Dual Passports AUS/UK

[ozbeachbabe]

This doesn't apply to me at all. Simply asking out of interest: why do you need your Australian passport AND a visa in your UK passport? Won't the Australian passport alone suffice?

I think there's some confusion about an Australian needing a visa for the UK which they don't for normal tourist purposes.

What used to happen if you were a dual Citizen of UK & Oz was that you could just travel on your UK passport & have a valid re-entry visa for Australia and at that time there was no requirement to depart/arrive Oz on your Australian Passport.

I travelled on a British Passport only (I was born in Oz but Dad was born in the UK) from 1987 to 1997 which had a re-entry visa for Australia. It came in handy for:

a) entering the UK with no queueing up
b) travelling to Noumea last minute & no need for a visa whereas Oz p/p would
c) unscheduled 12 hour stopover in NRT when TG flight BKK/SEA via NRT was canx & saved me having to get a 48 hour shore pass on arrival at NRT

 

[MEL_Traveller]

if, as the OP described, the children were holding UK passports and the Oz passport expired while they were in the UK, then they would be permitted re-entry into Autralia even on the expired Oz passports.

A citizen is not denied entry into their own country. A call by the airline to Australian immigration would clear the right of the passenger to enter. (although one would suspect you might get told off on arricval!)

The complication would come as to whether the airline is prepared to carry the pax on an expired passport through a third country (for example in transit in HKG, BKK or SIN)

However - as the children would be holding valid UK passports, I cannot see a major problem being refused transport as they hold a valid passport (the UK ones) to enter those third countries... unless they were travelling via a third country which required UK passport holders to have visas...

 

[opusman]

Doesn't help the OP, but in the other direction my understanding was that the Uk doesn't legally require dual citizens to enter the UK on a UK passport, so a dual australian/uk passport holder could technically enter the UK on their Australian passport.

Certainly in the past they could, as I (being UK born) was able to enter the UK on my AU passport before I even applied for a UK one. Actually I remember being told at the time that I should have used the UK citizens channel - apparently just having "place of birth: London, UK" in the passport is enough to qualify for that!

 

[tuapekastar]

Actually I remember being told at the time that I should have used the UK citizens channel - apparently just having "place of birth: London, UK" in the passport is enough to qualify for that!

Now that is interesting...a choice for next time if I don't elect to get a UK passport in the meantime.

 

[Reggie]

Here's an interesting question,

If travelling in a party of 3, two have UK passports, and 1 only has an Aussie passport, can they all go through the UK/Euro line?

I saw an incident where a lady was pulled from the foreigner line to go to the desk where her partner was being processed at the UK/Euro line.

 

[Reggie]

I know this may seem very confusing but I ask because I don't want to have the expense of two passports and as Australians they will always be eligible for an Aussie Passport but the rules for a UK passport may change as they get older thus wanting to get one now. Thanks to all that can help.

Hi scottie123, I am in the same dilema as you, my son can obtain a UK passport (his mother was born there and has dual passports), and I to am worried the rules may change, so am about to organise his UK one, (he already has an Aussie one). I know it is an added expense, but the freedom it will allow him in is working years will be great, I wish I had access to one, unfortunately the UK Grandfather rule is no more for me, and the fact my father was born in the Netherlands doesn't help me get a Dutch/Euro one as he is a naturalised Australian.

 

[QF WP]

I believe the initial question has been answered.

I am just going through getting my son his first Australian passport, then applying for both of them to get their UK passports (Mrs LW born in England) for our trip there in May > July; but OUCH the cost of the UK ones!

By comparison, my new Irish one (my Dad was born there) is only EUR 80. We seriously contemplated (because of the difference in cost) looking at getting the kids Irish ones; but with the link of mother versus father for the future renewals will be easier.

Reggie, that was the conundrum we are trying to relieve. They have every right to transfer the Aussie back to the (longer) foreigner line. Thus we all needed to be dual. The saving in time (particularly on our 30 hour outbound sectors BNE/PER/HKG/LHR) will be worth every penny. Plus then the obvious benefits to the kids if they want to work/reside in Europe later in life

 

[QF WP]

if, as the OP described, the children were holding UK passports and the Oz passport expired while they were in the UK, then they would be permitted re-entry into Autralia even on the expired Oz passport.

A citizen is not denied entry into their own country. A call by the airline to Australian immigration would clear the right of the passenger to enter. (although one would suspect you might get told off on arricval!)

The complication would come as to whether the airline is prepared to carry the pax on an expired passport through a third country (for example in transit in HKG, BKK or SIN)

However - as the children would be holding valid UK passports, I cannot see a major problem being refused transport as they hold a valid passport (the UK ones) to enter those third countries... unless they were travelling via a third country which required UK passport holders to have visas...

Simple way to relieve this problem is to go and re-apply at the Australian Consulate prior to travel. Knowing the rules will help a lot of undue angst - "I didn't know' is not a defence for not having the correct documentation

 

[Peter D]

I am a dual citizen (UK and oz) and my wife is Australian. We used to use separate queues until told by an immigration officer that we could both use the EU queue. Now no problem anywhere in EU. I am not sure how closely related you need to be.

However it not always the quickest, sometimes there are more returning residents than "foreigners".

The E U queue does not give you a stamp in your passport which my wife likes to get if the queue is short.

When we both went through the E U queue at Rome, the friendly/humorous official asked my wife if she wanted a stamp and then sadly and charmingly said the "stamp queue" is over there (ie the non E U queue). She chose to forego the stamp.

 

[Nigelinoz]

Lindsay have you thought about getting your childrens UK passports whilst in the UK? passports for children under 16 issued in the UK are only 49 pounds,it's only a matter of making an appointment at a UK post office,take the forms and photos,pay the fee and they will forward the passports to a UK address for you,only takes a few weeks and if you are going to be there from May till July you should have time to organise it.'
Beats paying the australian fees.
Cheers
N'oz

 

[simongr]

I used to use the non-EU going into Cyprus with my wife as she hadn't renewed her UK passport but after that we just went EU...

 

[QF WP]

Nigelinoz, we're only in England for a week, so not going to work.

Lindsay have you thought about getting your childrens UK passports whilst in the UK? passports for children under 16 issued in the UK are only 49 pounds,it's only a matter of making an appointment at a UK post office,take the forms and photos,pay the fee and they will forward the passports to a UK address for you,only takes a few weeks and if you are going to be there from May till July you should have time to organise it.'
Beats paying the australian fees.
Cheers
N'oz

 

[munitalP]

Having dual passports is great if you can get it (I'm going for a 3rd passport, so that will be 1 Oz and 2 EU if l can pull it off, my mum is nagging my no end, so l have no choice ).

As mentioned already, going through the EU lines saves heaps of time.

I was under the impression (possibly wrong) that you cannot hold more than 2 passports if one of them is Australian.

I have UK as well and was told I could only hold 2 passports - have I been given the wrong info?

 

[flychrisfly]

I was under the impression (possibly wrong) that you cannot hold more than 2 passports if one of them is Australian.

I have UK as well and was told I could only hold 2 passports - have I been given the wrong info?

That may be the official position (but I don't really know) but practically speaking, it's doubtful anyone official would ever find out.

 

[samh004]

I’d love to know the answer re: 3 passports. I looked on the web and it certainly seems Australia has no restrictions on holding multiple other nationalities, but then I didn’t look on an official site.

 

[flychrisfly]

This part of the Department of Immigration website acknowledges the fact that someone can have multiple passports and doesn't seem to worry about it.

And from another section:
"Australians who hold dual or multiple nationalities should hold an Australian passport and use it to enter or leave Australia, even when using a foreign passport overseas."

 

[Nigelinoz]

A friend has 3-Canadian,Australian and UK-and she has never struck any trouble in having them.
Cheers
N'oz

 

[wyvern]

If you hold three nationalities and one is Australian and one UK neither country will stop you having third passport.

Entering the UK you don't have to enter on a UK passport, but you do have to establish that you are a UK citizen (for which a UK passport is the best way), have a passport from a country on the visitor visa free entry list (like Australia) in which case they should give you leave to enter (but they do not have to), or a visa if required. Having said that the airlines will check for a passport (and visa if applicable) before you can fly, so if you are a UK citizen so having a UK passport helps!

 

[avonlea]

I am another dual Aus/EU(UK) passport holder.

My advice... if you're expecting your children to travel in the future, invest the money in the UK passport as it will make travelling around Europe far easier.

You can look through other threads on this site and read up on the horrors people experience in trying to get back in to the UK after spending some time on the continent. The UK Customs officials can be "prickly" at the best of times.

Also, and I think it's been said before.. It's so much nicer getting off the long haul flight and breezing through the UK passport holder exit, rather than having to wait in a queue.

 

[sacolman]

I take it you mean " or a valid visa in UK passport"
The entire Shrek family has dual UK/Oz passports and travel with them both. It's a bit of a pain until you see the queue for non-eu passport holders at LHR

I found the EU queue longer than the one for foreigners i.e Aussies at LHR. Nevertheless I carry both passports, since they hardly cater for "others" in some EC airports.