d3vski

no mate, i got the age wrong but most definately got the country right. The point i was trying to make was that you cannot renounce US citizenship unless you follow the strict guidelines they set out such as turning 18 and making an official declaration at a US diplomatic posting, i just added the draft bit because, you could have no links to the US, and were born there prematurley while your parents were on holiday or something and have never lived there since but you still have to register for the SSS and a potential draft! it just goes to show what kind of grey areas dual citizenship create!

LHR Tim

As a dual UK-US citizen you always enter US on US passport and UK on UK one (well rest of world TBH).

My former manager went through a similar situation a while back. He had been posted to Houston and his son was born there. They just assumed he was UK citizen for all intesive purposes. However they decided to go back to Houston one summer to visit friends. At Gatwick, they noted son was born in Houston - automatic US citizen. Needless to say wife and rest of family flew to Houston and he and son spent day a US Embassy.

BA can get heavily fined for letting him travel, if he were denied entry too the US. Plus you'd have one hell of a time getting in the US.

Take it as one of those things, get the passport and continue the holiday.

g1ant

What if he was born in Houston, Scotland? It will not say Houston USA on the passport. A friend of mine was born in Boston and moved back to the UK when he was a baby. His UK passport shows Boston as place of birth. He has never had this questioned as there is a Boston in England.

joejones

A relative of mine (a naturalized US citizen) ran into a similar issue a couple of years ago. He forgot his US passport on a trip to Europe; somehow they let him out of the country without checking for an I-94 (I guess it was a clueless agent), and then he tried to re-enter the US with his European passport.

Ended up being corralled by DHS officers, but fortunately he had separate proof of citizenship (a social security card) so they let him in. A country can't generally deport its own citizens (basic international law) so you don't strictly need a passport to "come home."

I don't think the airline gets fined for transporting a passenger with improper credentials; rather, the airline has to take the passenger home at cost if they are denied entry, which is all the incentive the airlines need to be picky.

aleaf

Wouldn't be too sure about that.
My old Australian passport says "City, USA" under place of birth.
However, I'm in the process of renewing and the application clearly indicates that only "City" will appear now.

jahason

Anyone with a right to US citizenship can only enter the US on a US passport.

My colleague lives in London. He is South African and his wife American. His children were born in London. But when taking them to London he had to have US passports made for them (much to his annoyance).

Smirnoff

As far as kids go, IME, both the US and UK immigration folk apply this rule with some discretion.

With UK/US kids, we have on a couple of occasions entered the US with one of the kids using the British passport (as we had forgotten to get the US one renewed in time). Was not an issue at all.

And once we returned home to the UK with one of the kids using a US passport. We did get a slight ticking off, as it required a visitor stamp in the US passport, but it wasn't a problem in the slightest.

(It's difficult to ensure that 10 passports are always kept up to date and renewed in time).

d3vski

The UK does it everyday whenever they refuse entry to holders of the following passports:

British Overseas Citizen
British National (Overseas)
British Subject
British Protected Person

These passports all have "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" and all look the same as the ones we carry but they have no right of entry into the UK! Its totally wrong as we allow literally everyone else in but become picky with people we issued passports to and who have helped with the empire etc.

At least in America, you have one type and one type only where your either American or not!

ajax

This is so patently wrong, it is laughable.

And UK laws are clear as glass...

???

I was born in the US. My UK passport only has the city listed and not the country.

What does the childern's place of birth have to do with anything? And where was he taking them to London from? You'd think that as a South African he'd be well aware or such procedures, since South Africa also requires its citizens to enter on South African passports. But I guess we wouldn't want that to get in the way of our weekly moan about US immigration procedures, now would we?




The bottom line is that if you're a US citizen (or entitled to be one), you're required by law to enter on a US passport. Many other countries require this as well. What's the problem?

Smirnoff

Why is that easier than switching dates on the existing ticket?

BAHumbug

They don't because those people are not Citizens of the United Kingdom. If you're going to make statements like these (viz: US 'conscription') then check your facts first please.

(hint: for the first two, the clue is in the title... British Overseas Citizen, British National (Overseas))

BAH

stimpy

As for the US draft laws, it used to be 16 years old. I know because I had to register for Selective Service a few decades ago.

I don't know what the age is now or even if you have to register or if girls have to register. But I do know there isn't a draft going on now!

However, back to the OP...Thanks for starting this thread because I never knew about this regulation. It is quite useful to me to have this knowledge now. ^

ajax

There is no draft in the US. All males have to register with Selective Service at 18. Females do not.

To the best of my knowledge, there are at least three countries in Europe with required military or civil service for all men - Greece, Germany and Switzerland. I'm sure there are others.

Back on topic, it's the requirement of many countries - not just the big, bad evil US - that its citizens enter on its passports. I fail to see the problem.

trooper

And if you think the US is draconian,.. try the experience of Australian born young men of Greek descent (even non-Greek speaking) who took a holiday to their parents birthplace....

Welcome to the (Greek) Army son......time for your national service...

I think this is STILL the case too.....

ajax

If they're Greek citizens, then it is absolutely the case. International law permit a country to do more or less anything it likes with its citizens.