if you are a dual citizen, can you travel with both passport, i mean, can you use any passport you want? and when going to your original country, what passport should we use?

No one country necessarily has the same laws. The answer depends on the laws of your country...

For the US, a USC MUST enter on a US passport.... This or similiar situation may be the law of your land... since you tell us not what your other nationality is there is little additional information that can be provided you.

I plan on applying for citizenship at some point once I am eligible. The way I understand it from a UK citizens perspective is that I could use the US passport for entering the US and the UK passport for entering the UK. I'd basically use the US or UK citizen lines (which tend to be shorter and less hassle) which should speed up the process of entering either country.

Mark

If you enter Canada, you have to do that on your US passport if you are dual citizen. I learned that the hard way with my daughter. Don't ask me why, just I got bitched at about that at the border among other things.

Unless you are a Canadian Citizen. I'm both US and Canadian and I generally travel on my US passport since I don't have a current Canadian one and I'm a resident of the US. When I kept both up to date I used my US passport to cross into the US and my Canadian passport to cross into Canada.

The thing about using your US passport when crossing in to Canada probably has to do with visa agreements between Canada and the US. It is easier for a US citizen to gain entry to Canada than just about any other nationality. This is because of the openness, and size of the border between the countries and the huge volume of trade.

I assume you mean the US passport versus your German one... because if you are a dual US/Canadian they will want you to enter on the Canadian passport I presume.

Germany BTW, does not recognize dual citizenship in all cases.... maybe that is why you were *bitched* at.

No. My daughter is a dual citizen. The POE officer there though insisted on her US passport after she saw mine. I have no idea why. Germans don`t need visas to enter Canada either. This was the same officer that also insisted that my husband`s I-551 stamp was not a valid re-entry stamp among other wrong things that she was just so suuuuurrree were right. Welcome to Canada!

ok guys, as far as i understand, when u become a us citizen, you can visit any country in the world with your us passport and enter to usa with your us passport, but when you enter your original country, you can use both either , us passport or your original passport...am i right? by the way my country recognizes dual citizenship ....

I think the same way.
You are right!!!!

I am assuming you are taking into account the fact that you need to get a visa for numerous countries to enter and that some countries are basically off limits.

My fiancee is Brazilian and I understand they accept dual citizenship. Does this mean a) she doesn't need to file anything to get dual citizenship and once she becomes naturalized she will only need her 2 passports when travelling between the 2 countries?

You can't visit Cuba on a US passport. You will still need visas to other countries as they require. When you enter the country you have citizenship in, you generally have to present that country's passport and visa versa.

Gee, another bridge to cross I didn't think of. Week ago Monday got new passports for my wife and daughter for Venezuela, had to bring ID for me, our marriage certificate with an apostile on it to make them happy. We had to register our marriage so my wife and daughter could renew their passports.

Did that because we had no idea when our new green cards were coming in and was told we needed valid current passports for the I-551 stamp so they can stay in this country legally. But later on, also learned we only needed two passport photos and can do an I-94. Nice to get all this information. Anyway, they did get their shiny new green cards and have two brand new passports.

Did I mention they don't give these away for free?

Because you can't get USA passports with a green card, have no choice but to get a foreign passport, my argument or reason if you may with the Venezuelan Consulate to get them passports is that we still own property in Venezuela, ha, one advantage of dual citizenship is that you get to pay taxes to two different countries. We would like to sell those properties but can't legally take out the money. Could try and get black market US bucks, but probably would be arrested as a drug dealer when coming back here with that much cash. So we are just sitting tight for now, or maybe forever, who knows?

With the N-400 application in for my wife, that would mean a US passport as well, daughter has to wait another couple of years, she did a stupid thing by turning over 18 years of age while she was here. So if we go back there, providing if Chavez hasn't declared war on us by then, which passport should she use?

We went last year, she handled the Venezuelans with her Venezuelan passport, and I handled the US guys, thinking about going again this year but see the airline tickets doubled in price, something about a slight fuel surcharge. Then I am not sure if I like the idea about DHS agents playing with my wife's and my underwear or worse yet, our private parts. We get along fine with everyone, too bad our leaders can't, maybe we need new leaders.

NickD - I can appreciate what you're saying about how frustrating the renewal of passports can be, but I am of the opinion that this is one of the true benefits of having US Citizenship. Aside from that, when your wife goes into Venezuela she will enter on her VZ passport, when she comes back here she will enter on her US passport - very easy...happens all the time.

That is correct.

If she is visiting any other country, she can choose which passport she wishes to use to enter that country. Sometimes it can be a better option to choose one or the other, depending on visa requirements for the country she is visiting.

If she is visiting any other country, she can choose which passport she wishes to use to enter that country. Sometimes it can be a better option to choose one or the other, depending on visa requirements for the country she is visiting.



Gee, I never thought about applying for a Venezuelan passport, and was just there. Ha, now I feel kind of left out only having one passport, and I don't even have a green card! It's no fair! LOL.

Most likely you are wrong. Typically (Not in all cases but I haven't heard of any cases to the contrary yet), you will have to enter your home country with a passport from that nation. Just like in the US, if you have a US passport you have to enter as a US citizen and can not choose the shortest, I have been tempted before. Anyway it has never been a big deal.

It is definitely true for South Africa. you have to travel on the South African passport entering that country.

It is definitely true for South Africa. you have to travel on the South African passport entering that country.

Or I assume you have to get a visa to visit that country with a US passport.

I don't need a visa to visit my in-laws in Colombia or Venezuela, but they sure need a US visa to come visit me. I have no idea who makes these rules or why. I actually love my mother-in-law, such a sweet gentle lovable old lady, got to to come visit us, but it took her almost a year to get a US visa, and when she did, our DHS put her through that four hour interrogation strip search thing. It's not a racial thing, she is just as white as our past 43 US presidents. Maybe our DHS in their paranoia are now suspecting sweet old ladies as possible terrorists, I have no idea.

Anyway, she says, you come down and visit me, do you blame her the way our country is treating these people? Ha, would be better for her to cross our Mexican border with their shuttle service, least no hassle in that, for some reason our DHS has it in their tiny brains that terrorist will only enter this country via the airlines.

See I do need a visa to visit Japan, would like to go directly to Toyota and Sony to complain about some of their crap they sold to me. And see you also need a visa to visit China with a bunch more amount of crap from that country. Never had these problems when dealing with an American company.

It really bugs me when buying a Japan or Chinese made DVD or video game as to what lengths our FBI is going through to protect them, but what about protecting us when you buy a piece of crap from them and can't even return it if you opened the package? How do you know it's a piece of crap until you open the package?

It just makes me wonder who exactly our leaders are protecting and working for, but it certainly is not us. If we do have terrorists in this country, they are at the top.

"It is definitely true for South Africa. you have to travel on the South African passport entering that country.

Or I assume you have to get a visa to visit that country with a US passport."

Yes many places you would have to get a visa, but I am referring to if you have a passport (lets say from South Africa and the US) and you traveled to one of those countries (SA) you would have to show them your SA passport. They wouldn't accept a visa in your US passport if you are a citizen of their country. SA visas are like most others with the US passport, you get a stamp (actually a sticker) when you enter the country. However to get a visa for the US, my inlaws had to jump through some hoops, but the good thing is, it lasts for 10 years.

I am a dual citizen of Italy and the US, as far as my native country country (Italy) is concerned they do not recognize my US citizenship. There is a difference between "allowing" and "recognizing" a second citizenship. This means Italy allows me to have American citizenship but it does not recognize it, to Italy I am Italian only, therefore when I travel to/from Italy the only valid passport I can use is the Italian one. It works the same for the US...to them I am only American(the actual certificate of naturalization states "former nationality: Italy" - that pretty much explains it) and they do not recognize my Italian citizenship although they let me have it. Therefore whenever I leave/enter the US the only valid passport is my American one (well the one I am about to apply for ) I can choose which one to use whenever I travel to/from any other countries other than the US and Italy.
That's exactly how it worked when I travelled to Italy with my son who is dual as well.

Ha, Welcome to Colombia, have a good time and spend some of your money here, ha, ha, ha.

Ha, Welcome to Venzuela, have a good time and spend some of your money here, ha, ha, ha.

No ha, Welcome back to the USA, we have to check your underwear, what's this, a Bic lighter, you can't have that, we are going to take that from you, what's this, a bottle of perfume with over a half an ounce left it in, or something like that, we are going to have to take that away from you.. Turn on your cell phone, turn on your notebook computer, what your notebook won't turn on? The battery is dead, do you have a place where I can plug it in? Have to go over there, if it doesn't turn on, we will have to take that away from you too. Welcome to the USA.

I am born in Germany and naturialized American. I applied to keep my German citizenship (possible under certain circumstances) and still have that. so I am dual citizen. My son is dual citizen by birth (born in US (and American father)) and German mother. I was travelling with him for years between US and Germany on his American passport. After getting my American passport I alsways carried both to go to Germany. When I applied for my son's German passport (he doesn't really have to have one, but ...) the embassy advised me that if I am travelling to Germany we have to enter on the German passport.
Sometimes it is useful to have both, some countries require visas for American but not for European.
Don't know what the consular of the embassy in Frankfurt will tell me when he sees no entry stamps to Germany in my US passport!

There are advantages and sometimes conflicts with dual citizenship (or triple ...).

Sib

Someone posted earlier that you can't visit Cuba with a U.S. passport. That is nonsense. You can. What the U.S. government currently forbids is visiting without permission and if you do you risk paying fines / jail time (usually fines). You can visit Iran, Syria, Russia, and many other countries with a U.S. passport as long as those countries grant you a visa. Visit the U.S. State Department web site for entry requirements for U.S. citizens to the different countries of the world. Go to travel.state.gov

As far as dual citizenship, I currently have dual U.S. / Peru citizenship and the only requirements placed on me by the U.S. are that I enter and leave the U.S. on my U.S. passport. Peru allows multiple citizenships and I can enter the country using either passport though if I enter as a U.S. citizen I enter as a tourist for a maximum of 90 days and can not work while if I enter as a Peruvian I enter as a citizen and can stay as long as I like and work. Many countries have similar arrangements but you need to check with the embassy / consulate of that country.

Note: If you apply for certain federal jobs in the U.S. government they may request that you renounce your other citizenship (this depends on the organization as some request it and some do not and also on the type of work / clearances).

Cheers

True enough, and note that the prohibition and penalties are the same for permanent residents as for citizens. It doesn't matter what passport you use.