srvince

Hello everyone -- I just discovered this forum and am hoping I can get a little information:

I became a naturalized US citizen in 2008...fast forward to now and I am trying to renew my UK passport (which expired in 2012). I was about to sign and send in the declaration form when I saw the bullet that said "this may result in losing citizenship of another country."

Do I have anything to worry about here? I thought dual citizenship between UK and USA was ok.

Thanks all

Pulaski

No worries, no problem at all. Both the US and UK are totally fine with dual citizenship. I myself recently (earlier this year) renewed my British passport having naturalized as a US citizen in 2007.

Welcome to BTW. If you'd like to hang around, we're quite friendly, ..... well mostly we are.

srvince

Thanks! It's just a little scary seeing that. Especially with the current sentiment in the US.

srvince

Another thing that threw me off was that even though my passport only just expired in 2012 (red passport) the system told me I needed to use the 1st time application (meaning I needed countersignatory!). But I emailed the passport office and they told me that was a mistake and to just send in the documents for a renewal (photos and signed declaration).

This seemed like a much easier process in 2002.

kimilseung

The USA cant take your UK citizenship away. A country might deny you citizenship, or it might not recognize that citizenship, but it has no power to take it away

srvince

I was more worried that the USA would revoke my USA citizenship based on renewing a UK passport.

Pulaski

A not unreasonable concern, but the USA doesn't do that, neither does the UK.

sir_eccles

The question is, unless you are repatriating back to the UK or traveling to a country hostile to the US is there really a need for the expense of renewing?

srvince

I am planning to start going home more frequently now...and my last trip through Heathrow was horrendous using a USA passport. Over two hours in a line of hundreds.

RICH

Imagine that. Vetting foreigners entering the UK. Whatever next.

srvince

Fair point. I was just caught thinking myopically!

BritInParis

Your shiny new British ePassport will also let you use the ePassport gates unlike your old passports so a worthwhile investment for the next ten years if you plan on visiting the UK on a regular basis. It also makes life cheaper and easier travelling to the rest of Europe and certain other countries like Australia where you can obtain a free visa and use the electronic gates.

RICH

Actually, my UK pp expires in 3 months. What are the price/convenience factors for renewing before expiry? I also have a US pp, and usually only travel abroad once every couple of years.

MarylandNed

Dual UK/US citizenship is allowed. My wife became a USC in 2005 and recently renewed her UK passport. Quick, easy and painless. She was able to use the renewal process. It's only a new application if you have one of the old blue passports. Also, DO NOT send your US passport in with your UK passport application. My wife sent in a photocopy of every page of her US passport.

Pulaski

Even the new maroon EU style passports become stale eventually and renewal requires a de novo passport application. You can renew several years after your old maroon passport expired, but it doesn't work for ever. I forgot about that (I am also a USC), and didn't even send a copy of my US passport. It didn't stop my new British passport arriving on the eighth day after the application was mailed (mailed on Tuesday, returned on Wednesday the following week, sent and received in the UK).
Well the raining three months of validity (up to six months) will be added to the validity of your new passport - note, the US doesn't do that when renewing an unexpired passport.

If you only travel occasionally, do you even need a British passport, or is it just a "nice to have"?