Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Travel&Dining > Travel Safety/Security > Practical Travel Safety and Security Issues
Reload this Page >

Dual Citizen Traveling from/to the US, which Passport to show/use, where?

Old Nov 29, 2023, 11:37 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Nayef
Copied from Xyzzy's post:

I think this sums up what to do pretty well:
  • Airline checkin in the US for departure to EU
    • Right now you can show either EU or US (but airline execs I know and have discussed this with suggest giving the airline your US passport).
    • In the future, when ETIAS comes into force, show the EU passport to the airline because the EU will require that data to be sent ahead of the flight.
    • re: the above two comments, it currently doesn't matter which you use from a US perspective. If you are a US citizen, departing the US on an EU passport you've not entered the US with is not going to cause any problems.
  • Immigration on arrival in the EU
    • Show the EU passport because you are a citizen and many/most countries require citizens to show their passports to enter.
  • Airline checkin in the EU for departure to the US
    • Show your US passport to the airline as the US requires you to enter on your US passport and APIS data sent ahead of the flight needs to contain your US data.
  • Immigration departing the EU
    • Show the EU passport that you entered the EU with. The fact that you gave a different passport to the airline will not cause any problem.
  • At the gate for a flight departing to the US: You may be asked to verify your travel documents at the gate before departure and so only show your US passport in this case.
  • Immigration arriving the US
    • Show the US passport you showed to the airline.
Print Wikipost

Dual Citizen Traveling from/to the US, which Passport to show/use, where?

Old Oct 18, 2022, 5:36 pm
  #436  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
The passport used for airline check-in in the US need not match the arrival passport that the US-EU dual-citizens presents to passport control on arrival in the EU/Schengen area.

Originally Posted by FlyingDL4Fun
I've searched and I'm trying to get a definitive answer to this, and I'm too inside my own head to figure this out.

American/French dual citizen is leaving the US to go to France. The US CBP says you need to leave and enter the US on your US passport. So that would mean that you should use the US passport during airline check in since that is the information sent to CBP. However, you would want to use the French passport for check in, because that is the info sent through APIS to immigration in France prior to arrival.

I know you can hand the French passport to immigration on arrival, but when you use automated kiosks, doesn't the passport have to match APIS information, the same way Global Entry matches your flight on arrival back to the US?

So which passport do you give the airline?
The US-EU/Schengen country dual-citizens in my travel parties generally show/use their US passports for checking in (API type field loading) and boarding for their US to Europe flights; and then they just show their European passports to EU/Schengen passport control on arrival. It’s not been a problem.

If checking in with the European passport for the US-EU/Schengen flights, that hasn’t been a problem yet for them. But the growth of CBP’s biometric exit control has me telling them to stick to using the US passport in API type fields for exiting the US too on the way to Europe.
Xyzzy likes this.
GUWonder is offline  
Old Oct 18, 2022, 7:28 pm
  #437  
Original Member
 
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,635
Originally Posted by FlyingDL4Fun
Ok, I guess this is my question. When arriving into the US, the global entry kiosk matches your face to your flight record and info. So I wanted to know if when arriving in the EU if the passport info given to the airline should be the French passport so it matches at the kiosk so you just pass through.

I should stop mentioning APIS as that’s a CBP system. I’m asking about the EU API system and if the airline check in passport should match with the arrival passport.

Hope I’m making sense!
Kiosk and API don't have to match to use kiosk. Enter UK/EU with passport not matching what I presented to airline.
Xyzzy likes this.
seawolf is offline  
Old Oct 18, 2022, 8:57 pm
  #438  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Between AUS, EWR, and YTO In a little twisty maze of airline seats, all alike.. but I wanna go home with the armadillo
Programs: CO, NW, & UA forum moderator emeritus
Posts: 35,376
Originally Posted by FlyingDL4Fun
Ok, I guess this is my question. When arriving into the US, the global entry kiosk matches your face to your flight record and info. So I wanted to know if when arriving in the EU if the passport info given to the airline should be the French passport so it matches at the kiosk so you just pass through.

I should stop mentioning APIS as that’s a CBP system. I’m asking about the EU API system and if the airline check in passport should match with the arrival passport.

Hope I’m making sense!
You are making sense! And you don't have to worry about the lack of a match. Yu will be allowed into France with your French passport if your airline has different passport info in your reservation. This happens all the time.
GUWonder likes this.
Xyzzy is offline  
Old Oct 19, 2022, 10:37 am
  #439  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: WAS
Programs: enjoyed being warm spit for a few years on CO/UA but now nothing :(
Posts: 2,504
It is easy to overthink/get confused about this because the various documents and same information are being used by various entities for separate but sometimes overlapping purposes.
Section 107 is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2022, 12:55 pm
  #440  
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,746
Originally Posted by seawolf
depends if the airline is willing if accept national ID. EU carrier might accept that.
Timatic says national ID card is sufficient.
Xyzzy likes this.
BigFlyer is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2022, 6:59 pm
  #441  
Original Member
 
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,635
Originally Posted by BigFlyer
Timatic says national ID card is sufficient.
Timatic also indicates passport exempt when traveling to/from US/Canada with NEXUS card. Try doing that on UA/DL/AA. Even with AC, it has not been 100% successful as per data points on FT.

Thus my prior post, it will be up to the carrier. Passport is the only document that is universally recognized.

One can go complain to that the airline didn't follow Timatic after the fact but they would have already missed their flight.
seawolf is offline  
Old Oct 22, 2022, 7:06 pm
  #442  
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,746
Originally Posted by seawolf
Timatic also indicates passport exempt when traveling to/from US/Canada with NEXUS card. Try doing that on UA/DL/AA. Even with AC, it has not been 100% successful as per data points on FT.

Thus my prior post, it will be up to the carrier. Passport is the only document that will be universally acceptable.

One can go complain to that the airline didn't follow Timatic after the fact but they would have already missed their flight.
Why wouldn't it be treated in the same way as a German citizen with a green card (or for that matter a Nigerian citizen with a green card) flying to the US? It seems that the airlines are accustomed to a passenger carrying a passport but also possessing another document that shows they have the right to enter the destination country.

Now if my friend tried to board with only his national ID card and did not show his US passport that would ring alarm bells.
BigFlyer is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2022, 8:10 am
  #443  
Original Member
 
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,635
Originally Posted by BigFlyer
Why wouldn't it be treated in the same way as a German citizen with a green card (or for that matter a Nigerian citizen with a green card) flying to the US? It seems that the airlines are accustomed to a passenger carrying a passport but also possessing another document that shows they have the right to enter the destination country.

Now if my friend tried to board with only his national ID card and did not show his US passport that would ring alarm bells.
I would ask the carrier that especially if flying a non-EU carrier as this is either due to airline policy not recognizing passport exemption to begin with (eg NEXUS) or misapplication of policy recognizing passport exemption (eg outstation agent not familiar with national ID).

So in either case, passenger is fundamentally correct but standing their ground could mean not allowing to board/missing flight until the obstacle is resolved. Show up to the airport early.
Xyzzy likes this.

Last edited by seawolf; Oct 23, 2022 at 8:17 am
seawolf is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2022, 9:00 am
  #444  
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 20,598
Moderator's Note

For indexing and future search purposes, please discuss ETIAS issues in the dedicated thread:Thank you for understanding,

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator
TWA884 is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2022, 3:10 pm
  #445  
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: DL PM/MM, Hilton Silver, SPG+, Hertz PC
Posts: 7,899
International travel with about to expire passport (double citizenship)

Hopefully the right forum to post; could not find anything better.
I’m scheduled to travel to a EU country in December, coming back in early January.
My US passport expires just a few days after my ticketed return date, but I also have a EU passport valid for a few more years.
The airline only refers me to a website, which says that the country requires a passport valid for 3 months beyond expected stay.
I know I will have no issues when entering that EU country, but will the US airline cause trouble, even if I show them my EU passport ?
Rs72 likes this.
thesaints is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2022, 3:15 pm
  #446  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: DCA, lived MCI, SEA/PDX,BUF (born/raised)
Programs: Marriott (Silver/Gold), IHG, Carlson, Best Western, Choice( Gold), AS (MVP), WN, UA
Posts: 8,697
Originally Posted by thesaints
Hopefully the right forum to post; could not find anything better.
I’m scheduled to travel to a EU country in December, coming back in early January.
My US passport expires just a few days after my ticketed return date, but I also have a EU passport valid for a few more years.
The airline only refers me to a website, which says that the country requires a passport valid for 3 months beyond expected stay.
I know I will have no issues when entering that EU country, but will the US airline cause trouble, even if I show them my EU passport ?

better thread is on destinations USA

therr is a lot of passport talk going on and threads along these lines.

i don’t know what US policy is on a returning citizen with an about to expire passport. I’m guessing they let you in.

why did you not re- new the US passport?
djp98374 is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2022, 3:21 pm
  #447  
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,105
This seems better suited to one of the Travel Safety & Security forums, so I will move it there.

However, I believe the airlines are very likely to balk on letting you onto a flight to the EU in December with under 90 days of validity remaining on your passport.

IMHO, you may be best served by doing an expedited passport renewal of some sort before your travel.
csufabel likes this.
exerda is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2022, 3:57 pm
  #448  
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: DL PM/MM, Hilton Silver, SPG+, Hertz PC
Posts: 7,899
The reason I'm asking is that while the ticket I'm holding has dates as described, I may need to travel earlier and having my passport renewal being processed effectively means I would have no (US) passport.
Whereas, after mid January I'm certain not to have to travel internationally for many months, making this the ideal time for renewing my passport.

Do I understand exerda's reply correctly, in that the US airline (Delta) might object to me flying out of the country with a passport only valid for a few more weeks, even though the return is already booked within the passport validity date ?
On their website they only mention the destination country requiring a 3 month minimum validity
thesaints is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2022, 5:11 pm
  #449  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA Silver, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 21,529
Originally Posted by exerda
However, I believe the airlines are very likely to balk on letting you onto a flight to the EU in December with under 90 days of validity remaining on your passport.

IMHO, you may be best served by doing an expedited passport renewal of some sort before your travel.
This. The airlines probably won't let you on the plane if you check-in and present your US passport with less than 90 days' validity. If you check-in with your EU passport, you will raise more red flags since there will be no records of you entering the US on an EU passport with an ESTA visa.

It's difficult because DL won't care that you have an EU passport since you can only enter your US passport information for APIS--but it won't matter once you land in the EU (and the US will always allow citizens to return even with an expired passport).
exerda likes this.

Last edited by pseudoswede; Nov 13, 2022 at 5:17 pm
pseudoswede is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2022, 5:37 pm
  #450  
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: DL PM/MM, Hilton Silver, SPG+, Hertz PC
Posts: 7,899
Yes, but isn't APIS only for CBP use ? It would not object to the passport being about to expire.
thesaints is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.