Originally Posted by
Nayef
But I don't know how it would work in terms of booking tickets to Saudi (or Bahrain, where I usually fly into instead) from the US. I know that immigration usually doesn't check or ask for boarding passes upon entering a given country. But if I book a round-trip ticket with the last name "AlAbdurrauf" from the US to the GCC, it might be an issue leaving the US since I'm presenting US security a US passport with the last name "Abdurrauf" but that boarding pass says "AlAbdurrauf." And on the other side, if I book the ticket with the last name "Abdurrauf," leaving Saudi (or the GCC) might be difficult if I present exit immigration with a boarding pass that says "Abdurrauf" when my Saudi passport would say "AlAbdurrauf."
Does anyone have any insight on this, or should I just suck it up and leave my last name as is?
Two thoughts:
1. If you interpose a third country in between, the issue of your non-compliant dual nationality is less
2. You can swap documents at the Saudi border, if you like
If you change name, this can be accommodated. I am assuming you are using the King Fahd Causeway land border:
a. Leave US: US passport
b. Arrive Bahrain: US passport with evisa (yes, you're going to have to get evisa every time to make the name change work)
c. Leave Bahrain: US passport
d. Arrive KSA: Saudi passport (swap at border, I am assuming your mode of transport does not involve a docs check)
e. Leave KSA: Saudi passport
f. Arrive Bahrain: US passport with a fresh evisa
g. Leave Bahrain: US passport
h. Arrive US: US passport
But taking this approach has implications if you need to enter KSA from US or somewhere where a docs check is actually required.