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Border police and airlines do not handle travelers with multiple passports.
They expect each traveler to have ONE passport. Showing two (or more) passports at border checks led to bad results for many people I met in my experience as an immigration lawyer: border officers may easily delay you and let you miss a connecting flight.
What should you know to avoid any problem at European border checks?
(This article was updated on Feb 29, 2024)
#1. European countries have immigration checks on EXIT, too!
Most countries in the world have immigration checks only on their entrance. Not in Europe.
Most European States are tied to the Schengen Agreement. They share external borders and the area within, a common space uniting more European countries, is called the Schengen area. Each traveler is expected to show the passport to the immigration police upon arrival at any point of entry of the Schengen area and also at any point of exit.
Schengen states (27): Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden.
Additionally, the non-EU States Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein also have joined the Schengen Area.
# 2. You are supposed to show only ONE passport.
If you have more than one passport, which passport is it best to use?
If you are traveling to Italy and have an Italian passport or ID card, Italian law requires you to use that to identify yourself. Most states in the world have a similar policy.
– If you have an Italian passport
1. Always show your Italian passport (and only that) upon entering or leaving Italy, at any airport or another border crossing.
2. If you arrive at any point of entry in the Schengen area other than Italy (and you do not have a passport of that particular country), again show your Italian passport. That is because Italy has privileged relations with all European Union countries.
Italian citizens can enter the EU and EAA countries freely, together with their family members. Follow the signs for European citizens and show your Italian passport.
– If you do not have an Italian passport
If you are traveling to Italy and do not have an Italian passport, the most convenient choice is to use the passport of the state with which Italy has special border policy agreements, such as one of the countries of the Schengen area (see list above). That allows you to enjoy free access without the limitations for non-EU citizens.
Other convenient passports are those of states for which Italy has no visa requirement, at least for short stays. The list varies from year to year. You can check whether you need a visa according to your passport and country of usual residence: official visa website of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
How does the 90-days rule work with 2 passports?
Even if you are “visa-free”, a 90-days limit applies. The Schengen area policy is such that you can stay for a maximum of 90 days within the last 180-days period from your entry date (counting backwards). Check my article here for more details.
If you have more than one passport and none is of a Schengen state (listed above), the same rule applies. Each person has a 90 days stay limit within the 180-days period.
#3. Ticket data = passport data
When bookign your flight, write your data carefully according to what is written on your passport when traveling to Italy and to Europe.
Border police checks start with matching your passport data (including the passport number) with your travel ticket, as well as an EU Passenger Locator Form and whatever other document they may request at any given time of the year.
If the border police notice any difference, a deeper and more time-consuming control will take place. The outcome depends on the law of the state in which you find yourself at the time of entry. Moreover, you can be denied boarding if your name on it differs in anything from that on the registered passport in your flight booking.
Not only the passport number on your travel ticket and forms can be an issue. In some cases, the same person’s name and last name may vary from one passport to the other. For example, a married woman’s last name may be registered differently from country to country. Whilst many states apply the husbands’ name to a wife, in Italy the maiden name usually applies to all ID documents. Moreover, the spelling of the name may vary, according to the law of the state that issued the passport. Italy applies the name(s) and spelling exactly as in the concerned person’s birth record. The name on the birth record match exactly the name on the passport.
What if you already booked your trip with your other passport?
The risk is high that you will be denied boarding. So it is important to change your ID data on your travel ticket.
Most airlines allow you to change your data until checking in (for a fee). If you do not manage to obtain the change online or via the airline customer care before your departure date, you can obtain the changes at the check-in counter or at the airline office in the airport.
RECAP!
Show your Italian passport BOTH at entry and exit points. Your hassle-free journey starts with your booking. Remember to write the data on your Italian passport.
Would you like to know more? Download my free SPECIAL 2 PASSPORT TRAVEL KEY
Content:
Which checks are you meeting on your way IN and on your way OUT of Europe?
Which passport are you supposed to show at border checks outside of Europe, as an Italian dual citizen?
More details on how does the 90-days rule work with 2 passports
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PASSPORTS TRAVEL KEY
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Hello, I am a Ukrainian citizen with two valis foreign/travel passports (allowed according to Ukrainian law). One has a Canadian visa, one has a USA visa. I am travelling to Canada with a layover flight in the USA. To which passport should I register my flight – with the Canadian visa as my final destination is Canada or with the one with a US visa as I am transmitting passanger? Or it does not matter, and I show both? Thanks a Lot
Dear Anna, my field of expertise is the Schengen area. So I can’t answer to your question about USA and Canada. It is important that you check this information with the airline. Good luck with your journey! 💙💛🌻
I am a UK resident and have a UK passport in my name which I slightly changed by deed poll.
I am also an Italian national but this passport and ID card shows my birth name.
When travelling to Italy can I book flights in my UK name, showing that passport on departure, and use my Italian passport on arrival in Italy at passport control, even though my tickets are in a different name?
And vice versa when returning to the UK? What name should I book flights in?
Absolutely, Francesca! No problem with the border control if you travel between UK and the Schengen area with your UK and Italian passport. The Italian/Schengen state police has an obligation to let you in with an Italian passport, irrespective or the name on your ticket. The same holds for the UK border police to holders of UK passports. As for the exit check from the Schengen area, they will not question your ticket upon exit.
Conversely, the airline will only take you if the name on your ticket matches exactly that on the passport that you register for check-in, either the UK or the Italian one are ok. So you will show them only the matching passport. Thanks for your great question! Please follow me on IG and drop me a comment or message 🙂 ⭐️
I am a duel passport holder German and English, I live in England,
Do I still have the same rights as an eu citizen, and whilst travelling in the eu/Schengen, does my husband benefit from these rights while travelling with mr
Hello Anne! Absolutely, as a German national, you enjoy the benefits of being an EU citizen, which includes the right to freely enter and stay in any EU member state. Just present your German passport to the border authorities. Post-Brexit, your British passport no longer affords you this privilege, so ensure to use your German passport when traversing the EU 🤗 🛂.
For your husband, his rights within the EU depend on his nationality. Should he possess a passport from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, he can independently move and reside freely in the EU. If not, under EU Directive 2004/38, he is entitled to accompany and reside with you as your family member.
I have 2 passports, Australian and Hungarian. However my Hungarian passport shows my original Hungarian family name which was changed to English name when I became an Australian citizen.
When travelling overseas and I want to use my Hungarian passport, do I book my flight tickets under the Hungarian name … I understand that I use my Australian passport when leaving and entering Australia.
Sure, when travelling to and from Italy and the EU it is advisable to always show your Hungarian passport. Book your trips under your Hungarian family name. I recommend to not show your Australian passport on a different name to avoid confusion and delays. There is no problem to re-enter Australia with tickets under a different family name than that you officially have in Australia, as long as you show the Australian border police your Australian passport.
I am an Australian passport holder, as is my husband and 3 children. I am also a Northern Ireland passport holder. We are moving to Italy for my job and anticipate we will be there for 12 months. I believe that my husband and children have the same EU rights as me while i am there. Do they still need to ‘declare’ themselves when we arrive at the Commune? And to confirm, I would leave Australia on my Australian passport, and use my EU passport at immigration when we arrive in Italy? Does my husband and children need to carry anything around with them in Italy?
Hello, Amanda! About the use of your 2 passports, your strategy is correct.
And you assume well: your husband and children have the same EU rights as me while you are in Italy as an Irish passport holder. Since you plan to stay onger than 90 days, it’s important that you and your children report to the local municipality and register your residence. Your husband, if he holds non-EU passport, will need to report to the immigration police within 8 days and to apply for residency before 90 days from arrival in the Schengen area. For more details, you are welcome to check my article Is your family member an Italian Citizen? Get your 5 years residence card