# Ramifications of dual citizen using his non-US passport to enter America

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramifications-of-dual-citizen-using-his-non-us-passport-to-enter-america/956209>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 17, 2021, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramifications-of-dual-citizen-using-his-non-us-passport-to-enter-america/956209 "2021-12-17T09:59:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramifications-of-dual-citizen-using-his-non-us-passport-to-enter-america/956209/41 "2021-12-19T17:56:05Z")

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> [@Riemann](#):
>
> ETA: If you present a foreign passport, doesn’t the immigration officer invariably ask you the purpose of your visit and how long you plan to stay? So it does seem to me that it would be extremely difficult for a U.S. citizen to pass through immigration showing a foreign passport without making a false statement. For which the penalties _are_ clear.

It does not follow. The last time I went to the US, my expected stay was two weeks and I was visiting my kids. They were not false statements. Although I was showing a US passport to the border patrol agent.

> [@Riemann](#):
>
> in practice there is no requirement to show your passport when leaving the U.S. - this would appear to undermine an interpretation that “bears” implies that you must show it.

In fact, when returning to Canada, I always show my Canadian passport to the gate agent. In fact, although Canada has no law against entering with a foreign passport, I got into arguments with gate agents who were convinced that a US passport plus a Canadian citizenship was not sufficient to get me into Canada and wanted to deny my boarding. Once I got to Canadian immigration, they certainly were.

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**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramifications-of-dual-citizen-using-his-non-us-passport-to-enter-america/956209/42 "2021-12-20T00:47:05Z")

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Agree it’s not clear .

I did some more digging around the interwebs and found a website that indicated the penalties may have been eliminated in 1979, the website was had an agenda but did cited a law with respect to the penalty change.

I still think a long time in secondary is on the cards

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**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramifications-of-dual-citizen-using-his-non-us-passport-to-enter-america/956209/43 "2021-12-20T07:28:37Z")

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> [@AK84](#):
>
> Though if I recall correctly, he was using a UK passport (Mum was British) when he was turned back.  
> In the years since the episode (2009 or so) he has moved to LA after falling in love with an American doctor, so presumably he does have a US passport now.

Yes - he may have annoyed Border Services at one time, but once he’s a US citizen with proper documentation for entry, no matter what he did before, they really can’t stop him from entering the USA. This is the very definition of “citizen”.

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