Dual citizen- absolutely need 2 passports?
 

Hi, I'm new here and have been scouring the web for the info I'm looking for. I've also been on hold now with the US embassy for 1/2 hour, so I'm hoping you all can help me out?

My husband & I are both US citizens with US passports, currently living in Canada on a 3-year work permit. We had a son in Canada (1 yr old), making him a Canadian citizen- he has a Canadian birth certificate and Canadian passport. He also has a Report of Birth Abroad, and is a US citizen through us- so he has dual citizenship. I've traveled with him by land 5 times to the US, and used only his birth certificate- no problems there. We're now taking our first flight since he was born, in a week! He has a Canadian passport since I had read that you (dual citizens) are supposed to use the passport of your residence, plus we had the Canadian birth certificate first, and it seemed easier. And I thought But just last night I was reading that US citizens need US passports, and it seems that his Canadian passport may not suffice?

Will we be ok using his Canadian passport & US Report of Birth Abroad, or do we need to rush & expedite his US passport (which I'm not even sure we can do- seemed like that was fairly uncommon and only done in emergencies, here at the Embassy). Please help, anyone been through this?? Thanks!

It's not the embassy but the local consulate you want to call (unless you are in Ottawa). The back up would be to call up one of the U.S. CBP posts at one of the preclearance airports or a local border crossing.

It looks like your child will need a U.S. passport:

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new...hildindex.html

Thanks, YVR! It was actually the local Consulate here in Calgary that I was calling...I eventually got through to someone, who told me that I could have 2 passports for my son, but it wasn't imperative. She said he would be fine to travel to the US with his Canadian passport & US Report of Birth Abroad. I asked her a few times, and a few different ways, but she was positive it would be ok. So hopefully we don't get to the airport & get turned away... I think I will get him a US passport anyway, just wasn't looking forward to rushing it, stressing about it getting here in time, paying extra fees, and going downtown to the Consulate building!

US nationals are required to enter the US on their US passport. Them's the rules. Your child will need a US passport at some point. You will not be turned away but immigration might give you a bit of grief about no US passport especially since you registered the birth and are claiming the US nationality in addition to Canadian.

Yeah, we'll get him a passport eventually, cause I don't like the idea of being detained for questioning every time we travel, especially with a 1-yr-old & 4-yr-old. But I'm just happy to not have to do it this week, rushing around. They may be the rules, but from talking to the Consulate it sounded like they often bend the rules in these cases. The Canadian passport serves as ID and allows entry into Canada, and the Birth Abroad serves as proof of US citizenship to allow entry into the US. I know that may be the rules for him to have a US passport, but just seems a bit ludicris to require 2 different IDs, when the ID & the certificate together serve the same purpose...especially when kid's passports are so flippin' expensive & last only 5 years... :p

As an overabundance of caution, I would take with a great pinch of salt what the local consulate told you, unless you have it in writing. At the very minimum, I'd apply for the U.S. passport for the 1 y.o. before your trip and get the receipt for it. That's one more piece of evidence you can show the I.C.E./C.B.P. agent. It'd only take one in a bad mood and/or stickler for the rules to derail the whole trip. No guarantees that your trip may not be ruined/derailed anyway with a passport application but at least its one more piece of evidence you intended the 1 y.o. to travel with a U.S. passport but couldn't get one in time.

The other thing, which I do not recommend, is to not mention anything about the registration of birth but a stickler may well document and record that you did not intend for your child to have U.S. citizenship.