r/AskAnAustralian • u/Plane-Flower8100 • 1d ago
Dual citizen travel from U.K. to Australia (but baby only has Aussie passport)
Me and my husband are dual citizens U.K. and Australian. We’ve just had a baby and only got her an Australian passport. When we’ve travelled back to the U.K. in the past we’ve taken both passports - Aussie to leave and enter Aus , uk to leave and enter uk. As our baby will only have Australian we are thinking to just take the Aussie passport , my husband’s British passport has expired and he might not bother to renew.
Is it possible for us to all travel on Australian passports (and get an ETA) even though the two of us are British citizens? If not, how do we manage the different queues with our baby.
Anyone’s experience of the will be great.
Edit: yes I mean ETA for entering UK on Aussie passport
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u/Proud_Apricot316 1d ago
Yes you can. Just did it on a recent trip. My British passport had expired and it would taken too long to get a new one, so I just used my Australian passport for the whole trip.
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u/Plane-Flower8100 1d ago
That’s great to know! So did you get the ETA visa? Did they question you at all?
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u/leftmysoulthere74 1d ago
I’ve made two trips back to the UK since that passport expired and I just used my Australian one for everything.
Was prepared to plead ignorance and promise to get it renewed while I was there but nobody ever mentioned it. The queue at passport control wasn’t as long as I imagined either.
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u/Plane-Flower8100 1d ago
And you also got the U.K. ETA on your Aussie passport to enter UK?
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u/leftmysoulthere74 1d ago edited 1d ago
Never needed one.
Current advice from Aus Govt:
If you're travelling to the UK as a tourist for less than 6 months, you usually don't require a visa. If you plan to visit the UK for more than 6 months or for any purpose other than tourism, you should consult the UK Home Office for the most up-to-date information. Australians visiting the UK who don't need a visa for short stays or have no other UK immigration status will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to travel to or transit through the UK.
Current advice from UK Govt:
Who needs an ETA
Most visitors travelling to the UK need an ETA or a visa. What you need depends on:
Your nationality
Why you’re coming to the UK
You usually need an ETA rather than a visa if you’re from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries.
Check if you need an ETA or visa to come to the UK.
There are some people who do not need an ETA, for example if you have:
A British or Irish passport
Permission to live, work or study in the UK
EDIT
Further in the UK website I found this:
Dual citizens
If you’re a dual citizen with British or Irish citizenship, you cannot get an ETA. When you travel to the UK you’ll need to prove your citizenship using:
A valid British passport
A valid Irish passport
Another valid passport containing a certificate of entitlement
So it could be that next time I will need one. The last two times I haven’t but it’s been 5yrs so they might have got a bit stricter. If that’s the case I’ll pay the 16 quid for the ETA next time. A lot cheaper than a second passport that since Br*xit is absolutely worthless.
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u/Umbra_Lucis 1d ago
It'll be much easier for you if whoever is taking the baby through has the same passport as them. I don't believe you can use the SmartGates with a British passport but all three could just go through the standard (usually slower) lines with your combination of passports. If you and your partner are dual citizens it will be easier if you get an Australian passport too and then you can all use the SmartGates and not need to go through manual processing.
I found this on the UK travel advisory regarding dual citizenship suggesting it's better to use the Australian passport in this instance: https://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/DualNationals.html#:~:text=Entering%20and%20leaving%20Australia&text=If%20you%20have%20a%20passport,United%20Kingdom%20and%20entering%20Australia
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u/nickthetasmaniac 1d ago
Babies/kids can't use smart gates regardless. Families usually get directed to the 'assisted' lines at passport control.
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u/Neulara 1d ago edited 1d ago
Do you mean get an ETA for Australia or for UK? You won’t be eligible (and won’t need) for an Australian ETA. You’ll have to look into British ETA if you’re travelling on Aussie passport -whether they will grant you one. If you don’t have your British passport, and don’t have a British ETA in Australian passport, be prepared at the airport when going back to the UK to take extra time for the airline to be satisfied that you can enter the UK.
In terms of the queues, just pick one and all go together. It’s not a problem. My brother has Aussie passport but the rest of his family all have British passport and they just all go together when in an airport and nobody cares.
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u/Plenty-Giraffe6022 1d ago edited 1d ago
Australian citizens can't get ETAs. What different queues are you talking about?
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u/Neulara 1d ago
I think they’re talking about an ETA to enter UK, but it’s not clear from the post
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u/Plenty-Giraffe6022 1d ago
I'm fairly certain British citizens can't get British ETAs.
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u/Plane-Flower8100 1d ago
Yeh it’s a bit confusing..but if you look at reply from proud apricot then it seems that it’s the way to do it if entering UK on Aussie passport.
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u/Plane-Flower8100 1d ago
Yes sorry, I mean ETA for entering UK on Australian passports
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u/Plenty-Giraffe6022 1d ago
As British citizens, are you able to get British visas?
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u/Plane-Flower8100 15h ago
Yes that’s my question, if entering Britain on Australian passport, e.g. if don’t renew British passport
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u/Plenty-Giraffe6022 10h ago
You should be able to enter on Australian passports as British citizens. It will be a hassle, though.
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u/Kiwitechgirl 1d ago
Check to see if you can get an endorsement on your Aussie passport to show you’re a British citizen. I’m a dual NZ/Aus citizen and when my Kiwi passport expires I don’t plan on renewing it, but the NZ passport system allows me to get my Aussie passport endorsed to indicate my NZ citizenship. Might be worth checking if the UK does the same thing.
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u/Quillo_Manar 1d ago edited 1d ago
Swapping passports would, in my opinion, be the technique which would draw the most questions, "Says here you left Australia, did not enter any other country for 3 months, then came back in? Where did you go?" (Unless the ePassports sync per person and are not tracked in isolation for each individual passport)
You also don't have to strictly stick to the line that your passport fits. For instance, I have an Aussie passport, my partner has a Kenyan passport, and when coming back into Australia I just joined her in the 'non-citizen/non-pr/other passports' line. I didn't receive any pushback or a single question about it.
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u/kswizzle0819 1d ago
The British passport application for a baby is so quick and easy to do, we did it for our daughter when she was born in Australia (also dual Aus/British citizen) and her UK passport arrived before her Aussie passport application was even processed. We've found that having both passports has just made it easier to travel without having to worry about visas/ETAs.
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u/Pleasant-Spinach-663 1d ago
you are meant to enter/exit any country you have a passport for on that passport.
Noting that your passport isn't checked leaving the UK