loxian

I am a dual British/US citizen, having valid passports from both countries. I cannot, at the moment, locate the British version.

Does the United Kingdom Home Office or whatever agency is responsible for immigration matters *require* a British citizen to enter the United Kingdom using a British passport?

I'm not too concerned about the convenience factor, just as to whether it is a legal *requirement* (along the same lines that the US requires American citizens to enter using American passports).

Thanks

meauxna

From what I have read here, no, it is not the same as the US' 'we only see you as a US citizen'.
However, if you enter the UK on your US passport, you enter as a tourist and aren't able to use some services that a UK citizen might.
Maybe.

Jerseygirl

I think that only applies if you are going back to the UK intending to become a resident. As a non resident of the UK you can enter using either PP.

meauxna

Aren't some benefits only available to residents then?

I'm thinking of the stamp I normally get in my US passport on entry to the UK, about not being eligible for certain benefits.

Jerseygirl

I can't think of any benefits a UK citizen but non UK resident would have over any other visitor to the UK...apart from being able to stay in the UK indefinitely and become a resident again. In which case a UK PP should be used.

loxian

Thanks for the replies. A quick internet search doesn't appear to yield any absolute requirement for a dual citizen to enter the UK using a British passport. Perhaps HMG isn't too obsessive about this. As I've never had a UK entry stamp in a passport, and I'll only be there for ten days, perhaps I'll use the US passport for novelty value.

Hypothetically, should a dual British/US citizen enter the UK, as a tourist with a US passport, and is admitted for a given period, say six months, and subsequently overstays this period, what would actually happen in a legal sense? Presumably not a lot!

As a follow-up. I will be travelling with my American wife, who does not have British citizenship. If I decide to use the British passport, assuming I can find it, can she accompany me in the EU passport line at LHR? I've read various forum entries, so specifically looking for any recent experiences. I can't envisage immigration officers wanting to separate families, yet I would not be keen on going to the end of another queue after reaching the front of one line.

Marocco

My USC wife always accompanies me at LHR without any problems, but she's a UK resident. I'm not sure if they'd let her use my line as a tourist. I know that when we visit Italy she has no problems using the EU/EEA line (even though neither of us is a resident there) but that doesn't mean it's same in the UK.

Jerseygirl

This has been discussed many times before on here. Generally it is OK for accompanying family members to go through the same immigration line at airports.

ian-mstm

I agree... not much, if anything, would happen. If it is not *specifically* illegal (ie. codified in the law) for a UKC to enter the UK on a foreign passport, then nothing is going to happen since a UKC can certainly stay in the UK as long as s/he likes.

Ian

dave2702

I guess entering as a US Citizen means the UK could refuse you entry or take you off for secondary immigration processing and then refuse you entry

Something I learnt in this forum is that the UK Passport has two purposes the 2nd being that it identifies you as a British National and that doesn't even expire when the passport does and it's that document that guarantees you entry back into the country

Marocco

Each time I ask at Heathrow if it's ok for my wife to use the EU/EEA line I am always asked if she is a resident here.

Bluegrass Lass

I don't know if it's different at different airports, but when we flew through Edinburgh a month ago, I went thru the UKC line with my OH. The officer didn't bat an eyelash. Simply asked us where we lived and what we were doing (visiting family). Also, the UK/EU queue was quite long, and took us about 10-15minutes to get through. It's been mentioned that it's frowned upon for a USC to use the UK/EU queue if it's backed up, but it didn't make a diff for us.

ian-mstm

Perhaps next time, you shouldn't ask.

Ian

ian-mstm

Sheila and I flew into Edinburgh in mid-July. I told her she could join me in the UK/EU line but she insisted that since she wasn't a UKC, she should go through the "foreigners" line... which she did. She was through in about 1 minute... and about 10 minutes later, I finally got through the line. She was waiting for me with a big smirk on her face!

Ian

JCraigFong

Just because he does not HAVE his British PPT does not mean he is NOT a British citizen.

I cannot pretend to know British law better than the good folks on this board, but on first blush, if there are no British laws requiring a UK citizen to enter on a UK PPT, then once he enters, he is still entitled to the benefits any other UK citizen may receive.

The parallel in the USA is: we do not have a US citizen card. (Ignoring for the moment the recent creation of the US PPT card.) I am a US citizen, and on a day to day basis I do not carry my PPT around with me, but I am STILL a US citizen, whether or not I carry a card to prove it. (Attitude alone seems to distinguish most Americans, eh? )

--J Craig Fong
Los Angeles, CA