Border Control Question - Dual Citizenship
Dec 1, 2018, 12:38 pm
#1
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Border Control Question - Dual Citizenship
I am residing in Italy.
I came on my US passport/Tourist Visa.
I applied for Italian Citizenship and I just got recognized!!!!!
Now the problem is that it appears that I will not be able to get my Italian Passport in time for my trip to the States for Christmas
I am past my 90 days on my US passport.
Never made it to my Permisso appointment, it has been canceled.
I will have my ID Italian card.
Can I leave and return to Italy with just my ID Card + my US Passport?
I came on my US passport/Tourist Visa.
I applied for Italian Citizenship and I just got recognized!!!!!
Now the problem is that it appears that I will not be able to get my Italian Passport in time for my trip to the States for Christmas
I am past my 90 days on my US passport.
Never made it to my Permisso appointment, it has been canceled.
I will have my ID Italian card.
Can I leave and return to Italy with just my ID Card + my US Passport?
Dec 1, 2018, 4:10 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SJJ/AMS
Posts: 4,647
Congratulations initially on getting your Italian citizenship recognised.
With regards to your question concerning travel to/from the US: your Italian carta d'identità is only valid for travel within the Schengen area and a number of other countries but you do need a valid passport in order to travel there (i.e. the US) and back, just forget your Italian ID as it will not serve any purpose whatsoever in that respect. While I'm relatively sure you won't face any issue (will the e-gates at FCO, now also available to US-passport's holders, trigger anything?), my suggestion however is to contact the relevant authorities and ask for urgent (holiday season swiftly approaching) clarification on the matter, just to be on the safe side as I doubt you will be getting a definite answer here on FlyerTalk.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
G
With regards to your question concerning travel to/from the US: your Italian carta d'identità is only valid for travel within the Schengen area and a number of other countries but you do need a valid passport in order to travel there (i.e. the US) and back, just forget your Italian ID as it will not serve any purpose whatsoever in that respect. While I'm relatively sure you won't face any issue (will the e-gates at FCO, now also available to US-passport's holders, trigger anything?), my suggestion however is to contact the relevant authorities and ask for urgent (holiday season swiftly approaching) clarification on the matter, just to be on the safe side as I doubt you will be getting a definite answer here on FlyerTalk.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
G
Last edited by AlicorporateUK; Dec 1, 2018 at 4:20 pm Reason: extra piece of info.
Dec 2, 2018, 5:36 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Homeless
Programs: Marriott Titanium / HH Diamond / Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 287
Congratulations initially on getting your Italian citizenship recognised.
With regards to your question concerning travel to/from the US: your Italian carta d'identità is only valid for travel within the Schengen area and a number of other countries but you do need a valid passport in order to travel there (i.e. the US) and back, just forget your Italian ID as it will not serve any purpose whatsoever in that respect. While I'm relatively sure you won't face any issue (will the e-gates at FCO, now also available to US-passport's holders, trigger anything?), my suggestion however is to contact the relevant authorities and ask for urgent (holiday season swiftly approaching) clarification on the matter, just to be on the safe side as I doubt you will be getting a definite answer here on FlyerTalk.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
G
With regards to your question concerning travel to/from the US: your Italian carta d'identità is only valid for travel within the Schengen area and a number of other countries but you do need a valid passport in order to travel there (i.e. the US) and back, just forget your Italian ID as it will not serve any purpose whatsoever in that respect. While I'm relatively sure you won't face any issue (will the e-gates at FCO, now also available to US-passport's holders, trigger anything?), my suggestion however is to contact the relevant authorities and ask for urgent (holiday season swiftly approaching) clarification on the matter, just to be on the safe side as I doubt you will be getting a definite answer here on FlyerTalk.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
G
Flying out of LIN
Using only my US Passport would show an overstay and I will need to also return.
Dec 2, 2018, 5:57 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SJJ/AMS
Posts: 4,647
I am assuming you be flying out of Linate via another European hub (e.g. Frankfurt, Heathrow)? Linate has no US flights, not that it changes anything but the ‘proper’ passport check will not take place in Milan, unless you fly out of Malpensa.
G
G
Dec 2, 2018, 6:01 am
#5
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No check at LIN? The connection is LHR (on BA) so I will be exiting the Schengen Zone there.
Dec 2, 2018, 8:28 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SJJ/AMS
Posts: 4,647
Oh yes, sorry, I clearly made the wrong example there (re: Heathrow), my apologies. You will indeed go through passports in Linate and they are pretty thorough as well (as opposed to their colleagues in Rome, may I add). Again, make contact with the relevant authorities and even tomorrow if possible at all - your Italian ID will be of no help whatsoever in such circumstances, all they will care about is the 90-days’ stay, which you clearly don’t satisfy.
I hope it all goes well for you and perhaps somebody else within the forum will be able to advise further.
G
I hope it all goes well for you and perhaps somebody else within the forum will be able to advise further.
G
Dec 2, 2018, 11:44 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,565
I don't have a personal experience with the Schengen visa, but just a bit on travelling from the Schengen zone to the UK without a passport. I've done this a few times, using a Greek ID card to leave from ATH to LHR, but also from FLR to LCY and from PEG to STN. Mind you, in all three cases England was my endpoint and I was not continuing to the USA.
Dec 2, 2018, 12:04 pm
#8
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I don't have a personal experience with the Schengen visa, but just a bit on travelling from the Schengen zone to the UK without a passport. I've done this a few times, using a Greek ID card to leave from ATH to LHR, but also from FLR to LCY and from PEG to STN. Mind you, in all three cases England was my endpoint and I was not continuing to the USA.
That is what I am looking for and you are the second success report that I have received.
Once I am out of the Schengen I am golden, I will then be solely on my US Passport.
Dec 3, 2018, 4:08 am
#9
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The key thing to minimize chance of trouble is to show the Italian citizen national ID card to the Schengen border control officials when leaving the Schengen zone and when entering the Schengen zone.
Dec 3, 2018, 5:25 am
#10
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If you have an Italian national ID card for an Italian citizen and have an Italy-UK-Italy ticket and a nested UK-US-UK ticket inside that, then you can use your Italian national ID card to exit the Schengen zone, enter the UK using the Italian ID or US passport, and then use the US passport for the UK-US-UK portion. If you try to do everything on one ticket instead of on separate airline tickets, then the airline reps may possibly give you more trouble than border control, but the airline should still allow you even if it's all one one ticket.
The key thing to minimize chance of trouble is to show the Italian citizen national ID card to the Schengen border control officials when leaving the Schengen zone and when entering the Schengen zone.
The key thing to minimize chance of trouble is to show the Italian citizen national ID card to the Schengen border control officials when leaving the Schengen zone and when entering the Schengen zone.
So just connection in UK
I am not worried about the airline. I will just show them my US Passport and be fine. Well, on second thought, lately been getting the 50 question rundown at the ticket counter.
Dec 6, 2018, 5:32 am
#11
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: LAN
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AY Plat
Posts: 145
your problem is not how to leave Italy but rather how to come back in the future.
the rule of the thumb is that you must enter and leave a country or group of countries with common border policy (Schengen) using the same passport/ID. If you entered Italy/Schengen using your US passport, this is how you should go through passport control before boarding your flight to the UK. Obviously you will also use your US passport for your onward journey to the US.
Now, when you are traveling to Italy or another Schengen Country in the future, you must enter using your Italian passport (if you have it by then) or Italian ID card. You are even better off using your Italian ID card for non-Schengen EU countries (e.g. Ireland). Airlines will not allow you to fly with just your ID (you will need to show a passport) but you can enter Schengen using your ID card even if you arrive on a flight from the US
Oh, and NEVER try entering the US using your Italian passport
the rule of the thumb is that you must enter and leave a country or group of countries with common border policy (Schengen) using the same passport/ID. If you entered Italy/Schengen using your US passport, this is how you should go through passport control before boarding your flight to the UK. Obviously you will also use your US passport for your onward journey to the US.
Now, when you are traveling to Italy or another Schengen Country in the future, you must enter using your Italian passport (if you have it by then) or Italian ID card. You are even better off using your Italian ID card for non-Schengen EU countries (e.g. Ireland). Airlines will not allow you to fly with just your ID (you will need to show a passport) but you can enter Schengen using your ID card even if you arrive on a flight from the US
Oh, and NEVER try entering the US using your Italian passport
Dec 6, 2018, 6:13 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Homeless
Programs: Marriott Titanium / HH Diamond / Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 287
your problem is not how to leave Italy but rather how to come back in the future.
the rule of the thumb is that you must enter and leave a country or group of countries with common border policy (Schengen) using the same passport/ID. If you entered Italy/Schengen using your US passport, this is how you should go through passport control before boarding your flight to the UK. Obviously you will also use your US passport for your onward journey to the US.
Now, when you are traveling to Italy or another Schengen Country in the future, you must enter using your Italian passport (if you have it by then) or Italian ID card. You are even better off using your Italian ID card for non-Schengen EU countries (e.g. Ireland). Airlines will not allow you to fly with just your ID (you will need to show a passport) but you can enter Schengen using your ID card even if you arrive on a flight from the US
Oh, and NEVER try entering the US using your Italian passport
the rule of the thumb is that you must enter and leave a country or group of countries with common border policy (Schengen) using the same passport/ID. If you entered Italy/Schengen using your US passport, this is how you should go through passport control before boarding your flight to the UK. Obviously you will also use your US passport for your onward journey to the US.
Now, when you are traveling to Italy or another Schengen Country in the future, you must enter using your Italian passport (if you have it by then) or Italian ID card. You are even better off using your Italian ID card for non-Schengen EU countries (e.g. Ireland). Airlines will not allow you to fly with just your ID (you will need to show a passport) but you can enter Schengen using your ID card even if you arrive on a flight from the US
Oh, and NEVER try entering the US using your Italian passport
Dec 6, 2018, 7:25 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,565
b) There are exceptions to the second statement about entering the USA, although you are correct in warning people to not try it: I know of a Greek colleague who entered the US holding an expired passport and blabla-ing the immigration officer until he was let in. Clearly, he must have blabla-ed the CI agents at ATH as well, unless he was really well connected. This was indeed a very rare case, and unless one is a master in the art of blabla-ing like that colleague of mine, one should not plan this method in order to enter the USA.
Dec 6, 2018, 9:15 am
#14
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: LAN
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AY Plat
Posts: 145
A) he’s flying on a single ticket with the US as a final destination. Nobody will allow him to board the first leg without a passport, even though the first flight is within EU
b) I prefer to talk about rules, not exceptions along the line of “I know someone who managed...”
b) I prefer to talk about rules, not exceptions along the line of “I know someone who managed...”
Dec 6, 2018, 10:50 am
#15
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,565
Sorry for coming back, but let me put it differently. OP is worried about Italian immigration (border police) giving him a hard time for the reasons he laid out and not a non valid visa at CI. He has no problems with the Italian authoriries because when leaving Italy for the UK he'll show his Italian ID card and the "problem" is solved. You don't address his problem but you think he worries about checking in and not having a visa. While checking in, though, he'll show his US passport to the airline agent (OP is a US citizen) and there is no way that any airline will deny him boarding with a valid US passport. Clear? As for my point b), it was just anecdotal and I wrote myself that this should not be considered by anybody being something to rely on.