Dual Passports AUS/UK

[Robstar]

Thanks for the responses everyone,


Very insightful and much appreciated.
Regards,

RB*

 

[BadgerBoi]

I travelled on a British Passport only (I was born in Oz but Dad was born in the UK) from 1987 to 1997 which had a re-entry visa for Australia. It came in handy for:

a) entering the UK with no queueing up
b) travelling to Noumea last minute & no need for a visa whereas Oz p/p would
c) unscheduled 12 hour stopover in NRT when TG flight BKK/SEA via NRT was canx & saved me having to get a 48 hour shore pass on arrival at NRT

As an Aussie passport holder, I've had interesting experiences re both your example a) and example b)

My first trip to the UK, and my seatmate, a Brit passport holder, befriended me during the voyage. On arrival at LHR he bade be a cheery goodbye with a bit of a smug smile, telling me I had to go through the non-EU channel. I was through the formalities and into the terminal before he was. Mind, the horrible little coughney work-experience child at immigration treated me as though I was third-world scum.

I travelled to Noumea a few years back with my SO, a British passport holder. Similar experience, I collected both of our bags at the carousel while SO was still waiting in line to be processed. A bonus, of course, was that the New Caledonians didn't treat me like third-world scum!

At other EU ports that I've traversed recently, eg Schiphol and Vienna, seems to make little difference, I seem to recall one line that said either EU or Non-EU citizens could pass through. That might just be a dodgy memory, but they were both quicker than the express line at the local supermarket.

Having said that, I would love to qualify for a second passport, preferably any EU.

 

[QF WP]

I am another dual Aus/EU(UK) passport holder.

My advice... if you're expecting your children to travel in the future, invest the money in the UK passport as it will make travelling around Europe far easier.

You can look through other threads on this site and read up on the horrors people experience in trying to get back in to the UK after spending some time on the continent. The UK Customs officials can be "prickly" at the best of times.

Also, and I think it's been said before.. It's so much nicer getting off the long haul flight and breezing through the UK passport holder exit, rather than having to wait in a queue.

I'm with you avonlea. Even though our kids can get either British (through my wife) or Irish (through my father), we chose British {and also even when looking at the considerable difference in price}.

With all of us being dual, it will be very handy on our upcoming trip to England, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland and France.

 

[flychrisfly]

I'm with you avonlea. Even though our kids can get either British (through my wife) or Irish (through my father), we chose British {and also even when looking at the considerable difference in price}.

With all of us being dual, it will be very handy on our upcoming trip to England, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland and France.

Given the choice I would have gone for the Irish passport for a couple of reasons:
1) Everyone loves the Irish.
2) Ireland is an independant nation. Given the UK's allegiance with the US (same for Australia) it may prove troublesome to travel on an UK passport to some counties in the future.

My 2 cents.

But any EU passport is better than no EU passport!

 

[QF WP]

Not everyone likes the Irish. When I landed in GRU in 2001, I was taken aside and searched from top to toe. I was so long getting through, that I missed my connecting flight to CNF.

Alas, I found out waiting for my next flight that 2 Irish (IRA operatives) had been arrested in Columbia allegedly training insurgent. Whoops :shock: - should have entered on my Aussie passport

 

[MEL_Traveller]

*hypothetical*

so this thread got me thinking... does a dual passport holder need to renew their aussie passport?

scenario - dual UK/Oz passport holder.

As an aussie citizen, you can't be denied entry into Asutralia. Just have to prove you are an australian citizen. You could do this with an expired aussie passport (but maybe not cancelled which might indicate your citizenship had been removed??).

Valid UK passport allows travel to just about everywhere, including all stopping points UK or USA to Australia (so airline would find it hard to deny you boarding because you don't need a visa for oz, and have valid entry to all possible en-route stops).

So unless you wanted to go to NZ visa free, why spend $$ getting an aussia passport renewed? just wondering... (yes I know for convenience etc etc, this is just a *fun* hypothetical)

 

[burrco]

*hypothetical*



Valid UK passport allows travel to just about everywhere, including all stopping points UK or USA to Australia (so airline would find it hard to deny you boarding because you don't need a visa for oz, and have valid entry to all possible en-route stops).

But isn't the airline where it falls apart - if your final destination is Australia they'll need proof you can enter so you'd have to get a visa for Australia in the UK Passport or show a current Australian Passport. Australian immigration will let you in if you can prove you're a citizen, but the airline wouldn't risk the "but I'm a citizen" line and would deny boarding. Surely?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

But isn't the airline where it falls apart - if your final destination is Australia they'll need proof you can enter so you'd have to get a visa for Australia in the UK Passport or show a current Australian Passport. Australian immigration will let you in if you can prove you're a citizen, but the airline wouldn't risk the "but I'm a citizen" line and would deny boarding. Surely?

i guess that is one of the questions... if you carried with you an expired (but not cancelled) passport - is that proof you are an australian citizen? If the airline were to call Oz immigration and say they have passenger x here with an expired passport, 'will you let them in on arrival?', Oz immigration would have to say 'yes'.

The immi website says (my bolding):

Travel documents required for Australian citizens

Australian citizens have an automatic right of entry to Australia, and do not require a visa. Australian citizens need only to present the following documents to officers in immigration clearance:

• a valid Australian passport or other acceptable travel document
• a completed and signed Incoming Passenger Card.

Other acceptable travel documents

A small number of travellers may have other types of travel documents which are also acceptable for travel to Australia. Holders of these documents will in most cases also require a visa.

The travel documents must be issued by a recognised authority and be acceptable for travel to Australia. The document must have a photograph of the bearer and provide the holder with a re-entry authority to the country of issue, or an entry authority to another country.
Other acceptable travel documents include:

• Document of Identity (if holder is not an Australian citizen then a visa is required)
• Certificate of Identity (a visa is required)
• Document for Travel To Australia – DFTTA (a visa is required. DFTTAs are normally issued to offshore refugee and humanitarian entrants for their initial entry to Australia.)
• [etc etc - the list goes on but I have edited it out]

Now I did a search for 'document of identity' and it came up with nothing. So I'm wondering if an expired passport = a document of identity?

 

[prozac]

Mel traveller, I think you will find the devil is in the detail when it notes "a valid Australian passport". I think an expired passport is not perceived as valid.

 

[opusman]

Yes they will eventually let you into Australia once they've verified your citizenship, but how long do you think that will take? Is a 4 hour wait in a windowless locked room worth the few dollars saved by not renewing your passport?

 

[TonyHancock]

Yes they will eventually let you into Australia once they've verified your citizenship, but how long do you think that will take? Is a 4 hour wait in a windowless locked room worth the few dollars saved by not renewing your passport?

Assuming that, as burrco stated, the airline lets you travel without an up to date passport. I think this seems unlikely.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Mel traveller, I think you will find the devil is in the detail when it notes "a valid Australian passport". I think an expired passport is not perceived as valid.

it's actually either/or. you either need a valid australian passport, OR other acceptable document. so the question remains really as to what another acceptable 'document of identity' is.

opusman - agree. but this is was always framed as a hypothetical...convenience (and visa free travel to NZ) notwithstanding

There used to be an australian journalist - Wilfred Burchett - who IIRC said he used to travel without a passport. Although the wiki Wilfred Burchett - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia link now says he was refused a passport (and thus entry to Australia - although that may have had something to do with his political leanings).

Although again that raises an issue how an australian citizen could be refused entry to australia, passport or otherwise. What if yo lost it while on a cruise and were unable to get a replacement? You'd have to be allowed back in.

 

[burrco]

Hypotheticals get boring Why not try it and see what happens? It will either make for an interesting trip report or episode of border patrol!

No proof, just a hunch, but I think document of identify may relate to emergency papers issued by an Australian embassy (i.e you lose your passport in Tamakistan and need to fly home the next day).

 

[Peter D]

Although again that raises an issue how an Australian citizen could be refused entry to Australia, passport or otherwise. What if yo lost it while on a cruise and were unable to get a replacement? You'd have to be allowed back in.

If it is an Australian port and you are already on the ship no problem. Just sit in immigration while your family gathers the evidence.
The problem is getting some one to take from a foreign place to Australia.

A few years ago my hotel room in Dublin was robbed while we were sleeping off jet lag. Took my passports (both Oz and UK) tickets cash and credit cards. Fortunately i had 3 weeks in the UK ahead of me. Australia House in London made me reapply for a passport, including sending a new photograph to Melbourne to be endorsed by a refferee who knew me, before accepting the application.
It made me think of just turning up at Tullamarine and getting my daughter to meet us with documents to prove my identity.

However when I picked up replacement tickets from the Qantas office in Hammersmith they told me they would not have let me on the plane, even accompanied by a fully documented wife.

 

[beardoc]

I am a dual citizen (UK and oz) and my wife is Australian. We used to use separate queues until told by an immigration officer that we could both use the EU queue. Now no problem anywhere in EU. I am not sure how closely related you need to be.

However it not always the quickest, sometimes there are more returning residents than "foreigners".

The E U queue does not give you a stamp in your passport which my wife likes to get if the queue is short.

When we both went through the E U queue at Rome, the friendly/humorous official asked my wife if she wanted a stamp and then sadly and charmingly said the "stamp queue" is over there (ie the non E U queue). She chose to forego the stamp.

This is what I was hoping. I'm about to travel in and out of the EU several times in the next few weeks, and I'm a dual Aus/UK citizen but partner is Australian only. That we won't have to split up will be handy.

 

[Robmn]

I have entered the UK with a UK passport off an early morning Qantas flight and this seemed easy to enter the UK neither line was long. Last time BA and a mid morning arrival I should have chosen the foreign PP line as it was much much shorter.

Having a UK passport is better no restrictions virtually.

But next time I will sum up the situation, have an entry form ready, and use either passport to suit the lineup, but you know the rules, the other line always moves faster.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Interesting article here (2009) regarding dual UK citizens. Haven't heard anything more about it (assume we would have it it progressed):

New border controls could penalise Britons with dual nationality - Telegraph

 

[Robmn]

Haven't tried that yet.

Last time used my Aust PP to leave Aust and entered UK on my UK (e). Returning used my UK again checking out of the country and entered Aust on AustPP. If you don't enter Australia on an Australian PP then you have imigration problems.

previously Aus -UK exit Aust enter UK Both done the same. Returning from the UK whilst checking out used my UK that was OK. but my wife used her Aust PP and they told her she had not entered the UK, (problem!!) until the imigration twigged she also entered on a UK PP which she then presented and was signed out.

Not sure after reading the article what happens now.

But the last two OS trips 2011 & 2011 with two different airlines had to fill in our PP Numbers when the ticket was bought. They were both to the US. But the coming trip with QA I don't think I had to fill in my PP details.

r

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Haven't tried that yet.

Last time used my Aust PP to leave Aust and entered UK on my UK (e). Returning used my UK again checking out of the country and entered Aust on AustPP. If you don't enter Australia on an Australian PP then you have imigration problems.

previously Aus -UK exit Aust enter UK Both done the same. Returning from the UK whilst checking out used my UK that was OK. but my wife used her Aust PP and they told her she had not entered the UK, (problem!!) until the imigration twigged she also entered on a UK PP which she then presented and was signed out.

Not sure after reading the article what happens now.

But the last two OS trips 2011 & 2011 with two different airlines had to fill in our PP Numbers when the ticket was bought. They were both to the US. But the coming trip with QA I don't think I had to fill in my PP details.

r

I was thinking about that but I think you have already answered the question. I think some people were entering on their UK passport, but then leaving the UK back to AU by only showing their Aussie one (which check-in needs to verify your right to enter).

I think the problem is solved by showing both passports at check-in (UK to prove you entered), AU one to show you are allowed entry to AU, and then only using the UK one until on the plane in the UK.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

But the last two OS trips 2011 & 2011 with two different airlines had to fill in our PP Numbers when the ticket was bought. They were both to the US. But the coming trip with QA I don't think I had to fill in my PP details.

When entering passport details into airline bookings ensure that the passport number you give the airline & of course the one you show the checkin staff at the airport, is the one you will be entering the country of arrival on. This if often a different passport to what you will be using to leave Australia however the checkin person does not need to know what passport you're leaving Australia on, just what you will be using to enter the country you are travelling to as they need to check you have the appropriate validity on your passport and/or visa if required.

I was thinking about that but I think you have already answered the question. I think some people were entering on their UK passport, but then leaving the UK back to AU by only showing their Aussie one (which check-in needs to verify your right to enter).

I think the problem is solved by showing both passports at check-in (UK to prove you entered), AU one to show you are allowed entry to AU, and then only using the UK one until on the plane in the UK.

Be careful here as a lot of times this can confuse checkin people. In the above scenario I would only show the checkin person your Australian Passport which proves you have the right to enter Australia. I don't believe checkin need to see when you entered the UK so unless they do I would keep the UK passport tucked safely away then take it out when you go through immigration to depart the UK.

The last thing you want happening is the checkin person swiping your UK passport because then they'll want to see your Australian Visa in it which you won't have & you don't want the Australian authorities thinking you're trying to enter the country without a visa.

As always apply the KISS principle - keep it simple stupid, with all due respect that is.