Have twin citizenship? Tips on how to use 2 passports when flying

It’s pretty frequent as of late for an American to additionally maintain citizenship with one other nation — and the second nation’s passport, too.

I used to be born within the U.S. and am an American citizen. However, as a result of my mother and father have been twin residents on the time of my beginning, in addition they handed Italian citizenship on to me.

It’s a privilege to have rights in two nations, but it surely was a bit complicated once I began touring internationally with each passports.

Which passport to make use of when is a query with a nuanced reply.

Here’s the way it breaks down.

Leaving the US for one more nation

When you depart the U.S., you may present your U.S. passport and doubtlessly your second passport, however — and that is extremely necessary — by no means on the similar time or on the similar level in journey. Never hand each passports to safety or customs/immigration and anticipate them to let you know what to do. That’s asking for an issue. You want to know the method, which can make sense after you’ve got gone by means of it a number of occasions.

Tip: If the journey processes are unclear to you, seek the advice of the U.S. State Department and the regional consulate of the opposite nation of which you maintain citizenship earlier than you depart in your subsequent journey.

When leaving the U.S., present your U.S. passport (or Real ID) within the Transportation Security Administration screening line.

You’ll subsequent have to indicate a passport when boarding your flight from the U.S. to your vacation spot nation. This passport have to be both:

1. One that you are legally required to use to enter said country. (For example, as a citizen of the European Union, I must enter any EU country and the Schengen Area using my Italian passport.)
2. The one that is most beneficial to you. In other words, if you aren’t legally obligated to use one passport over the other, you can decide which to use based on the privileges it provides. For example, if I am departing Los Angeles for Bangkok, I would look to see if there is a benefit to using my U.S. or Italian passport. That might mean no (or a lower) visa fee or a longer legal stay.

As a dual U.S. and Italian passport holder, I show my Italian passport to the airline’s gate agent when boarding my flight to Italy or any EU or Schengen Area country.

You want to ensure that the airline’s manifest lists the same passport information you plan to show customs/immigration when you land.

As an Italian with EU citizenship, I will avoid the European Travel Information and Authorization System fee once it goes into effect in Europe. It won’t apply to me as long as I enter the EU with my Italian passport. ETIAS, however, will apply to my husband traveling on his U.S. passport.

Related: Everything you need to know about the EU’s ETIAS ‘visa’ requirements

Tip: Some airlines don’t allow you to save two passports in your online profile. (I’m looking at you, American Airlines.) I often have to connect from my home gateway in the U.S. to another U.S. gateway before boarding my international flight. In those instances, I load my U.S. passport in the airline app for the first U.S.-based leg, and then I go to the Admirals Club or to American’s customer service center at the next airport and have them update the passport information associated with my ticket to my Italian passport. Any gate agent can also update your ticket’s passport information.

Arriving in the EU (or any country)

When you land in the EU, show your EU passport to border patrol and the same when arriving at the airport for your departure from that country. If you’re traveling alone, you can use the e-gates. Otherwise, you’ll need to go to an agent with your travel companions using U.S. passports.

(If you’re not traveling to the EU, just remember to show the passport you used to board the outbound aircraft once you arrive in your destination country.)

Exiting the foreign country

Once your foreign stay ends, return to the airport and go through customs and immigration with the same passport you used to enter. If you entered on your EU passport, go through any exit customs process using your EU passport. If you entered on your U.S. passport, show your U.S. passport at exit immigration.

This next step is very important. Always show your U.S. passport when boarding the plane back home, and show your U.S. passport to border patrol (or at the Global Entry kiosk) upon arrival to the U.S.

Should you always travel with both passports?

Yes. You always need to reenter the U.S. with your U.S. passport, so you need it when traveling overseas. Also, if you ever need assistance while in a different country, you want both passports to access the embassies of both countries. When things go wrong thousands of miles from home, you want all the help you can get.

Can you still use TSA PreCheck as a dual citizen?

Yes. I’ve loaded my Known Traveler Number in my airline accounts so my boarding passes always include the TSA PreCheck logo.

Bottom line

When traveling with dual citizenship, showing which passport comes down to where you are in the travel process. Show the passport that proves you have the right to be where you are going.

The TSA in the U.S. doesn’t care what passport you use for the flight. That’s not the agency’s concern. It only cares about which one you use when you show it to TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. And, by law, if you’re a U.S. citizen, you must use your U.S. passport to leave (via TSA screening) and reenter this country (via the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or Global Entry).

It can be confusing, but that’s how to use passports from two different countries when traveling.