Dual citizenship and travelling on non AU passport

[Milboo]

Wondering what other peoples’ experience is here as the Dept of Immigration website only talks in terms of advice vs a requirement.

I‘ve recently gotten my AU citizenship, and retain my NZ citizenship. My NZ passport still has 6 years on it and I’d prefer to keep travelling on that and not get an AU one. I’m also about to travel and between award of citizenship, there is not sufficient time to get an AU passport, and I’m also loathe to pay the cost given the expiry on my NZ one.

Am I going to be able to travel back to AU and re-enter without issues on my NZ passport?

 

[Seat0B]

You might be better to ask Immigration/DFAT this question by email or phone call rather than random people on the internet as only Immigration can give you the definitive answer.

That said, Seat Son was a dual national for many years and he was always required to leave Australia and enter Australia on his Australian Passport. Once he left, it was up to him whether he wanted to enter/leave other countries using his Aussie passport or his US one. Except in a similar way, he was always required to enter/leave the US on his US passport too. So on the basis of this experience, I would say that as an Australian citizen you need to do the same - leave and enter your own country (Aus) on its passport, and enter/leave your other country (NZ) on its passport. The other passport in each instance is in reality the passport of a foreign nation, no matter how close the relationship between the countries.

The "complicating" factor here for you is that you have previously been able to enter Australia as and whenever you wanted on your NZ passport. That may well continue, but it is probably not in the spirit of what Immigration probably expects, and who knows if you are now flagged to them as a recently naturalised Australian.

In the end, I suspect there would probably not be any real drama with what you propose. But do please note, I am NOT a border official, so my opinion counts for absolutely nothing!

 

[Pushka]

Wondering what other peoples’ experience is here as the Dept of Immigration website only talks in terms of advice vs a requirement.

I‘ve recently gotten my AU citizenship, and retain my NZ citizenship. My NZ passport still has 6 years on it and I’d prefer to keep travelling on that and not get an AU one. I’m also about to travel and between award of citizenship, there is not sufficient time to get an AU passport, and I’m also loathe to pay the cost given the expiry on my NZ one.

Am I going to be able to travel back to AU and re-enter without issues on my NZ passport?

My understanding is that you have to use Aus passport exiting and entering Australia once you are a citizen. From dual Brit DIL experience.

 

[flyingfan]

There will be some issues if you’re an Australian citizen but try to enter/exit Australia on a foreign passport. Agree with the comments about travelling on your Aus passport.

 

[SydneySwan]

Wondering what other peoples’ experience is here as the Dept of Immigration website only talks in terms of advice vs a requirement.

I‘ve recently gotten my AU citizenship, and retain my NZ citizenship. My NZ passport still has 6 years on it and I’d prefer to keep travelling on that and not get an AU one. I’m also about to travel and between award of citizenship, there is not sufficient time to get an AU passport, and I’m also loathe to pay the cost given the expiry on my NZ one.

Am I going to be able to travel back to AU and re-enter without issues on my NZ passport?

So why did you become an Australian citizen?

It is a legal requirement for Australian citizens to enter leave Australia on an Australian passport. What passport they use to enter / depart from other countries is entirely up to them.

As to whether you will be able to leave / return on your NZ passport, you may well be able to but be prepared for issues. A colleague (dual UK / Australian national) tried to depart Australia on his UK passport once (prior to e-gates on departure) and immigration official asked where his Australian visa was!

 

[Mwenenzi]

As a dual NZ AU citizen for years I travelled out of - into AU on a NZ passport, while an AU citizen (more than a decade ago before e-gates.) Eventually got an AU passport when NZ passport expired.

AU govt --> Dual nationals leaving and returning to Australia. Which passport should you use?

15 August 2022

Are you a dual national and wondering whether you can leave or return to Australia on your foreign passport instead of your Australian one?
In short, the Department of Home Affairs’ advice is that Australian citizens, including dual nationals, should leave and enter Australia on their Australian passport.
This is because you may experience issues returning to Australia on a foreign passport. For example, airlines may not allow you to board a plane to Australia without evidence of Australian citizenship or an Australian passport.
If you have a passport from another country, you can use that after you leave Australia. But you should also be aware that, by entering the country of your other nationality on that country’s passport, local authorities may also not recognise you as an Australian citizen, which may limit the Australian Government’s ability to provide you with consular assistance.

Note the use of "advice is that....should leave and enter Australia on their Australian passport." Not "Australian law requires......must leave"
AU govt -->

Advice for dual nationals

Many Australians hold two or more nationalities. If you're travelling to the country of your other nationality, find out how your citizenship can impact you.

www.smartraveller.gov.au

About 25%~35% of people legally resident in AU were not born in AU. Many would be/may be eligible for dual passports. [Legal residency is not the same a citizenship]
AU Govt https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and...ssenger-movement/advance-passenger-processing

Aus/NZ Dual Nationality - Smooth Trans-Tasman Travel

I have dual AUS/UK citizenship but have been living in NZ for the last ~14 years and over COVID decided it was time to become a citizen there (a relatively easy process for an Australian - something that ended up being quite helpful as I had to leave NZ during COVID to visit my very sick father...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

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

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...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Milboo]

You might be better to ask Immigration/DFAT this question by email or phone call rather than random people on the internet as only Immigration can give you the definitive answer.

My choice of the word ‘experiences’ rather than advice was a deliberate one

 

[moa999]

For most PRs I understand the PR visa is effectively cancelled on grant of citizenship, so an airline mightn't let you board, and if you do get on board you probably would face questions at the border.

NZ is seemingly slightly different given the broader rights Kiwi citizens have in Aus.

 

[Milboo]

So why did you become an Australian citizen?

It is a legal requirement for Australian citizens to enter leave Australia on an Australian passport. What passport they use to enter / depart from other countries is entirely up to them.

As to whether you will be able to leave / return on your NZ passport, you may well be able to but be prepared for issues. A colleague (dual UK / Australian national) tried to depart Australia on his UK passport once (prior to e-gates on departure) and immigration official asked where his Australian visa was!

Why did I become an AU citizen? Purely for work related reasons.

 

[Seat0B]

Why did I become an AU citizen? Purely for work related reasons.

Oh that can be a stressful thing.

 

[puchu]

I’m glad someone asked this question as I’m about to go through a similar thing - citizenship swearing ceremony soon and not enough time between that and next travel to get the passport done on standard timings. My intent is to simply suck it up and pay extra for fast processing.

What I’ve read is that leaving AU on an AU passport and entering NZ on an NZ passport means you can’t use the smartgates. You need to get some sort of nz citizenship attestation to your Australian passport to enter on the AU passport as a NZ citizen. I don’t know if that really matters much?

 

[Austman]

I have dual citizenship. Australian and an EU country. And two passports.

I have managed to leave Australia on my EU passport when I could not present my Australian passport. At the time, my Australian passport was away getting a visa that took about a week or two to process.

I could check-in fine. But got flagged at passport control. After some explaining of my situation, I was allowed to travel.

I think it needed a valid explanation.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I’m a dual citizen my passports are linked. I always leave Australia using the passport that I will be entering my destination country. This is almost always my British one.

I come back into Australia on my Australian passport.

Never had any issues whatsoever in multiple trips over many years.

 

[bcworld]

I always leave Australia using the passport that I will be entering my destination country.

Can I ask why?

I might show my British passport at check in...e.g. if we are going to somewhere like Vietnam that has visa free available for various passports, but not Australia...but I'll use my Australian passport at the eGates. I've always assumed the second citizenship passport would not work in the eGates because there is no visa attached to it...so there would be manual questioning?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Can I ask why?

I might show my British passport at check in...e.g. if we are going to somewhere like Vietnam that has visa free available for various passports, but not Australia...but I'll use my Australian passport at the eGates. I've always assumed the second citizenship passport would not work in the eGates because there is no visa attached to it...so there would be manual questioning?

My GP passport works perfectly well at the egates on departure. No questions required.

I assume this all works seamlessly as my passports are linked and my APIS is set up correctly by my TA.

 

[Austman]

my passports are linked

How do you link your passports?

 

[Princess Fiona]

How do you link your passports?

No idea it was done a few years ago.
It’s in the ABF system.

Read this thread. It has a couple of relevant posts describing the details.

 

[Austman]

No idea it was done a few years ago.
It’s in the ABF system

OK. But I can report countless "hiccups" when I have (departing Australia) checked-in with my EU passport (that I would use on arrival) and then used my Australian passport at the gates in Australia. It all works OK but needs a manual intervention.

 

[Princess Fiona]

OK. But I can report countless "hiccups" when I have (departing Australia) checked-in with my EU passport (that I would use on arrival) and then used my Australian passport at the gates in Australia. It all works OK but needs a manual intervention.

I must have been very lucky then because mine works every time.

I would say that either your passports aren’t linked in the way that mine are or the airline staff are replacing the EU passport details with your Australian one at check-in.

 

[Austman]

I would say that either your passports aren’t linked in the way that mine are or the airline staff are replacing the EU passport details with your Australian one at check-in.

I've been told, face-to-face, one-to-one, by passport control officials that I must both check-in and use my Australian passport when leaving Australia to avoid the issue.

Sometimes my EU passport allows access to countries without a visa (eg Vietnam) so I do need to show it at check-in. I explain to the agents that I have two passports. Still, it happens.

Anyway:

1. If you can, check-in in Australia with your Australian passport and use it at departures passport control to avoid issues.

2. I've been able to leave Australia on my EU passport alone, even if it did flag a manual intervention that needed a detailed explanation. I was taken to a room/office actually.

3. See if you can link the passports?