Dual passport Aus entry Q
Aug 7, 2018, 4:10 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 22
Dual passport Aus entry Q
Hi all -
I'm a dual citizen of the UK and Australia and currently live in the UK. Recently my Australian passport ran out and instead of paying the expense of renewing it I figured I could just travel on my British passport as a tourist. I phoned the Aus high commission to check this and they said i wouldnt be able to and would need to still renew my Aus passport. I reluctantly did this but it cost a lot (in fact I had to travel to london to get it sorted) but I met someone last week who said they let their aus passport expire and they regularly do what I had planned to do! Obviously I'm not annoyed that I may have been mislead to waste more time and money. Does anyone know if my friend I've met is simply getting away with it and the general protocol is that I should renew the aus passport, or have I been stitched up?
Many thanks
I'm a dual citizen of the UK and Australia and currently live in the UK. Recently my Australian passport ran out and instead of paying the expense of renewing it I figured I could just travel on my British passport as a tourist. I phoned the Aus high commission to check this and they said i wouldnt be able to and would need to still renew my Aus passport. I reluctantly did this but it cost a lot (in fact I had to travel to london to get it sorted) but I met someone last week who said they let their aus passport expire and they regularly do what I had planned to do! Obviously I'm not annoyed that I may have been mislead to waste more time and money. Does anyone know if my friend I've met is simply getting away with it and the general protocol is that I should renew the aus passport, or have I been stitched up?
Many thanks
Aug 7, 2018, 5:14 am
#2
Join Date: May 2003
Programs: OW Emerald
Posts: 1,452
I'm a dual citizen of the UK and Australia and currently live in the UK. Recently my Australian passport ran out and instead of paying the expense of renewing it I figured I could just travel on my British passport as a tourist. I phoned the Aus high commission to check this and they said i wouldnt be able to and would need to still renew my Aus passport. I reluctantly did this but it cost a lot (in fact I had to travel to london to get it sorted) but I met someone last week who said they let their aus passport expire and they regularly do what I had planned to do! Obviously I'm not annoyed that I may have been mislead to waste more time and money. Does anyone know if my friend I've met is simply getting away with it and the general protocol is that I should renew the aus passport, or have I been stitched up?
As an Australian citizen you must always leave and enter Australia on an Australian passport. If you also have a passport from another country you can use that for travel once you have left Australia.People trying to enter Australia as an Australian citizen but without an Australian passport face difficulties and delays. The Australian Passport Office provides more information.If you also have a passport from another country you should always use your Australian passport when leaving and entering Australia.
Aug 8, 2018, 5:18 am
#3
Join Date: May 2006
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You did the right thing, and your friend did not.
I'm not sure how common it is for people to break this rule, how often it is enforced, or what the penalty is, but I certainly wouldn't risk it myself.
I'm not sure how common it is for people to break this rule, how often it is enforced, or what the penalty is, but I certainly wouldn't risk it myself.
Aug 17, 2018, 9:13 pm
#5
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Melbourne
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Posts: 314
UK passport holders need a visa to enter Australia. Frankly the time you plan to stay in Australia should not obviate the need for getting one.
Visas (most commonly electronic) can be be obtained on the internet or through a travel agent.
Visas (most commonly electronic) can be be obtained on the internet or through a travel agent.
Aug 17, 2018, 9:19 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: London
Posts: 6,265
An Australian cannot be issued with a visa to enter Australia. They also have right of entry to Australia, regardless of having a valid passport or not (but don't expect a quick trip through immigration ... Expect delays while they validate your identity). The expired passport should be valid to enter, but I expect airline staff would cause many hassles if you tried this.
I'd be interested in how your friend does this, as I'd expect an expired passport is a massive red flag.
I'd be interested in how your friend does this, as I'd expect an expired passport is a massive red flag.
Aug 18, 2018, 3:47 pm
#7
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I expect that they got the immigration department's computer to issue them an evisitor in their British passport, so their Australian citizenship never comes up. Strictly speaking they have lied on their evisitor application.
Aug 18, 2018, 7:25 pm
#8
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Aug 20, 2018, 12:59 am
#9
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Melbourne
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Thanks CP for your clarification on my post. You are of course quite correct, an Australian citizen should use an Australian passport, they should not be trying to get a visa in a UK passport. I think I was trying to say that if you were not an Australian citizen then you would need a visa if travelling on a UK passport. Hope I am in sync wth you now. 
Aug 24, 2018, 12:07 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Frensham, Lincolnshire
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You *can* enter Australia as a non-Australian, but you are treated as just that: non-Australian. If you want to enter as an Australian on a non-Australian passport then the only way to do that is to get an endorsement put into the non-Australian passport by Australian immigration for this purpose. Same for NZ multi-passport holders, btw.
Aug 24, 2018, 7:36 am
#11
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You *can* enter Australia as a non-Australian, but you are treated as just that: non-Australian. If you want to enter as an Australian on a non-Australian passport then the only way to do that is to get an endorsement put into the non-Australian passport by Australian immigration for this purpose. Same for NZ multi-passport holders, btw.
Everything I can find implies (but does not outright state) that Australians need an Australian Passport to enter Australia without delays or issues. It doesn't mention this endorsement. But I know governments aren't always transparent about these little 'tricks'.
https://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/pptsfaqs.html
I have an Australian passport and a British passport; which passport do I use when entering Australia?
If you hold another country’s passport, seek advice about how it should be used. Take your Australian passport and use it to depart from and return to Australia. An Australian citizen cannot be granted a visa for Australia. When entering Australia, all Australians, including those who hold dual nationality, must be able to prove that they are an Australian citizen. An Australian passport is conclusive evidence of a person’s identity and citizenship and provides the holder with right of entry to Australia. An Australian citizen who arrives without an Australian passport may be delayed until their identity and claims to enter Australia have been checked. If a foreign passport holder claims to be an Australian citizen, immigration officers must confirm and verify this through official databases, which will cause delays. International airlines have an obligation to ensure that they only carry appropriately documented passengers to Australia. In the absence of an Australian passport, airlines are unable to verify a claim of Australian citizenship at the time of check-in and may refuse boarding.
If you hold another country’s passport, seek advice about how it should be used. Take your Australian passport and use it to depart from and return to Australia. An Australian citizen cannot be granted a visa for Australia. When entering Australia, all Australians, including those who hold dual nationality, must be able to prove that they are an Australian citizen. An Australian passport is conclusive evidence of a person’s identity and citizenship and provides the holder with right of entry to Australia. An Australian citizen who arrives without an Australian passport may be delayed until their identity and claims to enter Australia have been checked. If a foreign passport holder claims to be an Australian citizen, immigration officers must confirm and verify this through official databases, which will cause delays. International airlines have an obligation to ensure that they only carry appropriately documented passengers to Australia. In the absence of an Australian passport, airlines are unable to verify a claim of Australian citizenship at the time of check-in and may refuse boarding.
Aug 24, 2018, 11:43 pm
#12
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Frensham, Lincolnshire
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The endorsements? It's actually a bit of a fudge for Australia, but it's common (as in, simply procedural) for NZ passport holders. For an Australian citizen it's called an "Australian Declaratory Visa". New Zealand simply call it a NZ Citizenship Endorsement. They both function the same: let you enter the country as a citizen using a second country passport.
I can't imagine many reasons to ever use the service/feature, but there are some situations where it might be useful.
This might help a little. And the general search page has links to info and the application form. They don't make it easy to find otherwise.
I can't imagine many reasons to ever use the service/feature, but there are some situations where it might be useful.
This might help a little. And the general search page has links to info and the application form. They don't make it easy to find otherwise.
Aug 25, 2018, 1:23 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2012
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For an Australian citizen it's called an "Australian Declaratory Visa". New Zealand simply call it a NZ Citizenship Endorsement. They both function the same: let you enter the country as a citizen using a second country passport.
I can't imagine many reasons to ever use the service/feature, but there are some situations where it might be useful.
I can't imagine many reasons to ever use the service/feature, but there are some situations where it might be useful.
An NZ citizen can easily enter NZ on any passport that has visa-free entry without needing to lie by omission. In the OP situation, there's no need for an NZ citizen to get that endorsement if they only want to go on holiday, unless their other passport needs a visa to visit.
Aug 25, 2018, 8:05 pm
#14
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Frensham, Lincolnshire
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They are quite different though. Australia requires an extenuating reason to issue this visa, probably some sort of emergency where one needs to go to Australia without being able to wait for a new AU passport.
An NZ citizen can easily enter NZ on any passport that has visa-free entry without needing to lie by omission. In the OP situation, there's no need for an NZ citizen to get that endorsement if they only want to go on holiday, unless their other passport needs a visa to visit.
An NZ citizen can easily enter NZ on any passport that has visa-free entry without needing to lie by omission. In the OP situation, there's no need for an NZ citizen to get that endorsement if they only want to go on holiday, unless their other passport needs a visa to visit.
I said it was possible. People had commented that it wasn't possible at all. That's not correct. I pointed out how it can be done for Australia. I used NZ as a very broadly similar situation for contrast: NZ has a very clear process for this, which helps make the situation & unclear process for Oz more understandable. Well, I thought it did at the time.