I found advice on the internet, but I don't know if I trust it. So, figured I'd tap the infinite wisdom of the bbs. My kid is traveling to China with a group. She has an American and a French passport. China requires a visa from Americans, but not from French. So, she could enter China on the French passport without the cost and trouble of the visa. But, US law says Americans returning to the US should enter with an American passport. So, which passport should we use to book the flight? Which should we present to Chinese border control? Which should we present to US border control?
1. Booking the Flight Book the flight using the same passport that you’ll use to enter the destination country — in this case, the French passport. Why: Airlines check visa requirements before boarding. If the ticket shows a U.S. passport, the airline will expect to see a Chinese visa. If it shows a French passport, the airline will see that she’s visa-exempt for China and will allow boarding without one. So: ✅ Book the ticket under the French passport information. 2. At Chinese Border Control (Entering China) Present the French passport when arriving in China. Why: French citizens can enter China visa-free (for up to the period allowed under China–France agreements, typically 15 days as of recent policy). Using the U.S. passport here would require a visa, which she doesn’t have. So: ✅ Enter China with the French passport. 3. At Chinese Departure (Leaving China) Leave China using the same passport she entered with — the French passport. Why: China’s immigration system will show her entry record under that passport number. Leaving on a different passport can cause confusion or be denied. So: ✅ Exit China with the French passport. 4. At U.S. Border Control (Returning to the U.S.) Present the American passport when arriving in the U.S. Why: U.S. law (8 U.S.C. §1185(b)) requires U.S. citizens to enter and leave the U.S. on a U.S. passport. U.S. citizens cannot be denied entry, but using the correct passport avoids long explanations. So: ✅ Enter the U.S. with the American passport. ^^^ according to ChatGPT
Has ChatGPT ever flown international before? Yeah, that's the answer I find on the internet. But, is she going to get hassle at security leaving the US on a French passport as a US citizen? Is she going to get hassle showing a US passport upon return when her flight was booked on a French one?
Why not just get a visa and travel on the American passport, given that she's with a group that I'm assuming is doing just that? Guarantees no hassles leaving and entering the US, especially given this: U.S. law (8 U.S.C. §1185(b)) requires U.S. citizens to enter and leave the U.S. on a U.S. passport.
@htownrox1 On the first bullet point below, she didn't leave the US on a US passport. Could be a flag that there's no record of her exit when she goes through customs upon return. I think she'll be ok but have to give further explanation of what she did. Why: U.S. law (8 U.S.C. §1185(b)) requires U.S. citizens to enter and leave the U.S. on a U.S. passport. U.S. citizens cannot be denied entry, but using the correct passport avoids long explanations.
Mainly because I don't want to spend $250 if I don't have to. Her group has a number of different passports and there might be one other person who is a dual-national like her.
Do you really want your child to **** around with entering and exiting two countries that are a massive pain in the ass to enter and exit right now? Both will currently throw a foreigner's ass in jail for infractions. And if she tries to re-enter the US with a French passport, she's a 'foreigner' to these idiot ICE agents. And this is all to save 250 bucks. You know what happens after FA, right?
My kids are dual citizens and have run into this before. Keep in mind, you dont "book" a flight using a passport. Rather you check in to a flight using a passport to validate your right to enter the country you are flying to. So your child should check in to the flight going to China on the French Passport. And when returning to the US, they should check in using the US passport. China does have an exit control, so your child would need to show the French passport to the officer at the exit booth (since their status in China is tied to that passport).
Tons of people have multiple passports and deal with this just fine. This is not a big deal at all. Airlines all have procedures to deal with dual passports. I work in the industry and am very familiar with all of the government security mandates around this. His kid will be fine as long as they check in using the correct passport in each direction.
Thanks. I will say, though, that the last time I booked an international flight, I entered a passport number online either when I bought the ticket or when I checked in. But since that is the airline and not TSA, maybe that's not the critical part.
Some countries require that the airlines collect a passport number at time of booking because they have a mandate that the airline send the passenger manifests before check in (say 72 hours before the flight). So to comply, the collect a passport up front. If that is indeed the case on your booking, just use the French passport (as that would be the passport used to enter China). The US doesn't care what passport you use to exit the US (since your child is a US citizen). It does matter if you're on a visitor visa/ESTA, since you want the US to record the exit on the passport you entered on to ensure that the US doesn't think you overstayed but in your child's case it doesn't matter. When checking in on the return flight, just use the US passport. This part is critical because the US has a system called secure flight where they will validate the travel document of each passenger at time of check in and issue a Board/No Board notice to the airline. And since the French passport wouldn't have an ESTA, you'd want to use the correct passport to return.
Call me a wimp but I would just pay the money for peace of mind. The world (including the U.S.) is insane right now.
This was highly informative geeimsobored, thank you for providing it. I've always wondered how dual nationality travel would work.
Part of this is that dual citizenship is relatively rare in the US. I'm in Canada where it's extremely common. Everyone seems to have at least two passports here and entering and exiting on different passports is routine. It sounds scary in theory but in practice, this is so routine for border officials that it's really nothing to worry about. The Chinese government is well aware of dual citizens and there are tons of dual citizens taking advantage of the visa free travel option that Europeans have. Our old neighbours are dual Canadian-Italian citizens and they went to China with no issue and they had to do the same passport shuffle (check in using the Italian one flying to China and checking in using the Canadian one on the way back). And it's not like Canada has good relations with China right now either.
Itll be fine. Worst that can happen is you get delay a little in questioning, but ain't that bad. My kid is dual citizen and has done it with no real issues.
