# Almost an emergency...Traveling on UK passport as a US citizen?



## xcorlett (Oct 8, 2011)

Hello all -- It's been a long since I posted! Hope you are all doing well.

I became a citizen earlier this year, but never got around to getting a US passport. I have to travel back to England next week - Tuesday 31st. I have an appointment tomorrow at the passport agency to get a US passport. It takes "5 days or less", but I will be in England by the time that it arrives. Does anyone know what identification I can show at the USA-side airport when I board the plane? I am planning to use either my Arizona driving licence or my British passport as ID at the USA-side airport, then use my British passport to enter England as normal. Then, my wife is going to mail my passport by express courier to England so I can enter the USA using it. 

Wondering if there will be any complications, such as having to fill out any "departing tourist" forms if I leave the USA using my british passport. 

Any help would be much appreciated. 

thanks
Robert


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

US law requires US citizens to leave and enter the country with a US passport.


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

For an international flight they are going to ask to see your passport. I'm not sure you can get away with showing them a driving license.

The airline personnel is supposed to check to see what visa you're on in the US and to report your departure to the US immigration authorities. Do you by any chance still have your green card? In any event, you're going to have to explain the situation to the airline personnel when you check in for your flight and see what they advise you to do. (It's only at check-in where it might pose a problem. On boarding the plane, you just have to flash "a" passport. Doesn't matter which one.)
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Bevdeforges said:


> For an international flight they are going to ask to see your passport. I'm not sure you can get away with showing them a driving license.
> 
> The airline personnel is supposed to check to see what visa you're on in the US and to report your departure to the US immigration authorities. Do you by any chance still have your green card? In any event, you're going to have to explain the situation to the airline personnel when you check in for your flight and see what they advise you to do. (It's only at check-in where it might pose a problem. On boarding the plane, you just have to flash "a" passport. Doesn't matter which one.)
> Cheers,
> Bev


You turn in your green card when you take your citizen interview/test.

You do not get on an international flight without passport. Getting out without entry stamp can get dicey. Getting in will get interesting. Falsify ESTA?


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Yeah, I had a feeling they probably made you turn in your green card when you get your citizenship.

What I would do is to contact your airline and ask them if there is any way you can fly out on your UK passport. You may have to bring some documentation of your taking US citizenship so they are off the hook for their responsibilities vis a vis US Immigration. Or you may be required to get some confirmation of your US citizenship from your passport appointment tomorrow.

And then don't come back to the US until you have your US passport in hand.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Bevdeforges said:


> Yeah, I had a feeling they probably made you turn in your green card when you get your citizenship.
> 
> What I would do is to contact your airline and ask them if there is any way you can fly out on your UK passport. You may have to bring some documentation of your taking US citizenship so they are off the hook for their responsibilities vis a vis US Immigration. Or you may be required to get some confirmation of your US citizenship from your passport appointment tomorrow.
> 
> ...



The passport agency is a US Postal Service office. A clerk takes the application including the original Naturalization Certificate plus the fee. At swearing new citizens are being reminded several times including a check list to get thier passport and voter id.

OP simply does not have the ID required to leave and reenter the country legally.


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

twostep said:


> The passport agency is a US Postal Service office. A clerk takes the application including the original Naturalization Certificate plus the fee. At swearing new citizens are being reminded several times including a check list to get thier passport and voter id.
> 
> OP simply does not have the ID required to leave and reenter the country legally.


Oh, I agree the OP doesn't have the appropriate ID to re-enter the US. But since it is the airline personnel who do the control at check-in (at least at the airports I've used in the US), he might be able to work a deal with the airlines. It's worth a call to the airline at least.

I've always used my US passport when checking in for my outbound flight, but I've used my French passport to actually board the plane. Going through security I'm not sure that they do much more than just compare the name on your boarding pass to the name in your passport.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Bevdeforges said:


> Oh, I agree the OP doesn't have the appropriate ID to re-enter the US. But since it is the airline personnel who do the control at check-in (at least at the airports I've used in the US), he might be able to work a deal with the airlines. It's worth a call to the airline at least.
> 
> I've always used my US passport when checking in for my outbound flight, but I've used my French passport to actually board the plane. Going through security I'm not sure that they do much more than just compare the name on your boarding pass to the name in your passport.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Bev, there are no deals with airline personnel when it comes to US immigration. Passenger lists have long been networked into the USCIS/ICE database.

OP is violating US law. That is the short of it. In theory it can cost him his US passport.


----------



## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

My wife is a dual US/Mexican citizen. When we fly to Mexico, she uses her Mexican passport at check-in at the airport because the airline refunds her the cost of the Mexican tourist visa. Of course she also uses her Mexican passport when going through the Mexican immigration. She only uses her US passport at the US immigration when reentering the US.

One of our sons is a dual US/Japanese citizen. He also uses his Japanese passport just like my wife does. He lives in Japan and travels all over the world and visits the US several times a year. In fact he is visiting here right now. He travels on his Japanese passport.


----------

