Dual CAN/AUS citizen - what passport do I use where?

[shuuy]

Ok. Trying to figure out how I make the most of my Canadian NEXUS benefits (and visa-free travel).

I have an AU and a CA passport. This is what I think I need to do... Is this right?

Flight	Passport entered into system	Passport shown to exit customs	Passport shown on entry customs
SYD-YVR	CAN	AUS primary (CAN backup)	CAN
YVR-LAX	CAN	CAN (for US pre-clearance)	n/a
LAX-SYD	CAN (for TSA Pre via my NEXUS)	n/a	AUS

I think all of this works, with the exception of the LAX-SYD leg.


Any advice?

 

[Mwenenzi]

The passport you show to the airline checking in and at emigration (leaving) at any port does not need to be same. [not customs]
The airline is only interested in confirming you can enter where they are taking you. (destination country immigration)
Some countries have border force exit controls (emmigration) Like AU. Some do not.

 

[dk4]

For departure from SYD, your Australian passport will need to be entered into the system - you will depart using smart gates at immigration, where you need to be processed as an Australian leaving the country, these gates pull their information from from the check in system, if there is a mis-match between the data the gate won't work.

 

[dk4]

For departure from North America (at the point where you check in for your Australia bound sector) your Australian passport needs to be in the system. If you use a passport other than the AU one, the system will reject you from check in, as it will flag that you don't have a visa to enter Australia.

 

[Austman]

if there is a mis-match between the data the gate won't work.

So you just move over to the manual desk. It's happened to me many times. The airline check-in desks are usually pretty clueless about exact procedure.

If you have an Australian passport, you must depart Australia and arrive to Australia with it.

I do know that exemptions can apply if you are a dual citizen and your Australian passport is not available. I've done that myself. It wasn't simple but it was allowed.

 

[dk4]

The airline check-in desks are usually pretty clueless about exact procedure [for dual nationals].

Agreed.

 

[madrooster]

Ok. Trying to figure out how I make the most of my Canadian NEXUS benefits (and visa-free travel).

I have an AU and a CA passport. This is what I think I need to do... Is this right?

Flight	Passport entered into system	Passport shown to exit customs	Passport shown on entry customs
SYD-YVR	CAN	AUS primary (CAN backup)	CAN
YVR-LAX	CAN	CAN (for US pre-clearance)	n/a
LAX-SYD	CAN (for TSA Pre via my NEXUS)	n/a	AUS

I think all of this works, with the exception of the LAX-SYD leg.


Any advice?

Do you know if your two passports are already linked in the ABF APP (advance passenger processing) system?

If yes:

SYD-YVR - check in CAN, exit customs/smartgate CAN, Canada entry CAN
YVR-LAX - check in CAN, US preclearance CAN (use global entry kiosks)
LAX-SYD - check in AUS, entry smartgate AUS

If no:

Ask at QF check in for the agent to call ABF to get your passports linked then follow the above. It's a once off affair until either passport expires.

The passport you show to the airline checking in and at emigration (leaving) at any port does not need to be same. [not customs]

In the case of leaving Australia, it does. Otherwise the smartgate rejects you. This is well documented in ABF advance passenger processing documentation.

For departure from SYD, your Australian passport will need to be entered into the system - you will depart using smart gates at immigration, where you need to be processed as an Australian leaving the country, these gates pull their information from from the check in system, if there is a mis-match between the data the gate won't work.

Incorrect. See above. If using the AUS passport at check in, then a Canadian eTA is required, which you cannot apply for if you're a CAN national.

If you have an Australian passport, you must depart Australia and arrive to Australia with it.

That's not correct if you have your passports linked in the ABF APP system. Example case:

AU to UK
UK to AU

Pax has GBR and AUS passports which are linked in ABF APP.

AU check in - use GBR
AU outbound smartgate - use GBR (if you use AUS it will reject you in this case)
UK entry smartgate - use GBR

UK check in - use AUS
AU inbound smartgate - use AUS

Some AFF members here have three passports... now that gets a little more fun but the process remains the same.

 

[Matt_01]

Slightly OT but is travelling on 2 passports as a dual citizen any different from travelling as a citizen from the same country on 2 seperate passports. I seem to recall a while back running into issues when travelling on a combination of my blue and green passport, it was not insurmountable just an inconvenience.

 

[Austman]

That's not correct if you have your passports linked in the ABF APP system.

How does one actually do that?

I've presented both passports at check-in in Australia many times. If I needed my foreign passport to enter a destination country, the airline has used that but has claimed my Australian passport was also recorded. With my foreign passport recorded, the passport gates have never worked for me. And I've been told, in no uncertain (but friendly) terms, at the manual desk that my Australian passport must always be used. If I didn't present my foreign passport at check-in, the gates worked fine.

 

[madrooster]

How does one actually do that?

It's the responsibility of the airline check in staff to call ABF to do so, or if you have a travel agent who has the appropriate contacts, they can do it too. Insist that they call ABF and ask for an "APP link" to be created, then they should swipe the foreign passport to check you in and not the AUS one.

With my foreign passport recorded, the passport gates have never worked for me. And I've been told, in no uncertain (but friendly) terms, at the manual desk that my Australian passport must always be used. If I didn't present my foreign passport at check-in, the gates worked fine.

This behaviour confirms they swiped the AUS passport at check in.

 

[Austman]

This behaviour confirms they swiped the AUS passport at check in.

I've tried both passports at the gates and neither have worked. When I haven't needed to present my foreign passport at check-in, my Australian passport worked OK at the gates.

 

[madrooster]

I've tried both passports at the gates and neither have worked. When I haven't needed to present my foreign passport at check-in, my Australian passport worked OK at the gates.

Who was the carrier? $5 says they messed up the check in altogether.

All of my AUS pax that have dual or triple passports have no issues at check in or smartgate - the system definitely works largely flawlessly, the problem is the airline staff and ABF to an extent who don't know their own system.

 

[Austman]

Who was the carrier? $5 says they messed up the check in altogether.

Various. It's happened to me a few times. One I remember was at the QF First Class check-in at MEL. There was no-one else waiting so I even had a bit of a discussion with the check-in staff member about it. They were a dual citizen also. I needed to show my foreign passport to get the BP but had my Australian passport too. They claimed to understand what to do. The gates still rejected me. The manual desk was fine.

So I think it's a bit that check-in staff don't know what to do.

 

[shuuy]

I was googling "ABF APP link" and struggled.

but I found this page.

And then I found the gem on the page. I might try emailing them with a request to link my two passports. If I do, will update here.



If you wanted to go deeper you could read the advance passenger processing manual and search for "dual national"

 

[madrooster]

And then I found the gem on the page. I might try emailing them with a request to link my two passports. If I do, will update here.

That email is for industry use so just a heads up they may reject a request from the public.

 

[luxury-lizard]

This post is very interesting - I also hold Australian and Canadian passports - I always use my AUS one to exit/enter AUS and enter it on my airline booking. But ever since Canada started requiring eTAs - I'v had issues using my AUS passport at smart gates exiting AUS. Now I think I know why - I am directed to an officer who looks at my AUS passport and "seems" to just wave me through - should I be asking for my CAD passport to be linked? Can I do this beforehand so avoid delays at exit.

BTW my husband's German passport never works on exit or entry Smartgates for totally unknown reasons - he is not a dual national.

 

[madrooster]

Can I do this beforehand so avoid delays at exit.

BTW my husband's German passport never works on exit or entry Smartgates for totally unknown reasons - he is not a dual national.

The correct process is airline check in staff are supposed to contact ABF to get the passports linked. Once linked it's good for the life of the passport. Or alternatively, if you have a good travel agent who has the appropriate contacts at ABF, they could also do it for you.

Is the visa attached to the correct German passport? Did he renew his passport but not update his visa?

 

[luxury-lizard]

The correct process is airline check in staff are supposed to contact ABF to get the passports linked. Once linked it's good for the life of the passport. Or alternatively, if you have a good travel agent who has the appropriate contacts at ABF, they could also do it for you.

Is the visa attached to the correct German passport? Did he renew his passport but not update his visa?

Thanks - I'm departing in late June - will ask checkin staff to do the linking - however I'm heading to Europe so airlines will have no interest in my CAD passport but will ask anyway.

As far a my husband's passport is concerned - yes his PR visa is linked - however the issue MAY be his name in his passport has an umlaut (2-dots) over the "a" but in all airline records and Australian government records this is only a normal "a" . It's only in the last couple of years that this "discrepancy" has caused issues. He recently spent literally hours on the phone trying to get his international vaccine certificate linked to his passport - they finally had to mail him a paper one. (The government official suggested he change his name !!! the German consulate said "so what not our issue").

 

[madrooster]

Thanks - I'm departing in late June - will ask checkin staff to do the linking - however I'm heading to Europe so airlines will have no interest in my CAD passport but will ask anyway.

As far a my husband's passport is concerned - yes his PR visa is linked - however the issue MAY be his name in his passport has an umlaut (2-dots) over the "a" but in all airline records and Australian government records this is only a normal "a" . It's only in the last couple of years that this "discrepancy" has caused issues. He recently spent literally hours on the phone trying to get his international vaccine certificate linked to his passport - they finally had to mail him a paper one. (The government official suggested he change his name !!! the German consulate said "so what not our issue").

Check in staff will only do it when you intend to check in with that passport.

The A shouldn't matter. If you look in the machine readable zone at the bottom, it'll probably just be A anyway.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

My previous passports were linked by QF checkin calling ABF. My new passports were apparently linked by the Immunisation register when I requested a vaccine certificate to be matched with my foreign passport.

On checkin I asked if they needed to link the new passports but ‘it looks like it is already done’ was the response.

At the gates I used my Aussie passport which was rejected. The ABF officer asked ‘do you have another passport, use that’. I did, and it worked. So essentially I left the country on my dual citizenship.