Can I leave the US on a UK passport but re-enter on a US one?

August 4, 2005 9:15 AM

I hold both a US and a UK passport. When I leave the country next year (from the US to Greece) should I travel out on the UK passport and back in on the US? Is this even allowed anymore?

I have done this before but it was about ten years ago and I was staying in the UK for an extended time. The Americans didn't say boo when I returned, but I haven't traveled abroad since then and I'm not sure what the procedures are now. Will US customs give me crap about not having an exit stamp? If anything should happen while we are on vacation would it make a difference if at least one of us was traveling under a EU passport? I'm not planning for anything to go wrong, but you never know, right? Thanks!

posted by dual_action to travel & transportation (26 comments total)

You should always leave a country on the stamp you came in on. So if you last entered the US on your US passport, leave on that. Then enter Greece on the UK one as they will happily welcome their fellow EU citizen. I don't think an exit stamps is a common thing (don't think I've ever had one or heard of one).

Also, you are not doing anything wrong. If there is any confusion, you can just tell them you are a dual citizen and pull out both passports. This is fairly common and in the experience of very many people I know the officials won't have a problem with it.

If anything goes wrong, both your passports/citizenships will emerge quickly and you can take things from there. The idea of "traveling on" a particular passport is really only relevant when you are going to a country where one of your passports might not get you in/allow you to be there eg Cuba,
posted by cushie at 11:12 AM on August 4, 2005

If you're a US citizen, you can do whatever you want.
posted by delmoi at 11:59 AM on August 4, 2005

Yes, of course that's what I meant to say - leave the US on the US passport, enter Greece on the UK. Thanks, it's good to hear I'm not doing anything wrong - I always had a weird feeling they would be upset if they thought I was trying to pull a switcheroo.
posted by dual_action at 12:06 PM on August 4, 2005

According to this dual citizenship FAQ:

Even when possession of multiple passports is technically legal, it should be kept in mind that the border officials of some countries may not understand this fact and might even conclude that a traveller found to be carrying more than one passport is "obviously" planning to engage in some sort of criminal activity. Even US officials, in recent years, have been known to harass legitimate dual US/other citizens when they travel with multiple passports.

Hence, it is probably advisable not to travel with more than one passport at a time if at all possible. And if you are a dual US/other citizen living in the US, and your trip will start and finish in the US, it is almost certainly best to bring along only your US passport; you'll need it in any case when you return.

Of course, if your itinerary involves stops in both of your countries of citizenship, and each country happens to require you to present one of its own passports when you enter, you may not have a choice. If one or the other country permits some sort of alternative documentation as proof of citizenship at the border, it might be preferable to carry this in place of a passport from that country. For example, Canada offers a wallet-sized "Certificate of Canadian Citizenship" photo ID card, which can be used in place of a Canadian passport when travelling between Canada and the US.

posted by Zed_Lopez at 12:07 PM on August 4, 2005

the rule of thumb i follow is to enter and leave a country on the same passport - especially somewhere where there is an entrance visa and stamp and exit stamp.

for example, singaporean immigration would definitely want to know how the heck you got into the country if you came in on a uk passport and tried to leave on a us passport with no entrance stamp.

where this can get a little difficult is when travelling to the uk from the us (and vice versa), because you want to show the right passport to the right people.

1) show us passport to airline ticket counter, otherwise they will ask you where your visa is in your uk passport.
2) show us passport at us passport control/security. i don't think they look for visas etc, it's just easier.
3) get on airplane, fly to uk
4) show uk passport to uk immigration

return journey

1) show us passport to airline ticket counter, who want to verify if you need visa etc
2) show uk passport at uk passport control
3) show us passport again to airline people in the event that they re-check at gate (often happens at heathrow)
4) get on airplane, fly to us
5) show us passport at us immigration

cushie's got it right though - it shouldn't be a problem.
posted by netsirk at 12:08 PM on August 4, 2005

You should enter the US on your US passport, that much is obvious. As for entering Greece, enter on whichever you like. The US CPB doesn't care where you've been or what immigration laws you may or may not have violated while there, so do what you'd like.

It would probably be easier to do one passport though as you will want to be listed on passenger manifests on the same passport as you report to the port of entry.

Basically Delmoi is right though. You are a USC, so the CBP has no basis for denying you entry to the US whether you have an exit stamp or not.
posted by Pollomacho at 12:11 PM on August 4, 2005

I don't know if this is helpful, but just to add an anecdotal data point - I have the same two citizenships as you do, and have done the old switcheroo on many international trips to no ill effect.
posted by hazyjane at 12:24 PM on August 4, 2005

For some reason, several of the above posts mentioning the U.S. examining or stamping passports on the way out. They don't do this for U.S. citizens.
posted by grouse at 12:54 PM on August 4, 2005

Not with a stamp they don't, grouse, however they do have databases.

The important thing is that a USC cannot by law be denied entry into the US. They can however make it uncomfortable for you to sit down for a couple days after entering the US.
posted by Pollomacho at 1:18 PM on August 4, 2005

A friend who has 2 passports has been harassed by US Immigration when using her non-US passport, so use the US one to come and go. And make photocopies of your passport(s), credit cards, etc., and store a copy of the passports your luggage and a copy with a friend who could fax them if needed.
posted by theora55 at 1:44 PM on August 4, 2005

I have done the same thing (only with CDN and UK passports) never had any kind of trouble.
posted by blue_beetle at 1:45 PM on August 4, 2005

Not with a stamp they don't, grouse, however they do have databases.

Who is "they?" What databases? Do you mean the Department of Homeland Security's Arrival and Departure Information System? Not for citizens (except under unusual and bizarre circumstances).
posted by grouse at 2:30 PM on August 4, 2005

Interesting. This is the first place that I have read the almost unanimous opinion that it won't be a problem. My thinking was along the lines of the dual citizenship faq that Zed_Lopez posted. I had assumed that my New Zealand passport would only be of use to me mentally since US border control wants to see where I've been actually in my US passport, or else they'd be suspicious.
posted by scazza at 3:44 PM on August 4, 2005

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I think I will take both but use just the US passport for all checkpoints and have the UK one just in case. I can't imagine what could happen, but eh, you never know.
posted by dual_action at 3:51 PM on August 4, 2005

I thought that switching was the whole point of having dual passports. My friends are American-Australian, and they use the US one when they fly to the States and the Australian when they fly back here. It means you always get to go to the short queue instead of standing in the horrendous one with all the tourist plebs! (Only eight more months til I get mine...)
posted by web-goddess at 4:10 PM on August 4, 2005

Fwiw when we entered the US last weekend the immigration control asked my daughter (who has US passport) and I (with a UK one) independently what the official title of our country of citizenship is. Neither "Britain" nor "United Kingdom" were enough in my case, nor "United States" for her. Nowadays you really need to know _exactly_ where you come from!
posted by anadem at 4:41 PM on August 4, 2005

Unless you want to go through the fingerprinting crap in the US, definitely use your American (or Canadian) passports.
posted by Marquis at 5:26 PM on August 4, 2005

If you carry both, don't do so visibly. In the US airport for example, have your UK passport in a different pocket which you never open, so you don't end up revealing you are carrying two passports - a person carrying multiple passports in an airport can be a Person of Interest to many security staff :-)
posted by -harlequin- at 6:39 PM on August 4, 2005

I don't think I've ever been checked on the way out of the US by anyone but airline staff, and I am not even an American citizen (Canadian with a student visa). When travelling between Britain, Canada and the US (done all the combinations), I've only ever had to go through immigration when entering a country, never when leaving, at least on bus or plane. In case it makes a difference, I have bussed to Canada through Buffalo, flown to Canada through Newark, and flown to Britain through New York (where security should be highest).

I understand that some countries make you go through immigration both ways, but I don't think you should have any trouble flying on your British passport out, and presenting your US one when you get back.
posted by jb at 8:43 PM on August 4, 2005

Take both, leave on the US passport, and use the UK passport when you get to Greece. You'll go through the (shorter) EU line and it shouldn't get stamped or scanned either way. For all intents and purposes, it's the same process as if you were entering the UK: you are an EU citizen entering the EU. And coming back, they're going to be more concerned about the validity of the passport than its stamps.

So I think the FAQ entry is a bit bollocks; though I'd go along with those who suggest that visibly juggling between the two passports at the immigration counter might not be helpful.

If anything should happen while we are on vacation would it make a difference if at least one of us was traveling under a EU passport?

Sort of. As an EU citizen, you'd be entitled to reciprocal emergency healthcare. I don't think that's dependent upon the passport you use to enter, but you'd need the UK one on hand.
posted by holgate at 5:41 AM on August 5, 2005

I've got two passports and always wondered about this too.
It obviously makes sense to use the EU passport in Europe, but won't the US immigration people wonder why your US passport doesn't have a Greek stamp when you get back?
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:28 AM on August 5, 2005

won't the US immigration people wonder why your US passport doesn't have a Greek stamp when you get back?

No, it is none of their business.

Who is "they?" What databases? Do you mean the Department of Homeland Security's Arrival and Departure Information System? Not for citizens (except under unusual and bizarre circumstances).

Yes, I mean CBP and yes, they (the CBP) do take your US passport and run it through a machine reader which matches it to passenger manifests as well as passport validity databases and the TECS database.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:13 AM on August 5, 2005

I'm in a similar situation, but Canadian/British. I always show whichever passport I think will make things easiest given the counter I'm at, and if it seems like there's any complication I explain that I hold two passports, even just to see if the other passport makes things easier. This has never been a problem - don't stress about it.
posted by louigi at 7:42 AM on August 5, 2005

won't the US immigration people wonder why your US passport doesn't have a Greek stamp when you get back?
No, it is none of their business.

I thought that was the entire point of this question; that yes, not having a stamp does peak their interest and it is their business. They do look for the stamps as well as scanning it through the computer. Talking to a UK/US citizen about this, he said that not having the stamp does peak their interest, you do have to explain, and show them the stamp on your other passport.

I think louigi may be in a easier situation, not holding a US passport, since that is the problem here. US officials may give you a hard time, any other country of citizenship is not going to mind. But if you don't mind the possibility of a hassle, then use both.
posted by scazza at 7:58 AM on August 5, 2005

They do look for the stamps as well as scanning it through the computer.

Why? I haven't had my passport stamped by a European country in at least 10 years, and that includes Greece. Why would CBP bother? If you have a stamp or not, as long as you aren't smuggling coke or uranium, what do they care? They have 45 seconds to make an adjudication and you have a valid US passp... next. I said next.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:24 AM on August 5, 2005

Even if it does pique their interest (and an EU citizen will not get a passport stamped when entering an EU country, even when arriving from outside the EU) then I'd say, on balance, that it's more problematic to feel compelled to abandon the benefits of travelling under dual passports in order to mollify some jobsworth on the way into the US.

You have a US passport; this allows you entry to the US. The US does not prohibit holding dual US and [other] citizenships. It's not a rare thing. You are expected to use the passport that's appropriate for the country you're entering; in the case of an EU member state, that's an EU passport. And if you do get hassled coming into the US, place a call direct to your congressperson or a senator. And your local paper. And TV station.
posted by holgate at 3:25 PM on August 5, 2005