Australian citizen travelling to Australia on UK passport

johnmcga

Hi everyone,

This is perhaps an unusual issue but I thought someone here might have had a similar experience.

My girlfriend was born in the UK but became an Australian citizen as she lived there for about ten years while she was a child.

She has previously had an Australian passport, but since her family moved back to the UK (in 1993) she has always retained and travelled on her UK passport.

We're planning a trip to Australia later this year. It'll be her first time back there since 1993. We've both applied for visas using our UK passport details, and she has been declined because their records (correctly) show she is a citizen.

It turns out that she should really travel to Australia on her Australian passport, rather than using her UK passport. Which is fine, except that she doesn't currently have an Australian passport, and assembling the various bits of paperwork could be a pain.

We have time to get it sorted, but I was just wondering if any Australian citizens have experience of travelling to Australia on a UK passport in this situation.

From reading online, it sounds like it is possible, but there are two risks:

1. The airline might refuse to let you on the plane, because its records show you don't have the right to enter Australia.
2. You could get delayed at Australian border controls while they check your identity.

Overall, we're pretty sure she's going to have to go through the hassle of getting an Australian passport, but I thought posting here might provide a perspective we haven't thought of.

All comments welcome - sorry for the the lengthy post, and thanks.

John.

peachyprice

Unless she applies for a visa on her UK passport it's unlikely she'll be able to board a plane in the UK, and as you know they won't give her a visa if she is an Australian citizen, so yes, you will need to apply for her Australian passport.

Airlines won't let you board without the correct visa because a) they get fined for letting someone fly without the correct paperwork and b) they have to pay the return fare if you are deported.

I'm sure, if you could find an airline that will let her board Australian immigration will let her in with her citizenship papers, but that's a very big IF.

FWIW applying for her Australian passport shouldn't be that difficult. My brother (born in Australia) only has an Australian one because of the hoops he would have to jump through for British one, in comparison the Aus one was easy peasy.

InsideInsurance

Different countries have different rules on dual citizenship and to what extent they recognise it. You really need to check what these are for Australia. For example the UK cannot stop a British citizen from entering (for now at least, we'll see what new anti-terror laws are introduced) but the issue is convincing the immigration officer that you are British if you dont have a valid British passport.

Assuming Australia has similar laws then your biggest issue will be convincing the airline staff that you are actually entitled to enter the country as when they scan your British passport they will be told you arent.

The Mrs is from south america and whilst her country of birth recognises dual nationality there is a legal requirement for all citizens to enter the country on the passport from there and not on any other one they may hold. This actually caused even more of a problem for her a few years ago as they temporarily stopped issuing passports overseas and hers had expired so she couldn't travel back "home" to renew it because she needed to renew it. Thankfully it all got sorted before she needed to travel back.

Heliflyguy

An Australian national will need to enter with an Australian passport, same as the USA.
Thailand seem to be requesting it on entry now too, they will accept expired passports, I think most countries do.
If you have an expired Australian passport you may be able to enter on that.
Depends what's easier, renew it in the UK or in Australia although it may be a faff at immigration in Australia but either way it seems a new passport is required.

benjus

InsideInsurance wrote: »

The Mrs is from south america and whilst her country of birth recognises dual nationality there is a legal requirement for all citizens to enter the country on the passport from there and not on any other one they may hold.

Hope it's not Argentina, as my wife's from there, we've got a trip booked quite soon, and her Arg passport has expired so she'll be using her Italian one. She's done it a few times before so I'm pretty sure it's fine, but she could have just been lucky I suppose...

mgdavid

InsideInsurance wrote: »

...... and hers had expired so she could travel back "home" to renew it because she needed to renew it. .....

have you said the exact opposite of what you meant?

agrinnall

mgdavid wrote: »

have you said the exact opposite of what you meant?

Yes (in my opinion). But I think that from context we knew what II really meant.

InsideInsurance

mgdavid wrote: »

have you said the exact opposite of what you meant?

Yes

johnmcga

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the responses, it's really appreciated.

peachyprice wrote: »

Airlines won't let you board without the correct visa because a) they get fined for letting someone fly without the correct paperwork and b) they have to pay the return fare if you are deported.

I hadn't realised the airlines incur costs if they fly you to your destination and then you can't enter the country. In that case I definitely don't fancy our chances at persuading them to let us board. Well, ok, to let her board - I'm on a UK passport with visa, so I'll be fine!

Heliflyguy wrote:

If you have an expired Australian passport you may be able to enter on that.
Depends what's easier, renew it in the UK or in Australia although it may be a faff at immigration in Australia but either way it seems a new passport is required.

She does have an expired passport but it's 20 years old, from when she was a child.

Having investigated further and hunted around to see what documentation she does have, it looks like it shouldn't be too much trouble to apply for a passport, so I think we'll just do that. Helps that we're in London, so a visit to the Australia High Commission (if required) won't be too much of a hassle.

Thanks again,

John.

peachyprice

johnmcga wrote: »

She does have an expired passport but it's 20 years old, from when she was a child.

Having investigated further and hunted around to see what documentation she does have, it looks like it shouldn't be too much trouble to apply for a passport, so I think we'll just do that. Helps that we're in London, so a visit to the Australia High Commission (if required) won't be too much of a hassle.

Thanks again,

John.

If she has an expired passport it should be pretty straight forward.

My brother has always found them very efficient and friendly at the High Commission in London, he's always got his passports from there since he was about 20, he's 50+ now, he got his daughter's from there too.