TWO PASSPORTS AND TWO NAMES - WHAT TO DO WHEN TRAVELING?

[ThiagoAKern 1]

Hi guys, 

 

So I'm about to become a US citizen and will then have two passports with two different first names. During the citizenship process, I changed my first name. So, in my Brazilian passport I am Thiago and in my US passport I'm Pierre. When booking a trip between America and Brazil to go visit family, which passport do I use to book tickets and which do I show at the airport when I depart and upon arrival? Anyone has a similar background? Thank you!

[Crazy Cat 39,241]

You must exit and enter the US with your US Passport.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/travel-legal-considerations/Advice-about-Possible-Loss-of-US-Nationality-Dual-Nationality/Dual-Nationality.html

 

"U.S. nationals, including dual nationals, must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States. Dual nationals may also be required by the foreign country to use its passport to enter and leave that country. Use of the foreign passport to travel to or from a country other than the United States is not inconsistent with U.S. law. "

[aaron2020 11,651]

1 hour ago, ThiagoAKern said:

Hi guys, 

 

So I'm about to become a US citizen and will then have two passports with two different first names. During the citizenship process, I changed my first name. So, in my Brazilian passport I am Thiago and in my US passport I'm Pierre. When booking a trip between America and Brazil to go visit family, which passport do I use to book tickets and which do I show at the airport when I depart and upon arrival? Anyone has a similar background? Thank you!

You can not have two legal names.  Once you legally change your name, your Brazilian passport become invalid since it will not have your current legal name.  You need to get a new Brazilian passport with your current legal name.

Book your flight using the name in your US passport.  Fortunately for you, Brazil does not require visitor visas for US citizens.  With your US passport, you will be allowed to fly to Brazil.  With your Brazilian passport, you can enter Brazil as a Brazilian citizen.  With your US passport, you will be allowed to board the plane in Brazil to return to the US.
 

[Laniakean 13]

3 hours ago, ThiagoAKern said:

Hi guys, 

 

So I'm about to become a US citizen and will then have two passports with two different first names. During the citizenship process, I changed my first name. So, in my Brazilian passport I am Thiago and in my US passport I'm Pierre. When booking a trip between America and Brazil to go visit family, which passport do I use to book tickets and which do I show at the airport when I depart and upon arrival? Anyone has a similar background? Thank you!

This is my MO:

 

I am yet to go to Brazil but when travelling to countries where US passport holders do not require visas (such as Brazil currently), I buy the ticket on my US name and only use the US passport. I do believe however that you would need to present your Brazilian passport at immigration (PF).

When a visa is required for US passport holders but not Brazilian, I still book the trip under my US passport name, but at the check-in, I present my Brazilian passport along with a copy of the name change disposition and present my Brazilian passport at the destination. So far I have had no issues with any airline as they seem to have standard procedures for this scenario.

I am not sure if what @aaron2020 says is correct about the Brazilian passport becoming invalid, but I do know that it is not straightforward to have your original name changed in Brazil. There is precedent but at the same time, there is an interpretation of the Brazilian law that leads to person requesting it losing citizenship altogether. In any case, if you want to give it a try, the first thing to do is to contact a specialized lawyer in the state where your ID (Carteira de Identidade) was issued.

[Hilde 381]

12 hours ago, aaron2020 said:

You can not have two legal names.  Once you legally change your name, your Brazilian passport become invalid since it will not have your current legal name.  You need to get a new Brazilian passport with your current legal name.

Book your flight using the name in your US passport.  Fortunately for you, Brazil does not require visitor visas for US citizens.  With your US passport, you will be allowed to fly to Brazil.  With your Brazilian passport, you can enter Brazil as a Brazilian citizen.  With your US passport, you will be allowed to board the plane in Brazil to return to the US.
 

I don´t know if being a Brazilian citizen you can enter Brazil with your American passport and not using the Brazilian one. 

 

I would call any Brazilian consulate in the USA and ask. 

[Mollie09 1,543]

2 hours ago, Hilde said:

I don´t know if being a Brazilian citizen you can enter Brazil with your American passport and not using the Brazilian one. 

You can't.

 

Also, this is a mess and you should pick one name and make sure both passports match. From personal experience.

[Crazy Cat 39,241]

7 minutes ago, Mollie09 said:

You can't.

 

Also, this is a mess and you should pick one name and make sure both passports match. From personal experience.

Agree.  

[Ayrton 965]

On 2/4/2021 at 6:54 PM, aaron2020 said:

You can not have two legal names.  Once you legally change your name, your Brazilian passport become invalid since it will not have your current legal name.  You need to get a new Brazilian passport with your current legal name.

Book your flight using the name in your US passport.  Fortunately for you, Brazil does not require visitor visas for US citizens.  With your US passport, you will be allowed to fly to Brazil.  With your Brazilian passport, you can enter Brazil as a Brazilian citizen.  With your US passport, you will be allowed to board the plane in Brazil to return to the US.
 

Unfortunately that's not how it works in Brazil. The rules for name change in Brazil are really strict and you can have two different names in two different countries.

 

For example, I went through a legal name change here in the US. The judge in NY  approved. So I have a new legal name here. This change though has no validity in Brazil. And in order to change my name in Brazil I would have to get a judge in Brazil to approve my name change as well. And it's not guaranteed that they're going to approve.

 

Technically, naturalization allows someone to change their name in Brazil. But again, it's also not guaranteed.

 

[Crazy Cat 39,241]

1 minute ago, Ayrton said:

Unfortunately that's not how it works in Brazil. The rules for name change in Brazil are really strict and you can have two different names in two different countries.

 

For example, I went through a legal name change here in the US. The judge in NY  approved. So I have a new legal name here. This change though has no validity in Brazil. And in order to change my name in Brazil I would have to get a judge in Brazil to approve my name change as well. And it's not guaranteed that they're going to approve.

 

Technically, naturalization allows someone to change their name in Brazil. But again, it's also not guaranteed.

 

But having a different name in each passport could create issues, agree?

[Ayrton 965]

1 hour ago, Lucky Cat said:

But having a different name in each passport could create issues, agree?

It does create. For example, if they want to get a birth certificate for their dual citizen child, the name on the Brazilian birth certificate must match the Brazilian document. But the american birth certificate will have the american name, so the consulate might not accept the american birth certificate because the father's/mother's name doesn't match the Brazilian document.

 

Fortunately, judges in Brazil are more flexible when it comes to dual citizen, most of them agrees that having 2 names will create a lot of trouble and they will accept the name change. But again, it's not as easy as applying for a new passport in the new name. There's quite a journey to get everything updated.

 

That's not the case for name changes due to marriage though. These are a lot easier.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Ayrton

[ThiagoAKern 1]

On 2/9/2021 at 8:19 AM, Ayrton said:

Unfortunately that's not how it works in Brazil. The rules for name change in Brazil are really strict and you can have two different names in two different countries.

 

For example, I went through a legal name change here in the US. The judge in NY  approved. So I have a new legal name here. This change though has no validity in Brazil. And in order to change my name in Brazil I would have to get a judge in Brazil to approve my name change as well. And it's not guaranteed that they're going to approve.

 

Technically, naturalization allows someone to change their name in Brazil. But again, it's also not guaranteed.

 

So, you have a name in Brazil and a different one in the US. My question is, have you traveled to Brazil since then? And which passport did you present and which name did you book your ticket with considering you are a citizen of both countries?

 

From what I understand and have research on this subject, you leave and reenter America with your American passport. When entering and leaving Brazil you use your Brazilian passport but show that you went through a name change in America and that is why your ticket has a different name. Correct? 

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by ThiagoAKern

[Ayrton 965]

15 hours ago, ThiagoAKern said:

So, you have a name in Brazil and a different one in the US. My question is, have you traveled to Brazil since then? And which passport did you present and which name did you book your ticket with considering you are a citizen of both countries?

 

From what I understand and have research on this subject, you leave and reenter America with your American passport. When entering and leaving Brazil you use your Brazilian passport but show that you went through a name change in America and that is why your ticket has a different name. Correct? 

 

I'm still a GC holder and haven't traveled yet, but yes, I have one name in Brazil and a shorter version of this name in the US.

 

And I think you're correct. You use the american name on the ticket and show it to the airline when checking in and boarding in the US and Brazil. When you arrive in Brazil, you can use one of the self checkout kiosks and just use your Brazilian passport. When you leave Brazil, you just show both passports to the Polícia Federal. I don't even think the check the airline ticket at this point. Just the passports.

[Mollie09 1,543]

44 minutes ago, Ayrton said:

I'm still a GC holder and haven't traveled yet, but yes, I have one name in Brazil and a shorter version of this name in the US.

 

And I think you're correct. You use the american name on the ticket and show it to the airline when checking in and boarding in the US and Brazil. When you arrive in Brazil, you can use one of the self checkout kiosks and just use your Brazilian passport. When you leave Brazil, you just show both passports to the Polícia Federal. I don't even think the check the airline ticket at this point. Just the passports.

At least in the US, even if they don't ask to see the tickets they're still comparing names with the airline manifest. Pretty sure they do that in Brazil too.