When does that expire, anyhow?
May 15, 2022 1:10 PM Subscribe
My wife became a Swedish citizen back in 2016 and it turns out that her passport and national ID card have recently expired without her noticing. We are planning on going to see our families in the US and Canada soon (flights are booked), and we are wondering what we can do about this.
She has applied for a new national ID and passport, but there is apparently a giant queue at the moment. She will have an appointment about two weeks before we leave, but we do not expect this to be long enough for the passport to arrive, although the national ID may make it in time according to what she found.
Getting to the US is of course fine; she is still a US citizen. The issue would be when we leave the EU and when we try to come back. What happens then? As stated, she is a Swedish citizen, but she may either only have a national ID card (at best) or only an expired ID card/passport.
Our questions are:
She has applied for a new national ID and passport, but there is apparently a giant queue at the moment. She will have an appointment about two weeks before we leave, but we do not expect this to be long enough for the passport to arrive, although the national ID may make it in time according to what she found.
Getting to the US is of course fine; she is still a US citizen. The issue would be when we leave the EU and when we try to come back. What happens then? As stated, she is a Swedish citizen, but she may either only have a national ID card (at best) or only an expired ID card/passport.
Our questions are:
- Is there some way to expedite the passport process? I know that in Canada and the US it is possible to simply pay more to get faster service; however, the only thing that we can find is about a "provisional passport". However, this would only be used for getting in and out of the EU, so it seems like overkill.
- Is it possible for her to travel in and out of the EU with just a US passport and either a valid national ID card or an expired national ID card/passport?
What you need to know is whether Sweden -- or the Schengen area more broadly -- requires Swedish citizens to enter the Schengen area on their Swedish passport (as opposed to the passport of a non-EU country of which they are a dual citizen). Cursory googling has not revealed the answer to this question, though you might be able to find this out by reading the details of the Swedish government's passport or citizenship pages.
Canada requires that dual Canadian citizens enter Canada on their Canadian passport. The US does the same, mutatis mutandis.
posted by heatherlogan at 3:55 PM on May 15, 2022 [4 favorites]
Canada requires that dual Canadian citizens enter Canada on their Canadian passport. The US does the same, mutatis mutandis.
posted by heatherlogan at 3:55 PM on May 15, 2022 [4 favorites]
The Swedish police claim here that it "normally" takes "six working days" to get a passport delivered to the passport office where you applied. If they haven't confirmed the "giant queue" themselves, ask at the appointment (or perhaps seek out an earlier appointment?).
There's also this page, which makes it seem you could apply in Sweden and then collect your Swedish passport at a consulate or embassy abroad. Could you alter your US/Canada trip itinerary so you apply at home and then collect your Swedish passport one afternoon, for example, in Washington DC or Toronto?
posted by mdonley at 4:21 PM on May 15, 2022
There's also this page, which makes it seem you could apply in Sweden and then collect your Swedish passport at a consulate or embassy abroad. Could you alter your US/Canada trip itinerary so you apply at home and then collect your Swedish passport one afternoon, for example, in Washington DC or Toronto?
posted by mdonley at 4:21 PM on May 15, 2022
Sweden will let her in with her US passport. Just leave it at that, certainly don't do anything at the gate but walk through it with her US passport. You might have her Swedish passport before you go, but you certainly will, soon after you get back. Have someone trusted take in your mail. Don't worry for her, she can take care of it.
posted by Oyéah at 5:08 PM on May 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 5:08 PM on May 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
My family member with a US passport and a Swedish passport says: just go in/out with the US passport and she'll have no problem. Family member says they routinely do this or the reverse just depending on which passport they have on hand.
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:48 PM on May 15, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:48 PM on May 15, 2022 [6 favorites]
I am Canadian and was allowed to fly back into Canada (and let in) with an expired passport. It might be the same in Sweden : you can't travel out on an expired passport, but you can get back in.
posted by bluefrog at 9:08 PM on May 15, 2022
posted by bluefrog at 9:08 PM on May 15, 2022
You're leaving from Sweden, right? When she has her appointment, she should ask the department/ministry that handles passports what she should do. In a similar situation (different country though) I was literally given a signed handwritten note from an official with an instruction to let me leave and reenter the country, which I presented at the passport check.
If the appointment is a while from now she might also try calling said department/ministry and asking for advice. And, since Sweden has a small population, there might be not-many degrees of separation between her and someone who works at said department/ministry who could provide advice or paperwork. If she's really worried, she could start spreading the word to everyone she knows and asking if they know anyone who might know anyone. (But it sounds like this step probably won't be necessary and I have no idea what cultural attitudes there are on that.)
posted by trig at 4:34 AM on May 16, 2022
If the appointment is a while from now she might also try calling said department/ministry and asking for advice. And, since Sweden has a small population, there might be not-many degrees of separation between her and someone who works at said department/ministry who could provide advice or paperwork. If she's really worried, she could start spreading the word to everyone she knows and asking if they know anyone who might know anyone. (But it sounds like this step probably won't be necessary and I have no idea what cultural attitudes there are on that.)
posted by trig at 4:34 AM on May 16, 2022
You don't need a visa to enter Sweden on a US passport and it is unlikely that she will be considered a potential overstayer, particularly if she is white and a native English speaker with an American accent. So, the most likely outcome is she gets through immigration control without any difficulty at all using the passport she definitely has.
In her situation I would, as suggested, use the US passport and take (but not show/use unless asked) whatever expired ID I had that was evidence of Swedish citizenship just in case someone in immigration is having a bad day.
posted by plonkee at 6:00 AM on May 16, 2022
In her situation I would, as suggested, use the US passport and take (but not show/use unless asked) whatever expired ID I had that was evidence of Swedish citizenship just in case someone in immigration is having a bad day.
posted by plonkee at 6:00 AM on May 16, 2022
You don't need a visa to enter Sweden on a US passport and it is unlikely that she will be considered a potential overstayer,
Just to clarify for future commenters: Wife is a Swedish citizen and (apparently) resident, so the issue isn't about anything visa-related or about what the Swedish border experience is like for US tourists. What the issue is is that many countries can be strict about requiring citizens to leave or enter said country specifically with a passport from that country (which, as citizens, they're supposed to have), regardless of any other passports they might possess, and it's not clear whether Sweden has that strict requirement or not.
posted by trig at 6:17 AM on May 16, 2022
Just to clarify for future commenters: Wife is a Swedish citizen and (apparently) resident, so the issue isn't about anything visa-related or about what the Swedish border experience is like for US tourists. What the issue is is that many countries can be strict about requiring citizens to leave or enter said country specifically with a passport from that country (which, as citizens, they're supposed to have), regardless of any other passports they might possess, and it's not clear whether Sweden has that strict requirement or not.
posted by trig at 6:17 AM on May 16, 2022
I am US - Finnish dual national. While I tend to use my Finnish passport entering the EU to avoid longer lines, I have also used my US passport in multiple occasions like when my Finnish passport was expired or when I accidentally took my expired (rather than valid) Finnish passport with me.
EU countries don't have rules like US that you have to enter with any specific passport.
posted by zeikka at 7:22 AM on May 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
EU countries don't have rules like US that you have to enter with any specific passport.
posted by zeikka at 7:22 AM on May 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: For the record, the usual "six working days" is currently around "20 weeks due to unprecedented demand", which is why we are worried.
My bigger concern was while leaving: when I first was leaving the EU after being in Germany for a year, I a) saw a guy in the next line likely get banned from the EU for overstaying his visa and b) got asked why I hadn't left yet despite the fact that mine had only expired one day before. So border agents do ask these sorts of questions, although perhaps that is a more German thing.
However, it sounds like a combination of her US passport plus expired ID should be fine enough to prove that she is Swedish and it will likely make it not a concern.
Anyhow, lesson learned for next time...
posted by vernondalhart at 9:32 AM on May 16, 2022
My bigger concern was while leaving: when I first was leaving the EU after being in Germany for a year, I a) saw a guy in the next line likely get banned from the EU for overstaying his visa and b) got asked why I hadn't left yet despite the fact that mine had only expired one day before. So border agents do ask these sorts of questions, although perhaps that is a more German thing.
However, it sounds like a combination of her US passport plus expired ID should be fine enough to prove that she is Swedish and it will likely make it not a concern.
Anyhow, lesson learned for next time...
posted by vernondalhart at 9:32 AM on May 16, 2022
Sounds like you will be good from answers above. Make sure the US passport has an expiration date well into the future though, for plane boarding. I was stopped from boarding a plane because the rule for Norway was I needed six months future validity. It was months past my return ticket but not enough. I had another passport with a suitable date and was allowed to board.
posted by drowsy at 3:52 AM on May 18, 2022
posted by drowsy at 3:52 AM on May 18, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:40 PM on May 15, 2022 [3 favorites]