Dual Citizenship Issue

[eire015]

Hi everyone,

 

I was wondering if anyone has had to deal with dual citizenship issues with Cunard.  I am a US and Irish citizen with both passports traveling from New York to Southampton soon (I am currently a resident of the USA), but Cunard is having difficulties with my passport information.  I need to enter the UK with the Irish passport as I am permanently moving to the UK for work purposes, but Cunard keeps telling me I need to tell them my US issued alien registration number in order to pass my information to the UK immigration control.  This makes no sense as I am a US citizen so I cannot possibly have one of those.  I have spoken with three separate customer service reps so far about this issue (I only discovered this issue inadvertently while asking about something else-which is rather alarming in and of itself), and they do not seem to know what to do about it so far.  I find it hard to believe that no one at Cunard has dealt with dual citizenship before now--especially as dual citizenship instructions are in the Cunard brochure I just received with my luggage labels.  It says to present both passports at check-in but to only travel using the one passport that will be sent to the next port of call which is Southampton.  The Voyage Personalizer let me enter the proper information for my Irish passport and I have a green check-mark next to it, but they keep telling me that it won't go through on their end without an alien registration number.   Perhaps this is an IT issue.  The rep said that in the past that they just put a made up number in this spot for the computer to accept it, but the UK immigration control will not let them do this anymore.  They told me they had a meeting with their department head this morning and that they decided I will need this alien registration number after all, which of course is not possible.

 

Thank you for anyone with any ideas on how to get this resolved in a positive manner!

[cruiseluvva]

No idea sorry, but I do hope you can get it sorted.

[Kynance]

Hi there - I don’t have experience of dealing with this issue on a personal basis but I think you will get better advice by contacting your nearest British consulate and getting some definitive advice from UK officials. Given that both UK and Irish citizens will continue to be able to live and work in each other’s countries regardless of what happens with regards to Brexit, I really don’t see why Cunard seems to be suggesting there is now some sort of additional immigration requirement for you to satisfy. If you have an Irish passport and travel on it, UK Border Force will treat you as an Irish citizen - you don’t say when you are travelling, but as I said, freedom of movement rights for Irish citizens won’t be affected by whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal. 

[roger3858]

I’d echo the suggestion to check with your nearest consulate. 

 

Im a simple fellow though - it seems fairly irrelevant to me which passport you board the ship on. Getting into the UK very much depends on what passport you present to UK immigration officials when they do your check. Provided you present your Irish passport to them at immigration I can’t see how they could refuse you entry to Uk. Happy to be corrected though!

[maryann2]

I am also dual nationality, Canadian and European passports..

I would suggest you use your American passport when boarding and when you see the Immigration Officers when arriving in the UK present your Irish passport.

[Neuhoftraveler]

12 hours ago, eire015 said:

Perhaps this is an IT issue.  The rep said that in the past that they just put a made up number in this spot for the computer to accept it, but the UK immigration control will not let them do this anymore.

My thought (not based on any relevant experience) is that this is a US Homeland Security/anti-terrorism issue, and that Cunard have been ordered by the US (or by British Immigration at the behest of the US) to obtain the alien registration number for anyone traveling out of the US on a non-US passport.  My suggestion may sound like overkill, but you might ask for help from the constituent-services staff in the office of your representative in the US Congress.

[Griller]

I have a similar situation and have always believed that first of all you must enter and leave US on your US passport.

I would not even mention to Cunard that I had another one.

Particularly as my Irish one has a Gaelicized name which is markedly different to the English language name in the other passport.

As a US citizen you do not currently need any Visa or ESTA to enter UK so Cunard cannot ask you for anything to do with this if you cross the Atlantic with your US passport.

But the moment you have to produce a passport to UK Border Control just produce your Irish one and they will wave you through.

What you are doing seems complicated and counter-productive and unnecessary.

[navybankerteacher]

Why is this an issue ? Why does Cunard care, and how did they even find out you have dual citizenship?  The only apparent determinant would seem to be your entry to the UK on a permanent basis which would argue for using your Irish passport.  I am sure they have boarded Irish nationals in New York before, and they are not overly interested in how, or when, they came to be in the US.

 

i would suggest you just insist on using the Irish passport.

[Underwatr]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I would suggest you just insist on using the Irish passport.

Seems like the issue is that Cunard would be obliged to report details on an alien's departure from the US, which apparently includes the registration number (to facilitate correlation of the entry and exit) and there isn't one because the OP entered on a US passport.

 

I've understood the process to be that a dual citizen leaves the US on a US passport (and that it is obligatory to do so*) but enters the other country on the non-US passport. I'm not sure why this doesn't cause a disconnect part way, but I will note that on a Cunard crossing they check you off the manifest as having presented yourself to UK passport control without correlating whether you have presented the same passport as you did at check-in.

 

*From https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/u-s-passports/u-s-passport-faqs/u-s-citizenship/

I am a U.S. citizen, but also have a foreign passport. Can I travel to the United States on the foreign passport?

No. U.S. citizens must enter and leave the United States on valid U.S. passports, even if they hold a passport from another country. If your U.S. passport has been lost or stolen, or if it has expired, you must apply to replace it before traveling to the United States

 

 

[moses0]

I depart USA on USA passport. Enter UK on British Passport {nice just walk through). 

Leave UK on USA passport and enter USA on USA passport. Never a problem. 

We taking a trip this month. Flying from USA I will enter UK on British passport. However Cunard have my USA passport details for the cruise Which I will use out of and back into UK. Then fly back on USA passport. 

Don't suppose that help[s you much. Like someone said I would leave on your USA one and when you get to Ireland use your Irish one. 

[eire015]

Thanks everyone for the advice.  After a few more exchanges, Cunard here in the US checked with the main office in the UK and they said I should enter my US passport details in the Voyage Personalizer and present the US passport at check-in.  Once aboard, I should go to the purser and have them switch me to the Irish passport in their system.  They put a note in my file explaining my situation as changing passports once aboard is obviously not typically done.  I am traveling next month, so I will let everyone know if I encounter any further issues!