Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

You need a British passport. Present both passports at both airline check ins. Enter the UK using your British passport and the US using your US passport.

FWIW UK law now mirrors the US law that requires travel on a US passport, requiring travel on a British passport. The only solution that complies with both countries' requirements, is to carry both passports.

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

Do you have an official link for that specifically the must use British passport entering the UK. The UK Gov site mentions nothing about dual citizens as per this link however we all know sometimes they are out of date or the info is buried elsewhere

https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control...ave-for-the-uk

I have dual citizenship with Canada.

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

It is inferred, isn't it?

If you need an ETA if you don't have a British passport, and the UK won't issue an ETA to a British citizen, what alternative is there to having to use a British passport? :confused:

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

It appears more a problem of the British govt omitting the option to apply for an ETA as a British citizen. Scroll down to the section on Dual citizens on https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-fo...horisation-eta

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

What are peoples experiences when you arrive at the airline counter. Eg I book with United Airlines & declare my US passport, show up at the airport & the clerk checks & sees I don’t have a UK ETA. The issue is US law requires us to both leave & enter the US on our US passport. I could show them my British passport, but then I’m leaving the US on that one, so would I get detained for questioning on return to the US?

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

What I have wondered about is if one check in with an American passport to leave the US (1) does the list of passengers and nationalities get matched by immigration to those who actually arrive (b) will airline ask if passenger has an ETA for the UK British passport not presented.

A relative had the following experiences over the last year (1) on one trip leaving the US at airline check in was told don't present British passport as well as American because agent said had no idea how to deal with (2) on a prior trip when British passport expired upon trying to enter UK on American passport border agent said it was wrong to enter with a foreign passport if one was also British- and accepted the British passport for entry.

Typically over the years she presents American passport when leaving/entering the USA, and reverse when entering leaving the UK. I keep thinking with the UK ETA rules, plus apparently greater scrutiny by the current US administration, one of these days she will run into some problems- I can just imagine presenting British passport to leave US and some computer flags she did not have a visa in the first place.

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

"The US" is not checking exits. Airlines are not "the US". I have only shown my UK passport to the airline on multiple occasions when checking-in in the US for a flight to the UK, with zero issues - not even as much as a raised eyebrow. You are massively over-thinking the situation.

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

I am probably over-thinking the issue as well, though I can imagine problems arising.

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

Have you been able to change your airline reservation to register you are using your US passport for the return journey? ie UK passport outbound, US passport inbound? I get that you present the relevant passport at the point of entry.

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

I don't have a current flight booked. Given that this situation undoubtedly affects hundreds of thousands, or more, dual UK-US citizens, I have absolutely no concerns about the process. If it can't be changed on line I'll just deal with it at check-in flying back to the US.

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

Ah the old inferred bit.
Well as a Canadian citizen I could apply for the eTA and use my Canadian passport to enter. Now without downloading the eTA application itself which is not available on my iMac and I don't have a smart phone. I am sure there will be a question about what is your citizenship and do you hold any other citizenship? If that is the case and I just answer Canadian then would I be lying?

Not as simple as some think. Now I could always carry my birth certificate should I run into problems and yes I am being somewhat argumentative why should I need to carry 2 passports?

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

If two countries (there are now four that I know of: the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK) pass a law saying its own citizens must use a local passport to enter (or create laws where that is the logical outcome), as the US did many years ago, if you have two citizenships, then traveling between those two countries will necessarily require two passports.

Life isn't supposed to be fair.

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

I merely asked for the link to the law that requires dual citizens to enter the UK on a UK passport not an inferred assumption. I certainly know about the US and Canada but hey guess what if entering Canada by land border then no Canadian passport required just other documents that allow entry. Nope life is like a box of chocolates:sneaky:

Re: Dual Nationals ETA experience traveling to UK
 

This isn’t difficult. I’ve traveled many times between the US and UK on holiday and on business. The airline has never questioned me presenting a UK passport when leaving the US or my US passport when leaving the UK.

I knew 2 colleagues who had 2 legitimate UK passports as our company did business with countries who were hostile to one another. If traveling to one of them, say Israel then use one 1 UK passport and if traveling to, say Egypt then use the other UK passport. Saves questions by border authorities if they see visa stamps from, to them, a hostile country.