Passport Rules

[route101]

Speaking of E gates, what UK airports and ports have them. I have used them at Glasgow, Calais, Edinburgh, Luton and Manchester.

 

[Amos]

I was discussing duel citizenship and passports with some people recently and someone said when they return to either country they are a citizen of, they need to show the passport from that country so they always need to have an up-to-date passport in both countries if travelling to or from them.

Passports of the other country don't work because they would think they have renounced your citizenship, so I was told.

whilst I am certainly not an expert on the matter, I would have thought that entering a country on a different passport than you left on would potentially cause more issues.

 

[JamesT]

whilst I am certainly not an expert on the matter, I would have thought that entering a country on a different passport than you left on would potentially cause more issues.

Countries only care what you do at their borders. So if you’re taking a trip from A to B where you hold passports for both countries, you show passport A when you leave A and passport B when you enter B. On the return you do the reverse. So for each country you have consistently entered and left on the same passport and their records match.

 

[jfollows]

whilst I am certainly not an expert on the matter, I would have thought that entering a country on a different passport than you left on would potentially cause more issues.

It causes minor issues because airports' systems aren't set up to recognise it properly.

My husband - dual US and UK national - entered Japan last summer on his UK passport and attempted to leave on his US passport for Los Angeles, and the automated passport scanning system couldn't cope, essentially because it was attempting and failing to match the exit passport with the entry passport. Being Japan, it was all pleasantly handled by a human instead of technology.

And, yes, he could have entered Japan with his US passport, but he didn't. Not a big deal.

 

[1D54]

Speaking of E gates, what UK airports and ports have them. I have used them at Glasgow, Calais, Edinburgh, Luton and Manchester.

East Midlands, Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick

 

[railfan99]

Actually it can happen, there are also reports of border officials boarding trains at borders between EU countries and completing checks.

Yes, IIRC in October 2023 this occurred at Domodossala. I was basically ignored: looked like the Italians were searching for undocumented non-citizens from various other countries.

 

[RT4038]

But someone who is UK/another country may end up being forced to have a British passport to travel to the UK, if the ETA system does not allow British or Irish citizens (who don't have the passport) to apply with a foreign passport - like the similar Australia/US/Canada systems. On the other hand plenty of US citizens have managed to get ESTAs in foreign, including British, passports and used them to travel to the US. While it is an offence to not use a US passport to travel to the US, there doesn't seem to be any specified penalty for doing so

In terms of South Africa, if the offence is committed then the offender is 'liable on conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months'. (s26b of South African Citizenship Act 1995). So best not try!!

 

[route101]

Yes, IIRC in October 2023 this occurred at Domodossala. I was basically ignored: looked like the Italians were searching for undocumented non-citizens from various other countries.

I thought they checked most trains on the borders now of Italy since Covid.

 

[Cloud Strife]

whilst I am certainly not an expert on the matter, I would have thought that entering a country on a different passport than you left on would potentially cause more issues.

I do it pretty much all the time in the UK. No issues at all.

 

[1D54]

If you are a UK citizen then it'd present no problems at all but it would not be wise to do it for travel within the EU what with the 90 day ruling. If you turned up at a border you could be accused of being an overstayer and denied entry.

On a different note, we noticed at Alicante last year that the couple in front of us using ROI passports had to go and have a passport inspection because the flight had originated from the UK. They were not being permitted to use or attempt to use e gates.

 

[renegademaster]

I thought they checked most trains on the borders now of Italy since Covid.

It was the refugee crisis which set it off

 

[Howardh]

If you are a UK citizen then it'd present no problems at all but it would not be wise to do it for travel within the EU what with the 90 day ruling. If you turned up at a border you could be accused of being an overstayer and denied entry.

On a different note, we noticed at Alicante last year that the couple in front of us using ROI passports had to go and have a passport inspection because the flight had originated from the UK. They were not being permitted to use or attempt to use e gates.

They wouldn't be required to have them stamped though. On arrival at Malaga recently, on a flight originating in the UK, there were two lines, those with UK passports and those with Irish/EU; ours got stamped, theirs merely swiped. The EU queue dissapated quickly, and the remainder of the UK queue were sent to the empty lane, but still had theirs stamped there.