EU National ID Return to UK
 

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is exactly BA-related, but as I'm flying BA and live in the UK I figured you would be best placed to answer. I unfortunately have to send in my EU passport to the DVLA and have travel booked from London to Canada on the 10th of May. The DVLA has informed me that they can't guarantee my EU passport getting back to me in time.

I also hold a US passport - am I likely to have any issues when checking into the flight in Toronto, presenting my US passport + EU ID, and when I arrive in the UK, will I have any issue with border control?

I appreciate any help, although appreciate this probably isn't a super common situation!

Not at all. I've used my EU ID to enter the UK dozens of times, not a single problem. I've only heard of problems with the Italian Paper IDs, because they are very prone to forgery.

You won't be able to use the mahcines with an ID, but otherwise no particular issue as far as I'm aware.

Thanks both, sounds like it'll all be good - I was a bit worried BA might be funny when checking in!

Next time, to make your life easier, send your EU ID to the DVLA instead of your passport - I haven't tried it personally but I do know people who have and the DVLA was fine with it.

You can check in with one ID and land with another (it more affects the level of consular assistance you can expect, I am given to understand). You may be quizzed at check in about having the right to enter the country at which point you can show your 'eligible' ID if necessary.

Italian ID papers take longer to process but are accepted. As noted above you won't be able to use the eGates without a biometric passport.

Why not send your EU ID to the DVLA? for DVLA/immigration purposes in the UK EU ID works same way as passport - I always send my EU ID and keep my passport in case I need to travel.

You'll be fine. The Golden rule of travelling with multiple nationalities is ensure you're on the same passport on the way out as on the way back. If your other passport is not available, you can only use US one anyway this time.

A friend of mine is Swiss US and always travels on his Swiss to avoid any issues. He said only time he had issue was when he accidentally mixed and computer flagged it. Plus an old friend who was in special forces had to be careful as he had two British passports. When he used the wrong in the US they hauled him in to ask why he had Afghan and Iranian stamps trips registered.

Safe travels

Before I became a British citizen, when I flew directly from Canada to London, airline agents were never really interested in looking my UK residence visas. It seemed to be enough that I could enter the UK visa-free for visits, even though almost all of these flights were ending in the UK and I have no right to live in Canada.

As we are still in the EU, once you present proof of being a citizen of an EU country, UK immigration will let you enter the UK unless you were a serious criminal subject to removal from the UK. The documents shown to the airline don't affect this.

If you are wanted for some sort of infraction, you are likely to be found regardless of which documents you show.


Consular assistance is not relevant here. It is more relevant when a country restricts multiple citizenship to people who it claims to be its citizens, even if such people do not know they are, or do not want to be, its citizens. The OP is travelling between two countries neither of which she (assumed due to changing name after marriage) is a citizen of, and neither of which restrict multiple citizenship.

Furthermore, as an EU citizen, the OP currently has the right to live in the UK, regardless of what documents are used to enter. (But using a US passport to enter the UK may result in being flagged as an overstayer if one doesn't fly out of the UK within 6 months, with the US passport data in the API.)


No, it isn't! A US/Australian citizen travelling US-AU-US would need to use their Australian passport outbound and their US passport returning (but Australian passport for Australian emigration).

The rule is that when you are a multiple citizen travelling to a country where you are NOT a citizen, use the same passport to enter and exit.