Dual citizenship travel related question

Something funny happened when I re-entered the US yesterday at O'Hare. The agent was most likely a rookie. Really young looking and I guess they initially start on the US citizens/GC holders line and then progress to visitors. So I make my way to the booth and hand over my US passport and customs declaration. This is our conversation:-

Officer: Where you coming from?
Me: UK
Officer: Purpose of trip?
Me: Business
Officer: What kind of business?
Me: IT, IP networking
***By now he has scanned, stamped and returned my passport to me***
Officer: What is a good question to ask a visitor who claims to be here for an IT related trip
Me: That depends on his/her specialisation
Officer: Give me something to ask
Me: Well if he/she states networking, ask them what is the difference between routing and switching
Officer: And what should the answer be?
Me: One is done in hardware, the other in software
Officer: Thanks and you have a good day
Me: You are welcome


I found it really hilarious.
 
Sounds like the CBP agent was just doing their job: engaging the person seeking entry to US in casual conversation to determine their reaction. It's part of their behavioral recognition training. Some may consider the questions odd or be taken off guard by them, but the whole point is to see how you react. If you started fumbling with the questions or started looking nervous, the agent may have pulled you aside for a secondary check.
 
Is it just the Airline or have the rules changed?

Just a couple of hours ago, I ran into the same problem.
I am dual citizen and hold an American and a German Passport. I was scheduled for a business trip to Brazil. Since German citizens do not need a visa, I didn't even attempt to get a visa for Brazil.
When I tried to check in, the agent refused to check me in, using the following statements:
1. You must use your US passport to leave to United States - correct
2. Brazil Requires a visa for US citizens - correct
3. If you don't have a visa in your US passport, you cannot be checked in
4. You cannot switch passports in order to leave with an US passport here and to enter Brazil with a different passport - incorrect, since I am dual citizen and my Consulate General told me otherwise

Does anybody have similar experiences?
 
JP64 said:
Just a couple of hours ago, I ran into the same problem.
I am dual citizen and hold an American and a German Passport. I was scheduled for a business trip to Brazil. Since German citizens do not need a visa, I didn't even attempt to get a visa for Brazil.
When I tried to check in, the agent refused to check me in, using the following statements:
1. You must use your US passport to leave to United States - correct
2. Brazil Requires a visa for US citizens - correct
3. If you don't have a visa in your US passport, you cannot be checked in
4. You cannot switch passports in order to leave with an US passport here and to enter Brazil with a different passport - incorrect, since I am dual citizen and my Consulate General told me otherwise

Does anybody have similar experiences?
Click to expand...

US citizens must use their US passport when they leave and enter the US. If you declare yourself as a USC at checkin, they will refuse to board you if you don't have a visa to Brazil. On the other hand, if you declare yourself as a German citizen at checkin they will ask you your status in the US. Unless you plan to lie, or fly to Brazil via a country that doesn't require a visa for USC, there's no way around it.
 
I would have to respectfully disagree. The airline agent was clearly acting out of his/her jurisdiction. US citizens must be in possession of a US passport when departing the US. There is absolutely no compulsion whatsoever on US citizens to use their US passport when entering any other country. The agent was there to protect the airline. All that was needed to check was that the passenger had the correct documents to enter Brazil. As far as the airline is concerned, they were carrying a German citizen to Brazil.

Bobsmyth said:
US citizens must use their US passport when they leave and enter the US. If you declare yourself as a USC at checkin, they will refuse to board you if you don't have a visa to Brazil. On the other hand, if you declare yourself as a German citizen at checkin they will ask you your status in the US. Unless you plan to lie, or fly to Brazil via a country that doesn't require a visa for USC, there's no way around it.
Click to expand...
 
Triple Citizen said:
US citizens must be in possession of a US passport when departing the US.
Click to expand...

22 CFR 53

Under section 215(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1185(b), it is unlawful except as otherwise provided for any citizen of the United States to depart from or enter, or attempt to depart from or enter, the United States without a valid passport.

Clearly this is beyond a requirement of just being in possession of a US passport. You do realize that airlines are required to disclose passenger manifest and passport information to DHS. DHS in turn can easily scan the passenger manifest to determine if any of the US passengers are leaving the US on a foreign passport.

Triple Citizen said:
There is absolutely no compulsion whatsoever on US citizens to use their US passport when entering any other country.
Click to expand...
That's not the issue. The issue is whether a USC can leave the US without showing their US passport at checkin in.
 
I never even hinted that this passenger hide the fact that he is a US citizen. When the airline staff saw no GC/I-94W for their German passenger then they could question the passenger. When questioned the passenger should have declared that he is a US citizen too. If the airline wanted to see this person's US passport, show it by all means. The airline agent crossed their limits when they informed the passenger that he/she cannot switch passports enroute.

Let us assume for a minute that Canada imposes a visit visa for US citizens. Going by your interpretation, I can then never fly out of the US to Canada.

Bobsmyth said:
That's not the issue. The issue is whether a USC can leave the US without showing their US passport at checkin in.
Click to expand...
 
Triple Citizen said:
The airline agent crossed their limits when they informed the passenger that he/she cannot switch passports enroute.
Click to expand...
A passenger can only have one nationality on the passenger manifest. The airline must also share the manifest with the entering country. Since only one nationality is allowed to be on manifest, it would seem the agent was within their boundary was informing the passenger in this case.


Triple Citizen said:
Let us assume for a minute that Canada imposes a visit visa for US citizens. Going by your interpretation, I can then never fly out of the US to Canada.
Click to expand...
Unless you obtain said theoretical visa.
 
Triple Citizen said:
I never even hinted that this passenger hide the fact that he is a US citizen. When the airline staff saw no GC/I-94W for their German passenger then they could question the passenger. When questioned the passenger should have declared that he is a US citizen too. If the airline wanted to see this person's US passport, show it by all means. The airline agent crossed their limits when they informed the passenger that he/she cannot switch passports enroute.

Let us assume for a minute that Canada imposes a visit visa for US citizens. Going by your interpretation, I can then never fly out of the US to Canada.
Click to expand...


Triple,

You are clearly wrong on this issue, the Zegerman guy should obtain a visa for Brazil and avoid the hassle with airline people. The manifesto requires airlines to ask passengers their nationality which is turned over to DHS for threat analysis, blah..blah...blah...it would be clear from this case that he can't use his German passport to travel visa free into Brazil. He can try to use it, but he will be detained upon arrival in Brazil, because the same manifesto send to DHS is electronically send to the destination country. If Andreas Hunterlaar appeared on the manifesto as a US citizen, but only to produce a German passport, what do you think will happen?
 
Triple Citizen said:
We can agree to disagree :)
Click to expand...

19 CFR 122.75a

(3) Information required. The electronic passenger departure manifest required under paragraph (b)(1) of this section must contain the following information for all passengers, except that the information specified in paragraphs (b)(3)(iv), (ix), and (xi) of this section must be included on the manifest only on or after October 4, 2005: (i) Full name (last, first, and, if available, middle); (ii) Date of birth; (iii) Gender (F = female; M = male); (iv) Citizenship; (v) Status on board the aircraft; (vi) Travel document type (e.g., P = passport; A = alien registration card); (vii) Passport number, if a passport is required; (viii) Passport country of issuance, if a passport is required; (ix) Passport expiration date, if a passport is required; (x) Alien registration number, where applicable; (xi) Passenger Name Record locator, if available



Still not convinced? Think about it. It's the airline's responsibility to comply with the regulation. It's also the airline's responsibility to verify that passengers have the appropriate visa to enter destination country. In the airline's eyes, you can't change your nationality mid flight to take advantage of not paying a visa since the information on the passenger manifest remain static throughout the flight.
 
Bobsmyth said:
19 CFR 122.75a

(3) Information required. The electronic passenger departure manifest required under paragraph (b)(1) of this section must contain the following information for all passengers, except that the information specified in paragraphs (b)(3)(iv), (ix), and (xi) of this section must be included on the manifest only on or after October 4, 2005: (i) Full name (last, first, and, if available, middle); (ii) Date of birth; (iii) Gender (F = female; M = male); (iv) Citizenship; (v) Status on board the aircraft; (vi) Travel document type (e.g., P = passport; A = alien registration card); (vii) Passport number, if a passport is required; (viii) Passport country of issuance, if a passport is required; (ix) Passport expiration date, if a passport is required; (x) Alien registration number, where applicable; (xi) Passenger Name Record locator, if available



Still not convinced? Think about it. It's the airline's responsibility to comply with the regulation. It's also the airline's responsibility to verify that passengers have the appropriate visa to enter destination country. In the airline's eyes, you can't change your nationality mid flight to take advantage of not paying a visa since the information on the passenger manifest remain static throughout the flight.
Click to expand...

Hmm, so how does this jibe with the "usual" way a dual citizen travels back to his/her country of second citizenship? For example, I have traveled back to Germany several times using my US passport with the airline and the German passport for entry once on German soil. The same in reverse when traveling back. If Germany obtained my US information electronically, shouldn't there be a flag that someone else is trying to enter who was not listed on any of the passenger manifests? BTW, when entering in the international section of, say, a German airport, the border patrol official does not even know which country I just came from unless he/she asks. Most of the time, they just look at my German passport and wave me through.
 
I'm with natur08 and TripleCitizen. Although I haven't tried to travel back to Canada (original citizenship) since becoming a US citizen a few months ago, the next time I go, I fully intend to enter Canada with my Canadian passport, not my US one. I have a hard time believing this isn't the correct procedure!
 
natur08 said:
Hmm, so how does this jibe with the "usual" way a dual citizen travels back to his/her country of second citizenship? For example, I have traveled back to Germany several times using my US passport with the airline and the German passport for entry once on German soil. The same in reverse when traveling back. If Germany obtained my US information electronically, shouldn't there be a flag that someone else is trying to enter who was not listed on any of the passenger manifests? BTW, when entering in the international section of, say, a German airport, the border patrol official does not even know which country I just came from unless he/she asks. Most of the time, they just look at my German passport and wave me through.
Click to expand...

It's not an issue in your example since Germany doesn't require a visa for a USC and vice versa.
 
anxiouscdn2 said:
I'm with natur08 and TripleCitizen. Although I haven't tried to travel back to Canada (original citizenship) since becoming a US citizen a few months ago, the next time I go, I fully intend to enter Canada with my Canadian passport, not my US one. I have a hard time believing this isn't the correct procedure!
Click to expand...
Again, Canada doesn't require a visa for USC. The discussion here is about going to a country that requires a visa. You can enter Canada with your Canadian passport,but you must still exit the US with your US passport. That's why some dual US/Canadian citizens choose just to travel on US passport alone. There's no need to have 2 passports if travelling between US/Canada.
 
I guess I am just one lucky USC then. I switched passports flying to three different countries out of the US all of which needed visas from US citizens and I decided, for various reasons, to use my Canadian and Pakistani passports to enter those countries :)

Bobsmyth said:
Again, Canada doesn't require a visa for USC. The discussion here is about going to a country that requires a visa.
Click to expand...
 
Perhaps something new happens with the rules recently but it all sounds very strange to me. Many of my friends have dual Russian and U.S. citizenship and when they travel to Russia, they use the U.S. passport at check-in and the Russian passport at the border/customs control in Russia. I have never heard of the case of anyone in this situation being denied boarding. In fact, Russia will not issue a visa in a U.S. passport for someone who also has Russian citizenship. If they see the place of birth specified as Russia in a U.S. passport, they'll require proof that the Russian citizenship has been formally renounced by the person in question before they put a Russian visa in a U.S. passport.
 
I think the OP should have just called for the supervisor at the check in counter. I have an Australian and US passport. I have never faced problems. Delta has both my passport details in their system. I am though unable to use my Australian passport to enter China or India because they insist I used my US passport because the visa charges for US passport holders are much higher.
 
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