So that would be airline staff, and does he show both to the TSA people also?

Regards, JEff

Noorah101

Yes, the airline staff at check-in. Not sure about TSA, I'll have to ask him.

I'm curious now, too. LOL

He shows both when leaving Iran, too, so the airline staff won't go looking for a visa to the USA in his Iranian passport.

Rene

GeoffM

I wouldn't count on that: my wife, when she was not yet a UK citizen, beat me through the queues a couple of times! Similarly I remember arriving in Beunos Aires on a flight from Chile, being the only non-local, and was at baggage claim within a couple of minutes of leaving the aircraft.