Dual Citizenship - one passport expired.

mitchie.mitch

Hey all:

I hold dual citizenship, US and Irish. I am flying to the States and just realised that my US passport is expired. I won't have time to get a replacement. I still have my Irish passport though which I'm hoping they will allow me to travel on. I'm going to bring my expired passport just to be safe. I'm pretty sure that this happened to me before many years ago. I just wanted to know if anyone could shed some light on this or if they had any experiences similar to this?

Would really appreciate your assistance here.

Thanks!

Ponster

As a US citizen you are required to enter the country with your US passport. If you were to use your Irish passport you would require an ESTA visa and only be allowed to stay for 3 months (unless you had a visa which I doubt).

AFAIK you don't actually need a valid passport to get into the USA. Once you get there your identity can be proven otherwise though it make take a little longer to get through security. You only need the valid passport to get on the plane.

I really don't know what to suggest but please be wary of making decision based solely on advice from an Internet forum

iusedtoknow

phone the embassy, the easiest thing is they may issue you temporary travel documents and then you can renew in your own time once you are there, or once you are home.

FISMA

mitchie.mitch wrote: »

Hey all:

I hold dual citizenship, US and Irish. I am flying to the States and just realised that my US passport is expired. I won't have time to get a replacement. I still have my Irish passport though which I'm hoping they will allow me to travel on. I'm going to bring my expired passport just to be safe. I'm pretty sure that this happened to me before many years ago. I just wanted to know if anyone could shed some light on this or if they had any experiences similar to this?

Would really appreciate your assistance here.

Thanks!

Are the names on the passports the same? If not, the American could be a liability.

As the other poster stated, you have to have your American passport, if you are going to be traveling on American rules. If you only have your Irish, expect to travel under the rules for an Irish citizen in the States.

If you're returning to Eire, there probably should be no problem.

If you have an address in the States, could you not mail on the renewal to that address and pick it up while there?

mitchie.mitch

I'm leaving tomorrow so I don't think I'll have time to get a replacement but I am returning to Ireland so hopefully I'll be allowed through.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Victor

Well, get on the phone to them.

whitey1

I would NOT travel on the Irish passport. I know someone who did something similar and got in a world of hot water. Granted it was closer to 9/11 and everyone was up tight. They were essentially put on a "no fly list" for several years. This is not second hand info...that I heard from my second cousins sister in law.....I heard it directly from the horses mouth

hfallada

My mothers friends daughter was born in Boston and didnt fly on her us passport to NYC this summer and was questioned for over 3 hours over why would an american citizen not fly on their us passport. If I were you I would phone the embassy to see what they can do for you.

whitey1

hfallada wrote: »

My mothers friends daughter was born in Boston and didnt fly on her us passport to NYC this summer and was questioned for over 3 hours over why would an american citizen not fly on their us passport. If I were you I would phone the embassy to see what they can do for you.

LOL-thats what my buddy did.

He is one of Congressman Lynch's closesnt friends and and had to get the Congressman on the phone in order to be let through by ICE who had held him for several hours. They then "confiscated" both of his passports

clairefontaine

Ponster wrote: »

As a US citizen you are required to enter the country with your US passport. If you were to use your Irish passport you would require an ESTA visa and only be allowed to stay for 3 months (unless you had a visa which I doubt).

AFAIK you don't actually need a valid passport to get into the USA. Once you get there your identity can be proven otherwise though it make take a little longer to get through security. You only need the valid passport to get on the plane.

I really don't know what to suggest but please be wary of making decision based solely on advice from an Internet forum

They won't let you on the plane. You HAVE to go on your US passport.

Ponster

clairefontaine wrote: »

They won't let you on the plane. You HAVE to go on your US passport.

Would it flag a security system though if they traveled on their Irish passport? I don't know if the TSA have a database of people who hold multiple passports.

clairefontaine

Ponster wrote: »

Would it flag a security system though if they traveled on their Irish passport? I don't know if the TSA have a database of people who hold multiple passports.

All I know is this. I carry four passports with me when I travel. My handbag is a disaster zone. I'm usually in a hurry to catch the plane. One time I just plopped a passport on the desk at Dublin airport on my way to the US. It was my Irish passport, that says born in the USA on the inside cover. They made me offer up my American one and would not accept the Irish one. Obviously he born in the USA is a give away. Maybe for naturalised citizens they might get away with it because their passports say born in Ireland, so not as obvious.

Silpac

mitchie.mitch wrote: »

I'm leaving tomorrow so I don't think I'll have time to get a replacement but I am returning to Ireland so hopefully I'll be allowed through.

Thanks everyone for your help!

I have the same issue - did you manage to work it out ? I have applied for and ESTA and told them I have a US passport / was born there as its on the form. Did they let you through - did you clear in Ireland or US ?

SHOVELLER

FISMA wrote: »

Are the names on the passports the same? If not, the American could be a liability.

As the other poster stated, you have to have your American passport, if you are going to be traveling on American rules. If you only have your Irish, expect to travel under the rules for an Irish citizen in the States.

If you're returning to Eire, there probably should be no problem.

If you have an address in the States, could you not mail on the renewal to that address and pick it up while there?

Eire????

US citizens have to enter and leave the US on a US passport. That is law:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/74/~/us-citizens---documents-needed-for-entry-into-the-u.s.

silja

***** Mod note: I am going to let this thread run, but please note it is close to 2 years old, and immigration policies/ how easy it is to pass through the border often change... *****

Ponster

silja wrote: »

***** Mod note: I am going to let this thread run, but please note it is close to 2 years old, and immigration policies/ how easy it is to pass through the border often change... *****

Mod note #2 : I had decided that exact same thing but hadn't replied to the thread to say so :P

A R

Travel to and from the United States: According to Section 215 of the U.S Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1185) it is illegal for a U.S. citizen to enter or leave the United States on anything other than a U.S. passport. This applies to dual citizens as well, meaning that persons holding e.g. both Irish and U.S. citizenships MUST enter and leave the United States on a valid U.S. passport; they may NOT enter/leave the United States on an Irish/foreign passport. This applies to children as well as adults.

coylemj

A R wrote: »

Travel to and from the United States: According to Section 215 of the ...

Very kind of you to register on boards and then drag up a two year old thread for your first post.