Does using two passports look really dodgy?

[Tiki]

We are both dual citizens-me AU/US, my husband AU/NZ. I am planning to use my Aussie passport for everything except entering the USA where I HAVE to use the US passport. My husband was going to use his Aussie passport for the whole trip.

I just found out that NZ citizens don't need a visa for Brazil and they don't have to pay a reciprocity fee to enter Chile. But would it look funny to immigration officials if our exit/entry stamps don't match? If he enters Chile and Brazil as a NZ, it saves us about $170 AUD.

Also, is the reciprocity enforced at Easter Island, that is our first point of touch down in Chile, after that we transit through to Peru.

 

[Altair]

Only trouble I have had, and others at work also experienced is the US/other combo.
I have US/Aust and when I enter the US I have to use the US, as you know. What happened was the US agent wanted to know where I lived as there were no stamps etc in the passport that indicated that and thougth I may have fake/suspicous passport. I had to show my OZ passport and then got interrogated for several minutes. People at work have recently been told that they must exit NZ on US passport, but as they do no have residence visas because they have NZ passports I do not know how that one goes over in NZ.
I have had more trouble travelling on my US passport than my OZ one.
It used to be US had some very good agreements with many countries that others did not have but that has definitely changed as more countries get the same benefit so I have recently been travelling only on my OZ one. In fact my US is set to expire in three weeks and I wonder if I should bother renewing it.

 

[Tiki]

My US passport is well used so I wouldn't have any trouble with it.

I am more worried about the South American countries. Our sole reason for my husband using his NZ passport is to avoid having to pay for Chile and Brazil visas. He will have to use his Aussie passport to enter the US because the NZ is an older one without the barcode thingy.

 

[serfty]

"Barcode Thingy"? No OZ passports that I know of have a barcode.

New ones have micro-chips containing data and Oz Customs call them "epassports", older ones have a "Machine Readable" Photo page.

If your husband has a currently valid Oz PP then it should at least be machine readable.

Machine readable? - please see here: Visa to US

 

[Mal]

If your husband has a currently valid Oz PP then it should at least be machine readable.

I presume Tiki is talking about machine readable - not anything else... and yes, even some recentish issued passports from certain countries may not be machine readable (someone I know got an emergency passport issued by a country about 12 months ago that didn't have a Machine Readable strip - and just contained a stuck-on photograph under the laminate).

A good reference site is this one:

DHS: Visa Waiver Program: Passport Requirements Timeline

 

[NM]

You don't have a choice. When entering and leaving Australia, you must use you Australian passport of you have one. And if entering the USA, you must use you USA passport if you have one.

This is not a "dodge" practice, but one which you are required to use by Australian and USA laws.

 

[Tiki]

"Barcode Thingy"? No OZ passports that I know of have a barcode.

New ones have micro-chips containing data and Oz Customs call them "epassports", older ones have a "Machine Readable" Photo page.

If your husband has a currently valid Oz PP then it should at least be machine readable.

Machine readable? - please see here: Visa to US

That's what I meant, they can be swiped by immigration officials like they swipe stuff at the supermarket check out.

What I am trying to determine is if it looks dodgy to officials in Chile and Brazil if our entry exit stamps don't match. For example, if my husband uses his NZ passport (not machine readable) to enter ONLY those two countries in order to save the money for the visa. Can someone please at least advise about Brazil as I need to send the application off for my visa at least and they cost $90 each.

 

[NM]

If you have two passports, then for entry into a third country (ie a country other than one from which you hold a passport) then you can choose whichever passport you want to use. Just be sure to use the same passport for departing as you used for entry.

 

[QF WP]

Exactly what NM said. You just have to enter and exit on the same ones. If travelling on one in particular can save you money, then there's nothing to say that it is illegal, immoral or otherwise to do as it suits you.

I use Irish/AU passports, my wife AU/UK. My daughter can choose whether she wants UK or Irish .

 

[Tiki]

I am seriously considering having my husband use the Aussie passport all the way. I got word on another website that Brazilian airport officials are very strict and they check everything. We will be arrving on a flight from Lima so we need yellow fever certificates. It would look strange if he has no exit stamp from Peru. We will be connecting to an onward flight to Foz and don't want any delays so we might just bite the bullet and pay for his Brazilian visa.

At least we found out that the reciprocity isn't collected at Easter Island, at least not until 2008.

 

[alemdohorizonte]

I am seriously considering having my husband use the Aussie passport all the way. I got word on another website that Brazilian airport officials are very strict and they check everything. We will be arrving on a flight from Lima so we need yellow fever certificates. It would look strange if he has no exit stamp from Peru. We will be connecting to an onward flight to Foz and don't want any delays so we might just bite the bullet and pay for his Brazilian visa.

At least we found out that the reciprocity isn't collected at Easter Island, at least not until 2008.

make sure you both have evidence of a yellow fever vaccination when traveling to brazil from peru. otherwise you risk being denied entry. they tend to be very strict about this. also, i wouldn't worry about having your husband use his nz passport in brazil. i live there and here in oz and have lots of experience with going back and forth. my advice to him would be to use whichever passport doesn't require a visa.

 

[Tiki]

We finally ended up using his Aussie passport and we both have our visas now.

I was just researching yellow fever shots and they are ridiculously expensive here. I called a place in BNE and they told me $60 for the shot and $60 for the "consultation". Like why do we need a consultation to get one measly jab? :evil:

I'm also researching on LP TT for getting it done in Peru. So far, Puerto Maldonado seems to do it at the airport- for FREE. Other possibilites are PPT, IPC, Cuzco and Lima.

Where do we get the vaccination cards to be stamped?

 

[alemdohorizonte]

We finally ended up using his Aussie passport and we both have our visas now.

I was just researching yellow fever shots and they are ridiculously expensive here. I called a place in BNE and they told me $60 for the shot and $60 for the "consultation". Like why do we need a consultation to get one measly jab? :evil:

I'm also researching on LP TT for getting it done in Peru. So far, Puerto Maldonado seems to do it at the airport- for FREE. Other possibilites are PPT, IPC, Cuzco and Lima.

Where do we get the vaccination cards to be stamped?

i went to one of those travel doctor locations in sydney to get mine. they gave me a yellow colored set of pages which show all the vaccinations you get and stamped it in their office. their info is here: ♥ Traveldoctor - Vaccinations and malaria prevention - Peru (Amazonas) do you have time to get it befor you leave? i'd recommend making sure you have the vaccinations prior to getting to peru to avoid unforeseen difficulties. peru is a wonderful place but weird things happen (last time i was in lima there was a huge riot and eveything was closed).

 

[simongr]

I was just researching yellow fever shots and they are ridiculously expensive here. I called a place in BNE and they told me $60 for the shot and $60 for the "consultation". Like why do we need a consultation to get one measly jab? :evil:

The consultation should be medicareable - not 100% coverage but some.

I just had mine for TB and Hep for China - thankfully the $200 fee was covered by the company.

 

[Tiki]

How much to you get back on Medicare? I found two options, the private travel clinics which are really expensive. Like $60 for the shot and $60 for a consultation-only the consultation is supposed to be partially refundable but they won't tell me how much. Or we can get a referral from a bulk biller and go to the one at RBWH where they bulkbill the fees but you have to pay $44 for the vaccination. This option means we would miss one hour of work each if we get the lates possible appt.

I know this isn't a lot of money to you guys but its a grudge purchase, we don't really want it but have to get it and you don't get a prettier shot for paying more at the private clinics.

So does anyone know about the Medicare rebate? We hardly ever go to doctors, we just don't get sick. I don't know why but we don't!

 

[DTM1]

I have used both my aussie and UK passports over the years and never had a problem. Nice to have the option of avoiding visa fees when the opportunities present themselves.

 

[Mal]

For Medicare, the amount you get back on the base consultation depends on what type of consultation it is. Different ones have different rebates.

I'd estimate maybe $30-$40 back on the $60 from Medicare. Medicare won't (I think) rebate anything of the cost of the vaccine itself.

Most bulk billers have the ability to vaccinate. You'd have an extended appointment where they write the prescription, then collect it from the chemist and return to have it done. Not sure about the availability of Yellow Fever Vaccination from chemists (vs Hep A/B/etc which are more readily available) though. There may be a small out of pocket expense when bulk billed for the materials used in the jab itself.

Do you have private health insurance? My vaccinations are covered by Medibank under my "Package Plus" bonus. ($100 per year to spend on health related items). Some other funds have similar benefits or can cover vaccinations more readily.

 

[ozmerish]

To add to earlier posts, IME I have always checked in with the US passport when catching a flight to the USA. I then switch to the AU passport to clear AU immigration. When I land in the US, I pull out the US passport for their immigration. Never had an issue. Same program in reverse when returning to Oz.

As NM and LW stated earlier - if you have a passport for a particular country, you must enter and exit that country on it - I am unaware of any exception.

Happy travels and enjoy Easter Island! Interesting place

 

[Tiki]

For Medicare, the amount you get back on the base consultation depends on what type of consultation it is. Different ones have different rebates.

I'd estimate maybe $30-$40 back on the $60 from Medicare. Medicare won't (I think) rebate anything of the cost of the vaccine itself.

Most bulk billers have the ability to vaccinate. You'd have an extended appointment where they write the prescription, then collect it from the chemist and return to have it done. Not sure about the availability of Yellow Fever Vaccination from chemists (vs Hep A/B/etc which are more readily available) though. There may be a small out of pocket expense when bulk billed for the materials used in the jab itself.

Do you have private health insurance? My vaccinations are covered by Medibank under my "Package Plus" bonus. ($100 per year to spend on health related items). Some other funds have similar benefits or can cover vaccinations more readily.

Nope no private health insurance, we were over 40 when we migrated to Australia so with the surcharge it just wasn't worth it. Besides (don't all laugh now) coming from the USA orginally, the Aussie public system totally rocks!!

Yellow fever shots have to be given at certain authorized centers afaik.

The thing that worries me is that the private clinics will try to hard sell us on other vaccinations too. The only reason we are even getting them is because it's a requirement to get into Brazil. I don't want anything else. I don't want to get to a private travel clinic, pay the ridiculous consultation fee and then they force us to get heaps of other vaccines as well.

Has anyone ever been to one of the clinics in Brisbane? What was your experience like?