Europe - Use 1 passport to leave 1 country and another to enter the destination

Hi there,

Apologies if this is in the wrong section.

I am a UK citizen and my wife is Azerbaijani. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan do not recognise dual citizenship. We are expecting a baby in September and plan to go to live in Azerbaijan end of September.

Firstly, we will place the baby in my wife's passport, meaning she can travel to Azerbaijan without the need of the a visa. We will also apply for a British Passport for the baby.

I understand we will have to show the same passport to enter and leave the country. Azerbaijani's need a visa for the UK.

Is it possible to do the following?

Enter Azerbaijan using Azerbaijani passport.
Then, when leaving Azerbaijan, show the Azerbaijani passport immigration and get an exit stamp. (They will not look for a visa for the UK as we are travelling on a flight from Azerbaijan to Turkey, where we will change planes and go to UK)
Then, when travelling to the UK we have a stop of in Turkey (which you can obtain a visa on arrival for both UK citizens and Azerbaijani citizens).
When we get of the plane in Turkey (from Azerbaijan), is it allowed to then show a different passport (the UK one) and get the entry stamp and visa into the UK passport and then continue the journey onto the UK.

Would Turkey immigration look in the passport for an exit stamp from the previous country?

I can't see a problem with this but I have never done it before and someone may have more knowledge.

Would really appreciate it anyone can shed any light on this as it is really doing my head in

Many thanks.

If you are simply transiting Turkey, I don't think you need to worry about anything.

Azerbaijanis can visit Turkey for 30 days without the visa on arrival.

When you arrive in Turkey from Azerbaijan, who is to say that you didn't come from the UK (and thus no exit stamp)? I don't think they ask you.

The general rule is that you travel in and out of a country you have the passport for on that passport.

When looking at a 3rd country (Turkey in your case) then you arrive and leave on the same passport, whichever that one is. It would appear that Azerbaijan passport is the better one.

If they start asking about visa's for travel to the UK, you show the appropriate passport, but that will be to the airline and not to the immigration stafff (most likely).

That's great. Wish I didn't have to think about this but have to with Azerbaijan not recognising dual citizenship.

So would this be ok?

Flight 1 - UK to Turkey
Show UK passport to UK Airline check in staff and UK immigration (get exit stamp from UK, if applicable)
Upon arrival in Turkey, change to Azerbaijani passport and show to immigration in Turkey (obtain entry stamp, possible visa waiver)

Flight 2 - Turkey to Azerbaijan
Show Azerbaijani passport to Turkish airlines chck in staff and immigration (get exit stamp in same passport as entry)
Enter Azerbaijan on Azerbaijani passport and get entry stamp (they do stamp their nationals passports with entry and exit stamps)

Flight 3 - Azerbaijan to Turkey
Show Azerbaijani passport to Azerbaijani Airline check in staff and Azerbaijan immigration (get exit stamp in same passport as entry)
Upon arrival in Turkey, change to UK passport and show to immigration in Turkey (obtain entry stamp and 30 day visa, only $20)

Flight 4 - Turkey to UK
Show UK passport to Airline check in staff and Turkish immigration (get exit stamp in same passport as entry)
Enter UK on UK passport to UK immigration (get entry stamp, if applicable)

AT NO POINT WILL WE SHOW ANYONE AT AZERBAIJAN THE UK PASSPORT AS THEY SIMPLY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IS POSSIBLE AND WILL PROBABLY REVOKE MY WIFE'S PASSPORT

This would show:

Entry and exit stamp in UK passport, from UK and Turkish immigration (UK --> Turkey --> UK)
Entry and exit stamp in Azerbaijani passport (Turkey --> Azerbaijan --> Turkey) <--- Would Azerbaijan be so curious to ask why Turkey have not placed an entry or exit stamp in the passport upon arrival and exit?

That's great. Wish I didn't have to think about this but have to with Azerbaijan not recognising dual citizenship.

So would this be ok?

Flight 1 - UK to Turkey
Show UK passport to UK Airline check in staff and UK immigration (get exit stamp from UK, if applicable)
Upon arrival in Turkey, change to Azerbaijani passport and show to immigration in Turkey (obtain entry stamp, possible visa waiver)

Flight 2 - Turkey to Azerbaijan
Show Azerbaijani passport to Turkish airlines chck in staff and immigration (get exit stamp in same passport as entry)
Enter Azerbaijan on Azerbaijani passport and get entry stamp (they do stamp their nationals passports with entry and exit stamps)

Flight 3 - Azerbaijan to Turkey
Show Azerbaijani passport to Azerbaijani Airline check in staff and Azerbaijan immigration (get exit stamp in same passport as entry)
Upon arrival in Turkey, change to UK passport and show to immigration in Turkey (obtain entry stamp and 30 day visa, only $20)

Flight 4 - Turkey to UK
Show UK passport to Airline check in staff and Turkish immigration (get exit stamp in same passport as entry)
Enter UK on UK passport to UK immigration (get entry stamp, if applicable)

AT NO POINT WILL WE SHOW ANYONE AT AZERBAIJAN THE UK PASSPORT AS THEY SIMPLY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IS POSSIBLE AND WILL PROBABLY REVOKE MY WIFE'S PASSPORT

This would show:

Entry and exit stamp in UK passport, from UK and Turkish immigration (UK --> Turkey --> UK)
Entry and exit stamp in Azerbaijani passport (Turkey --> Azerbaijan --> Turkey) <--- Would Azerbaijan be so curious to ask why Turkey have not placed an entry or exit stamp in the passport upon arrival and exit?

This should work without issue. However, an even safer way to play it would be to:

1. have one UK-Turkey-UK ticketed itinerary with a separately ticketed nested Turkey-Azerbaijan-Turkey itinerary so that there is passport segregation in case there is a review of the electronic record; and

2. keep the UK passport in a safe place in Turkey (instead of taking it to/from Azerbaijan where a customs or other security check may lead to its discovery); and

3. perhaps have a refundable, no-penalty one-way ticket from Turkey back to Azerbaijan so that no one in Azerbaijan starts inquiring about the "Turkish stay" and/or "Turkish visa requirements"; and/or

4. perhaps use the Azerbaijan passport for other trips to make it look "used" at least a fair amount.

Azerbaijan passport control could ask about why there are no Turkish stamps in the passport presented to them, but it's not likely -- and such inquiry becomes even less likely if the presented passport has lots of other stamps in it. Usually they won't say much of anything IME.

Entry and exit stamp in UK passport, from UK and Turkish immigration (UK --> Turkey --> UK)
Entry and exit stamp in Azerbaijani passport (Turkey --> Azerbaijan --> Turkey) <--- Would Azerbaijan be so curious to ask why Turkey have not placed an entry or exit stamp in the passport upon arrival and exit?

You have not made this clear, but I am assuming that you are only British and have an Azerbaijani visa, and your wife is a dual citizen who became British through her marriage to you.

If this is correct, then your wife will have an ILR sticker inside her Azerbaijani passport. She can use this to do the entire trip and there is no need to bring her British passport at all.

From the Azerbaijani point of view, your wife went from Azerbaijan to the UK (she must have an exit stamp from the last time she left), is coming home, and then is going to Turkey.

Unfortunately you will need to bring the baby's British passport to show to the airline in Turkey before he leaves for the UK, as they may not accept your wife's UK visa if it has not got the baby's name on it.

There are no exit stamps from the UK.

:confused:
Why would you show UK passport to Turkey Immigration? If you want to show the UK passport to TK staff for your UK flight, fine, but otherwise only use UK passport for entry into UK.

Note that the airline may well look at your passport to verify that it is valid for entry to your final destination. If you're simply transiting in Turkey and are checking in all the way to the UK, the airline will check that whatever paperwork you present is valid all the way to the UK (which presumably would not be the case if you present an Azerbaijani passport).
You really have two options:
1) If the airline asks for proper paperwork for the UK (and sometimes they're sloppy and don't bother), just show a UK passport. You're showing the passport to an airline employee, not an immigration official and they're only interested in your having correct paperwork for your final destination, not on whether it's valid in Azerbaijan.
2) Check-in only as far as Turkey. You both enter Turkey with your British passports and leave showing British passports. The Turkish officials won't know which passports you used to leave Azerbaijan.

You have not made this clear, but I am assuming that you are only British and have an Azerbaijani visa, and your wife is a dual citizen who became British through her marriage to you.

If this is correct, then your wife will have an ILR sticker inside her Azerbaijani passport. She can use this to do the entire trip and there is no need to bring her British passport at all.

From the Azerbaijani point of view, your wife went from Azerbaijan to the UK (she must have an exit stamp from the last time she left), is coming home, and then is going to Turkey.

Unfortunately you will need to bring the baby's British passport to show to the airline in Turkey before he leaves for the UK, as they may not accept your wife's UK visa if it has not got the baby's name on it.

There are no exit stamps from the UK.

I am the only british citizen. Wife is Azerbaijani. Azerbaijan do not recognise dual citizenship. She flew from Azerbaijan to Turkey to UK. She is not the issue, it will be future travel of the baby who will be in wife's passport and have his/her own passport.

Why would you show UK passport to Turkey Immigration? If you want to show the UK passport to TK staff for your UK flight, fine, but otherwise only use UK passport for entry into UK.

Would show the UK passport to immigration in Turkey as Azerbaijani's need a visa to visit the UK, so if we only showed the Azerbaijani passport to immigration in Turkey (getting entry stamp) they would ask to see Visa for UK in the Azerbaijani passport before travelling. I don't know if Turkey recognise dual citizenship or not. We will always enter the UK on UK passport. Wife will use Azerbaijani as this is all she has.

Note that the airline may well look at your passport to verify that it is valid for entry to your final destination. If you're simply transiting in Turkey and are checking in all the way to the UK, the airline will check that whatever paperwork you present is valid all the way to the UK (which presumably would not be the case if you present an Azerbaijani passport).
You really have two options:
1) If the airline asks for proper paperwork for the UK (and sometimes they're sloppy and don't bother), just show a UK passport. You're showing the passport to an airline employee, not an immigration official and they're only interested in your having correct paperwork for your final destination, not on whether it's valid in Azerbaijan.
2) Check-in only as far as Turkey. You both enter Turkey with your British passports and leave showing British passports. The Turkish officials won't know which passports you used to leave Azerbaijan.

Thanks, I understand what you're saying. Generally we buy the tickets say from eBookers and pay for all in one. Check in Azerbaijan to Turkey ONLY. Go bag collection and check in for next flight.

I like the idea of point 1.

Would show the UK passport to immigration in Turkey as Azerbaijani's need a visa to visit the UK, so if we only showed the Azerbaijani passport to immigration in Turkey (getting entry stamp) they would ask to see Visa for UK in the Azerbaijani passport before travelling.

You are not understanding something here. Turkey's EXIT IMMIGRATION does not care where you are going, or where you came from, as long as you show them the same passport that you entered with. The AIRLINE cares where you are going but not where you came from.

On the way to Azerbaijan, all of you can check bags direct to Azerbaijan and transit Turkey without visa. No need to bother with immigration.

On the return, you check in to Turkey only. Baby and wife show Azerbaijani passport to Turkish immigration to enter Turkey without visa. At check in, show baby's UK passport to the airline to prove the baby can travel to UK. At Turkish exit immigration, show the Azerbaijani passport for your wife and baby to leave Turkey.

Alternatively, wife enters Turkey on Azerbaijani passport. You and baby both pay tourist tax to Turkish immigration and enter on UK passports. Check in with baby's UK passport. Show UK passports to Turkish exit immigration to depart Turkey.

There is a third option if you are able to get the baby an individual Azerbaijan passport. Apply for a certificate of entitlement to right of abode in the UK. This looks like a visa and you can show this to Azerbaijan officials as it won't mention citizenship. The baby can then enter the UK freely. When he grows up he can choose whether to get a British passport, but once you apply for a passport, this invalidates applications for certificates of entitlement.

There is no problem in travelling with two passports (in almost all cases), provided that both passports are legally held. There is a potential problem in this case in that, if the person with the Azerbaijani passport is now a British citizen and Azerbaijan does not allow its citizens to hold the citizenship of another country, is she still an Azerbaijani citizen? (The fact that a passport is still in the holder's possession and has not been physically cancelled does not make it a valid document - its validity is determined by the issuing agency, in this case the Azerbaijani government or some department thereof, and if the holder is no longer an Azerbaijani citizen then the passport is not valid.)

Leaving aside that caveat, the thing is to remember the reason for the passport being shown at each stage. For example, airline check-in staff are interested to know that your documents are adequate for entry at your destination, because the airline is liable to fines etc if it transports an inadequately documented passenger. Airline check-in staff don't generally care about your status in the country that you are leaving. (An exception to this may be the US, where airline staff remove departure cards from passengers' passports - but even there they don't check them.)

Passport control staff at immigration are concerned, obviously, to know that your documentation will allow you admission to the country. They are not generally worried about where you have come from, beyond what you may say on any entry form that is filled in. Much is made about immigration officers checking for passport stamps from other countries, but this must be very rare. In any case, the UK, for example, doesn't stamp anyone's passport on exit, and it is not alone in this practice. (Turkey does; I don't know about Azerbaijan.)

Passport control staff at emigration want to check that you have not overstayed or entered the country illegally. They are not generally worried about whether your papers are adequate for where you are going, and so it is almost always right to show the same passport on exit from a country that you showed on entry.

As above, if the child is genuinely a citizen of both Azerbaijan and the UK, provided he/she doesn't hold a British passport, a Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode can be applied for to be placed in the child's Azerbaijani passport. This confirms the holder's right to enter and reside in the UK, and confirms that the holder does not need permission from an immigration officer to enter the UK and cannot have any immigration restrictions placed on him or her. People with this certificate in their passports are able to use the British/EU/EEA gates at ports of entry to the UK. But you would need to allow time to have the certificate placed in the passport, which may take a few weeks.

There is no need to make any apology for travelling with two passports - millions of people do it every day, but as above, one must be a citizen of both countries to do so.

Is it a case of Azerbaijan not allowing its citizens to hold another citizenship, or is it a case of Azerbaijan not recognising any additional citizenships that one of its citizens might hold?

There is a subtle (but important) difference between the two...

The first means that once a citizen of Azerbaijan has successfully applied for another citizenship their Azerbaijani citizenship is revoked and their passport is no longer valid.

The second one simply means that someone who holds an Azerbaijani passport must enter the country on that passport - and that, in all probability, they can't renounce their citizenship even if they acquire another one. (I have a number of friends who fall into this second category - all Algerian-born Canadians who have had to hang on to their Algerian citizenships because the Algerian authorities do not recognise their Canadian citizenships and they would not be able to visit Algeria on their Canadian passports)

Is it a case of Azerbaijan not allowing its citizens to hold another citizenship, or is it a case of Azerbaijan not recognising any additional citizenships that one of its citizens might hold?

Yes, good point, which I didn't make clear in my post. If the former, then the problem I talked about in my post above holds true. If the latter, then there is no problem at all in the OP's wife travelling with the two passports.

(India, Singapore, Denmark (generally) are examples of countries that take the former approach. The USA is an example of a country that takes the latter approach.)

ETA: The Wikipedia article on Azerbaijani nationality law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijani_nationality_law#Dual_nationality) has this to say:

Azerbaijan does not allow dual citizenship, and anyone who voluntarily applies and obtains foreign citizenship automatically loses Azerbaijani citizenship.

It cites this document (http://www.multiplecitizenship.com/wscl/ws_AZERBAIJAN.html), the provenance of which I'm not sure about.

One can assume that the Wikipedia article is accurate, and I suppose it is; but obviously anyone personally affected would do well to seek a more definitive source of information.

Furthermore, neither this statement nor the document cited deals with the question of the child's nationality status. There will be no doubt that the child is a British citizen (based on what we know); some countries that strictly proscribe dual nationality will nevertheless tolerate a degree of indecision about a minor's nationality, and the "right of abode" certificate may still be an option here.

The simple answer here is that you will not be able to add the baby to your wife's Azerbaijani passport as the baby will not hold Azerbaijani citizenship if you also apply for a British passport for the baby. It is not permitted to add a child to a parent's passport if the child holds a different citizenship than the parent.

You will have to choose whether to apply for an Azerbaijani or British passport for the child. If you choose the former, you will need to have the child's status in the UK endorsed prior to your trip (or at the British Embassy at your destination) in order to return to the UK. If the latter, you will need to obtain an Azerbaijan visa for the child.

You may get away with some of the methods outlined above, but if you are caught you will potentially cause your child serious immigration issues for the rest of their life. I would suggest you get your child a British Passport and an Azerbaijan visa and solve the problem once and for all.

The simple answer here is that you will not be able to add the baby to your wife's Azerbaijani passport as the baby will not hold Azerbaijani citizenship if you also apply for a British passport for the baby. It is not permitted to add a child to a parent's passport if the child holds a different citizenship than the parent.

You cannot hold your own passport if you are under the age of 18 in Azerbaijan.

The Right of Abode does seems like a real options. I bet the stumbling block would be that they would not put it in place in my wife's passport for the baby?

What I think we will do is put the baby in the wife's passport. Travel to Azerbaijan. Whilst in Azerbaijan, apply for the baby's passport from the Embassy of UK, well in advance of when we would like to come back.

Thank you everyone for their input on this matter. I would say it is possible to do so and the only problem would be in Azerbaijan, and if it does get a little difficult, $100 dollars fixes everything ;)

You cannot hold your own passport if you are under the age of 18 in Azerbaijan.

a) While that was the general law, there was a specific exception for Azeris with permanent residence abroad. I have dealt with child passengers who hold their own passports issued by Azerbaijan in the past, so like most things its application is probably "flexible". :)

b) I recall reading in a newsletter recently that Azerbaijan has now approved the issuance of child passports, although I do not recall when this is effective from.

What I think we will do is put the baby in the wife's passport. Travel to Azerbaijan. Whilst in Azerbaijan, apply for the baby's passport from the Embassy of UK, well in advance of when we would like to come back.

This should work and avoid any immigration issues en route, although I still believe that the UK passport and Azerbaijan visa option is simpler. Make sure you have all the required documentation for the child with you before you leave. For future visits though, the child will need to apply for a visa to Azerbaijan.

The Right of Abode does seems like a real options. I bet the stumbling block would be that they would not put it in place in my wife's passport for the baby?

They might. A right of abode certificate does not have to apply to everyone listed in the passport – it is quite common, for example, for a parent to have the right of abode and a child not. (The opposite is less common but not impossible, of course.) The need to issue right of abode certificates that apply to one holder of a passport but not another has lessened over time as it has become less common for a husband and wife or a parent and child to travel on the same passport.

This doesn't, however, get around the problem that, as far as I can see from the information that I have, your wife's Azerbaijani passport is technically invalid anyway.

Why is the wife's passport invalid? The OP has not said she has British citizenship. Only the child may be a dual citizen, depending on whether Azerbaijan grants citizenship automatically upon foreign birth to one citizen parent.

Given the extra info posted, I think the best course of action would be to try and get the baby its own Azeri passport + COE. If that fails, ask UKBA if they can put the COE for the baby in mum's passport.

If that fails, British passport for baby, and keep it hidden until checking in for (I'm assuming) IST-LON. I don't see how it makes a difference whether you apply in the UK or in Baku, since the baby needs to exit Azerbaijan on mum's passport anyway. Otherwise you'd have to remove the baby from mum's passport while in Azerbaijan.

Why is the wife's passport invalid? The OP has not said she has British citizenship. Only the child may be a dual citizen, depending on whether Azerbaijan grants citizenship automatically upon foreign birth to one citizen parent.

The whole thread is about which or her two passports the wife should use for which part of the journey....

The whole thread is about which or her two passports the wife should use for which part of the journey....

That's what I thought until post #9... I'm still not clear on whether his wife is a dual citizen or not, but as I mentioned in post #6, British citizens can use ILR in a foreign (expired or unexpired) passport to enter the UK, which is how they would do it if there were no children involved.

That's what I thought until post #9... I'm still not clear on whether his wife is a dual citizen or not, but as I mentioned in post #6, British citizens can use ILR in a foreign (expired or unexpired) passport to enter the UK, which is how they would do it if there were no children involved.
Well, technically they can't, since ILR is rescinded when a person becomes a British citizen (because a British citizen doesn't require - and can't have - "leave" to enter the UK). Admittedly, in a way, that's a technicality, in that naturalised British citizens still using an old ILR endorsement are not likely to be top of the list of the people that UKBA are looking out for, but it's inadvisable to do it since it could cause delays and so on. It's certainly not a sensible solution to the OP's problem in the long run.

If a British citizen wants to enter the UK as anything other than a short-term visitor using another passport that he or she validly holds, and doesn't have a British passport, a right of abode certificate should be applied for. (This of course is not necessary, in purely practical terms of passing through a UK port of entry, if the passport is an EU, EEA or Swiss passport.)

They might. A right of abode certificate does not have to apply to everyone listed in the passport – it is quite common, for example, for a parent to have the right of abode and a child not. (The opposite is less common but not impossible, of course.) The need to issue right of abode certificates that apply to one holder of a passport but not another has lessened over time as it has become less common for a husband and wife or a parent and child to travel on the same passport.

This doesn't, however, get around the problem that, as far as I can see from the information that I have, your wife's Azerbaijani passport is technically invalid anyway.

Just to confirm, my wife only holds an Azerbaijan passport. She does not hold a British Passport, only an EEA Family Permit Residence Card for Ireland.

Just to confirm, my wife only holds an Azerbaijan passport. She does not hold a British Passport, only an EEA Family Permit Residence Card for Ireland.
Well, as far as I know, if the child were included on her passport (as an Azerbaijani citizen) or had his or her own Azerbaijani passport, you could apply for a right of abode certificate for the child. But you'd want to confirm that with the people in Liverpool that issue them. You could try ringing them on: 0151 672 5626, or e-mailing them at: ukbanationalityenquiries@ukba.gsi.gov.uk, or writing to them at: UK Border Agency, Nationality Quality and Enquiry Team, PO Box 306, Liverpool L2 OQN.

The alternative, presumably, would be to get the child a British passport and an Azerbaijani visa. Really, though, I think you need to take timely advice (i.e. now) from someone who is well-versed in Azerbaijani nationality law, in the sense that it is not just this one trip that you need to consider but the child's future and where the family is likely to be based, and so on.

Thanks for all your feedback on this guys.