Future Doubt

[AusCal 3]

So if I arrive at the airport and present my US passport and they ask for a visa I can present my brazilian one to show I don't require a visa and the fact I still have a valid brazilian passport is not their problem? Essentialy yes.

And on the same page as Brazil also requires that a brazilian passport be presented when traveling I can also show my US passport to show I don't require a visa to return the US and that's also not their problem? Correct

I guess the real question is really the fact of not recognizing and not accepting. Brazil also doesn't recognize meaning I remain brazilian unless I say otherwise but says nothing about being forbidden to have a second passport.

I think I get it now, I present my US one first and explain showing second if necessary. Phew! I see this same question presented all over the citizenship forums. hahhaha

The question might come up more often if it were not for those countries (i.e., VWP countries) where it's just as simple to travel with just your US passport.

[Ladylethal 12]

Do American citizens need a visa to visit Brazil?

Yes. Unless they happen to be citizens of another country, too.

Brazil has a reciprocity principle. If a country makes Brazilians get a visa to visit that country, then Brazil will make that country's citizens get a visa to visit Brazil. The fee for the visa is equivalent to the fee a Brazilian pays to visit the other country. Since the US charges Brazilians around $130 to get a tourist visa to visit Brazil, US Citizens have to pay around $130.00 or so and go to a consulate to get a visa for Brazil.

If, for example, you were a dual US/Venezuelan citizen, and you wanted to visit Brazil, you might find it in your interest to show your Venezuelan passport to the Brazilian authorities.

http://www.brazilsf.org/visa_eng.htm

Yep, 100% correct. Only difference is the US consulate require in person interviews for brazilian requiring visas, and some grilling might take place (due to the whole illegal immigration etc that US has been facing) and americans can apply for their visas by mail and are almost never denied. Just the fee has to be paid due to the reciprocity law we have.

And as the other person says if you're from South America and naturalize as US citizen just travel to Brasil on your foreign passport as we require no visas from South American countries.

[mattr 0]

As a US citizen you should keep this link on your boookmarks:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html

It will show entry requirements for every country. For Brazil it says:

U.S. citizens also possessing Brazilian nationality cannot be issued Brazilian visas and must obtain a Brazilian passport (from the Brazilian Embassy or Consulate nearest to their place of residence) to enter and depart Brazil. In addition to being subject to all Brazilian laws affecting U.S. citizens, dual nationals may also be subject to other laws that impose special obligations on Brazilian citizens. Note that children adopted from Brazil are still considered Brazilian citizens and must be documented as such should they return to Brazil.

For Mexico it says:

Travelers possessing both U.S. and Mexican nationalities must carry with them proof of their citizenship of both countries. Under Mexican law, dual nationals entering or departing Mexico must identify themselves as Mexican.

Mattr.

[Gemma12nel 1]

I travelled the first time last month on my american passport.

Upon arrival I filled out a arrival card. I have dual citizenship for the UK and USA. Although when you take your citizenship and swear alliagance to the flage etc, they tell you DUAL CITIZENSHIP isn't recognised any place. So any way when I landed in the UK I went to where all the foreigners line up, I then asked the lady at the desk " I hold UK and US passport which do I use, she said us (meaning the UK) don't care which you use, however you may have difficulty when you return to the USA I believe as they like to see a stamp.

So when I returned to the USA and went thru passport control the immigration officer asked where I'd been and then checked the stamp in the US passport, so I would think from that you must always use your US passport and get it stamped else you will have trouble returning to your country of citizenship the USA.

[Italian_in_NYC 259]

I travelled the first time last month on my american passport.

Upon arrival I filled out a arrival card. I have dual citizenship for the UK and USA. Although when you take your citizenship and swear alliagance to the flage etc, they tell you DUAL CITIZENSHIP isn't recognised any place. So any way when I landed in the UK I went to where all the foreigners line up, I then asked the lady at the desk " I hold UK and US passport which do I use, she said us (meaning the UK) don't care which you use, however you may have difficulty when you return to the USA I believe as they like to see a stamp.

So when I returned to the USA and went thru passport control the immigration officer asked where I'd been and then checked the stamp in the US passport, so I would think from that you must always use your US passport and get it stamped else you will have trouble returning to your country of citizenship the USA.

You could have just said that you've been to the UK and you used your British passport to enter the UK, no stamp.

[Ladylethal 12]

Yeah, in countries where you don't need a visa to enter showing just the US passport is no problem, this gets confusing only where a visa is required, 'cus then they'll verify the lack of visa on the US passport, and might stamp the foreign passport instead.

But as said above, I'd just show the one from the country I am leaving entering first and then the other one to explain why I don't have a visa.

[NickD 202]

If we are on the subject of USC and the N-400, wife's IO during her interview was the only one interested in checking dates on departing and arriving. After you are a USC, exactly who is going to check to see if you departed and arrived on the same passport?

And if someone did, what difference does it make if you departed on one passport and arrived with another? Does anyone really care? Are there laws to this effect?

[Italian_in_NYC 259]

If we are on the subject of USC and the N-400, wife's IO during her interview was the only one interested in checking dates on departing and arriving. After you are a USC, exactly who is going to check to see if you departed and arrived on the same passport?

And if someone did, what difference does it make if you departed on one passport and arrived with another? Does anyone really care? Are there laws to this effect?

Exactly, it shouldn't be any of CBP agent business.

When I'll be a dual citizen (US and EU) I will always use my EU passport to enter Europe and I won't have any stamp in any of my passports.

There's no limitation on the amount of time you could stay out of the US anyways.

Also, there's no immigration leaving the US. The airline employee is the only one who checks passport. Usually they ask for a green card, but not always.

[lucyrich 19]

If we are on the subject of USC and the N-400, wife's IO during her interview was the only one interested in checking dates on departing and arriving. After you are a USC, exactly who is going to check to see if you departed and arrived on the same passport?

And if someone did, what difference does it make if you departed on one passport and arrived with another? Does anyone really care? Are there laws to this effect?

The US doesn't have exit controls. As a US Citizen, you're technically required to be holding a US passport when you leave, but nobody from the US government checks it, stamps it, or verifies your exit.

The airline people will ordinarily want to see some sort of documentation that indicates you'll be allowed to enter your destination, because if you get turned around at your destination, they may have to pay for your return airfare. Furthermore, the US government now requires the airlines to give them a passenger manifest (list of names and id information). So you'll have to show some kind of passport to the airline people, but if you're a dual citizen, it may not be vitally important which passport you show the airline people.

When you enter the US, as a US Citizen with a US passport, you have an absolute legal right to enter. At worst, if you've committed a terrible crime, you may enter the US and go straight into custody, but you won't be turned around and told to go back. The inspectors normally won't try and verify your exit date by checking stamps, because it's irrelevant to your right to enter. They may ask how long you were gone, and what countries you visited, but only because it has some bearing on what they might want to look for in your luggage as your luggage goes through customs inspection.

So it doesn't really matter whether exit and entry stamps match up, at least for US citizens going through the US borders carrying US passports. The US won't stamp your passport on exit, and although many foreign countries might stamp it on entry, not all will, so the US doesn't rely on that.

[NickD 202]

Apparently they don't check I-94 overstays either, read the vast majority of illegals here are due to I-94 overstays. My wife and I were very concerned about that during our getting to know each other stage. It was difficult to part, but the threat of an I-94 overstay was the determining factor.

Interesting when I walked into our hospital, a big fat no smoking sign on the front door, but in every hallway, every room, was a no smoking sign. Would be interesting if they did that with immigration laws, have to dig really deep to find them rather than have a big sign in red letters telling you what you can or cannot do.