WHY should anyone have 2 passports?

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I may probably get flamed for this but I need to pose the question.
In this day of the 21st century-WHY is anyone allowed to have 2 passports.
2 identities with which to cavort the world?
I was asked to book a flight for someone this week.
This person has just come back to me to ask to change the name on the ticket as they need a visa for the country to which they are travelling and dont have the time so they need to change the name on the ticket to suit the other passport which they possess.
This is not on!!!
if they need the visa -then they need the visa.
so they slip through the net cause they have another identity?????
I have one passport.
If I need a visa I obtain one.
if I dont get entry-I dont go.
this should be the norm.
Am I missing something here??????
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Many countries allow dual citizenship.

Some individuals also travel on special diplomatic passports and then possess a personal passport for non-official travel.

I know there are a few other scenarios where dual passports are allowed too....
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This, BTW, would really be a topic more appropriate for TravelBuzz. I'm going to suggest to Randy that it be moved there since I don't yet have that ability....



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Moderator - FlyerTalk Community & Women Travelers
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Lots of people have two passports because of dual citizenship, but normally it is in the same name.

Unless this person had changed the way their name read? Converted it from an original ethnic name to a more western version. Or if it was a female, had a passport in their maiden name from another country? I guess there are all types of legimate scenerios.

There have been times when I have had to decide in what name to have my ticket issued.
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Thanx for posting. I think techgirl is right and I'll move this thread to TravelBuzz. Please continue discussion there.

ralfkrippner
Community (Co-)Moderator
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Some air crew I know hold two passports, one they use for travel to Israel and one for all other countries. Swiss government does explicitly allow this.

However, both passports are on the same name of course.

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airOli, the Swiss Air Line.
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Someone I know faces the situation. The other country does not recognize or allow a name change. If the person attempted to enter on the US passport with a visa then they would see that the person is born in this other country, therefore being a citizen by default, and the person would be detained for attempting to enter with the US passport.
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I hold dual citizenship (Canada and UK) and do travel on two passports. My principal passport of preference is my Canadian one but there are instances where the UK/European Union is essential or more efficient.

The UK passport allows me to bypass some of the long line ups for foreign nationals when arriving at UK and it allows multiple and cheaper entries (don't ask me why) into some countries (e.g. Qatar) that my Canadian passport does not.

On the other hand, getting back into Canada with just a UK passport does cause problems at times (20 questions).

My parents sometimes used two passports so that their travels to countries like Israel would not jeopardize their safety or entry to countries that have a dislike for those who visit Israel. (use one passport for one set of countries and another for the other set). I have heard that some countries will issue two passports just to allow this sort of scenario.

I am a legal citizen of both countries so enjoy the benefits of citizenship in both.

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Why the hell shouldn't they have two?? Even Australia allows this now in many circumstances (I am looking across the room at 3 ozzie - not related - that all have different dual nationalities).
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A person is a person, but a passport is just a piece of paper. There are lots of reasons why a person would want to have several of these pieces of paper.

1. Second passports can save your life. People have been persecuted and without a second passport they and their families could not flee.

2. Second passports can protect your assets. Many people use a second passport for offshore banking, in order to protect their assets from greedy governments.

3. Second passports allow greater freedom of movement. The UN declaration on the rights of man states that travel is a human right. Having only one passport can limit your travel, depending upon which country issued it. For instance, people traveling on an American passport would have a hard time traveling to Cuba, or Myanmar.

4. Second passports provide camoflauge from the acts of one's government. If America goes to war with Iraq, traveling on an American passport in certain countries or situations is likely to be very dangerous.

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Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by tinkybelle:
I may probably get flamed for this but I need to pose the question.
In this day of the 21st century-WHY is anyone allowed to have 2 passports.
2 identities with which to cavort the world?
I was asked to book a flight for someone this week.
This person has just come back to me to ask to change the name on the ticket as they need a visa for the country to which they are travelling and dont have the time so they need to change the name on the ticket to suit the other passport which they possess.
This is not on!!!
if they need the visa -then they need the visa.
so they slip through the net cause they have another identity?????
I have one passport.
If I need a visa I obtain one.
if I dont get entry-I dont go.
this should be the norm.
Am I missing something here??????
</font>
Yes... but you are missing the wrong thing. The principally messed up thing here is that the immigration/emigration policies and procedures (such as useless methods of "identification" and stupid policies) are seriously flawed and inconsistently and unfairly applied.
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Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by tinkybelle:
[b]This person has just come back to me to ask to change the name on the ticket as they need a visa for the country to which they are travelling and dont have the time so they need to change the name on the ticket to suit the other passport which they possess.
]</font>
I think that the issue here is the fact that this individual has two passports with separate identities, not that he/she has two passports. Could this be a recent mariage/divorce where someone has recently changed names?
I recall that (at least in Canada) one can change their names anytime they want but not to commit fraud. My brother did this for a while (from his french first name to an english version back to french now).

[edited to actually say something]

[This message has been edited by fromYXU (edited 02-06-2003).]
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Even US citizens are allowed to have two US passports (but they frown upon it). If you need to send your passport in for a visa (and it can take up to three weeks in some cases) and you have a suddent trip that comes up for international travel, they will issue you a second passport for that purpose. The second passport is only valid for several years but it is allowed.
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I think perhaps your question would be better stated to ask why people are allowed to hold 2 passports in 2 different names.

The only reason I couldthink of would be to accomodate vowels, letters and sounds that cannot betranslated from one language to another. That doesn't meant that John Smith and Abdul Mahmoud should be presented as two different translations of the same name.

As you have heard from other respondents, there are dual citizens and ther also other reasons why some people prefer a second US passport.
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I maintain two valid Indian passports, both in my name, and with the complete knowledge and consent of the issuing authorities. Sometimes, it is simply better that some countries not see entry stamps from certain other countries to prevent awkward situations.
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