dtsm

US citizen and passport holder here.

Some years back I re-claim HK SARS status, get my ID card and a HK passport. I enter and depart HK with my HK SARS ID but have used the HK passport.

I know many dual passport holders (eg Taiwan and US) do this fairly often when visiting China.

Have a business trip coming up shortly and thinking of getting some entry/exit stamps on my brand new HK passport. Wonder what experiences others have in similar situation? I would like to try entering Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and/or Indonesia.

1st Cav Vet

Other than the United States of America typically does not allow dual-citizenship to new US citizens...what specifically are you asking?

thursday

on SAR passport:

Thailand - no prob
Malaysia - no prob
Singapore - no prob
Indonesia - no prob

That's my experience.

dtsm

Thanks - assume your reply refers to dual citizenship?

On the contrary, I was told permitted by the US Embassy in both HK and Singapore before applying to HK for SARS ID and passport.

rkkwan

3rd party countries do not care if you are citizen of one country, two or twenty. But you should enter and exit said country - whether it is Singapore, Malaysia, or whatever - with the same passport.

Main thing is that if you are a US citizen, you have to enter the US with your US passport, and not with the HKSAR one (or whatever other passports you have).

wilp888

Both Hong Kong and Singapore have very extensive immigration databases. When I first became a U.S. citizen many years ago, I entered Singapore with my new U.S. passport and the Immigration officer remarked that the last time I entered, I had use a Hong Kong BNO passport. Likewise, I always used a HKID card to enter Hong Kong but one time I forgot to bring it and had to use my U.S. passport. The Immigration officer asked me about my HKID card and I told him I had forgotten it. I had to wait 10 minutes while they did some kind of check and then I was permitted to enter. The Immigration officer also told me it didn't matter if I entered with one document and left with another because it's all in their system. As mentioned earlier, most countries don't really care about your dual citizenship except if the situation arises that you need consular protection, it will properly depend on which country's passport you entered with.

dtsm

Singapore is very strict but also reasonable and fair -- I will definitely use my HK passport. Malaysia and Thailand should be the same.

Indonesia of course will be problematic....they'll probably escort me to a back room and ask me to 'negotiate a solution'.....

Many thanks, this is very helpful.

Captain Schmidt

A common misconception, however while the US government doesn't actively encourage dual-citizenship, it is most certainly allowed as evidenced by the following link to the US State Dept.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1753.html

thursday

It's visa free entry for SAR passports in Indonesia. So you can avoid the visa on landing fiasco on arrival.

kaka

i have left/entered hk a few times using my canadian passport and never brought me any problems (I've lost my ID card in a way or another)

The only time that I had a problem is when i was still a minor and left my HKID at home. The officer decided to make me wait for some 10 mins by the counter at the Macau Ferry Terminal.

Also, the officer also told me to put down nationality as Canadian when i was replacing my HKID. very common occurance to them. and no, they wont give a crap which passport you decides to use. (but if you are planning to enter as an American, maybe you should consider telling them explicitly)

Clipper801

What passport to use will come to a test in the most unexpected circumstance.

In the recent tragic bus hijacking incident in Manila, the two "British" pensioners were very quickly released. All those remained on board were holding HKSAR passports. The Leung family of five had dual Canadian and HK Chinese citizenship but they chose to travel on HKSAR passports thus effectively forfeited their rights to Canadian consular assistance and protection. 3 out of 5 family members were murdered.

We shall never know if the outcome would be different if they had used their Canadian passports. It certainly puts a question mark to the mind. We do however know that the Philippines President refused to answer desparate phone calls from the Hong Kong Chief Executive.

kaka

tho i dont think Mendosa (the hijacker) talked with any of those consulates. he let the 'british' couple off due to their age i suppose.

Clipper801

We shall never find out if the gunman was aware that the elderly couple are British citizens and whether this information might have contributed to their early release. The wife was released earlier than the husband. It was also unclear whether after her release, she had contacted or had asked local authorities and the press to assist in contacting the British Consulate in Manila for assistance, and therefore this request for assistance might have been conveyed to the gunman which prompted the husband's early release. Of course, these are speculations. In any case, the point here is as someone already pointed out earlier, one will only be able to rely on the country that issues the passport that one uses to enter the country to provide consular assistance and protection in case of need. The Leungs forfeited their rights to Canadian consular protection and assistance by choosing to use their HKSAR passports. This is their choice and I respect that. We shall never know whether an early involvement of Canadian consular officers in Manila would have made a difference. Something to consider for those with dual nationality on their next trip.

christep

Do you have a source to support this assertion? My understanding is that you always have access to consular support from any country of which you are a citizen EXCEPT if you are a citizen of the country where you are requesting the support.

Clipper801

Perhaps "forfeited" may be too strong a word to use but the below notice is posted at the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada web site warning Canadians with dual nationality of potential complications in affording them consular assistance and protection if they use a different nationality to gain entry into the third country. Canadian citizens with dual nationality are urged to use their Canadian passports (at all times).

"2. As a Canadian national and a citizen of another country, what concerns should I have when travelling abroad?

Having another nationality is legal in Canada. However, there are risks associated with having more than one citizenship. .......... Dual citizenship can also cause problems in a third country if there is confusion over which citizenship you used to gain entry. Contact the appropriate foreign government office in Canada to address these issues before going abroad.

Always travel as a Canadian citizen and use your Canadian passport. Not doing so could seriously limit the ability of the Government of Canada to assist you if you encounter difficulties."