UK passport - plus - eurozone passport question

[981Boxess]

A question for anyone who has both a UK passport as well as another eurozone passport.

I probably average around five trips to Europe per year, but live in the UK permanently and not planning to leave. I can probably get one through my parents so an option if I want one.

Are there any advantages to having both and if so what are they?

Many thanks in advance for any input

[Simbu]

Some benefits that come to mind are:

- Option of residency in the country of issue (albeit not currently part of your plans)
- Consular support from country of issue in other countries. They may have a stronger presence in other countries.
- Use of passport e-gates in EU, or a warmer reception from border control if you can use them

In entitled to a passport from an EU country by marriage. I've not bothered because I don't have plans that would take advantage of those benefits, and I haven't learned the language!

[anonymous-user]

Get whatever you can. Rules change, and there is no downside to having multiple citizenships.

[981Boxess]

Simbu said:

............ or a warmer reception from border control if you can use them

If it made just one French border official at Eurotunnel smile just once it might be worth the effort.

[Truckosaurus]

Simbu said:

...
- Option of residency in the country of issue (albeit not currently part of your plans)
...

Or any of the EU countries...

Another factor would be that from 2024 you'll need to apply, every 3 years, for the entry permit (like the exiting USA ESTA) for all trips into the EU. I'm sure the OP is squeaky clean and wouldn't ever be denied such a permit for his annual holiday, but others might.

[981Boxess]

Truckosaurus said:

Or any of the EU countries...

Another factor would be that from 2024 you'll need to apply, every 3 years, for the entry permit (like the exiting USA ESTA) for all trips into the EU. I'm sure the OP is squeaky clean and wouldn't ever be denied such a permit for his annual holiday, but others might.

It has already postponed a couple of times, I wonder if it will ever happen, last time it came up it was about £7 so not expensive, it is easily worth that to get off Alcatraz.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

I have a British and a German passport, so do my two kids, my wife only has a German one. I tend to use the British passport when entering and leaving the UK, but the only real difference is that I don't get the speech about how long I can stay, that I am not allowed to work whilst in the UK, etc. but apart from saving 30 seconds I can't see any real advantage to that.

There are some difference in visa requirements and costs between the two passports. German passports don't need a visa for Turkey but UK passports do (or did at least when I went to Istanbul 7 years ago, before I had a German passport) and visas for India are cheaper for German than British passport holders (payback for the days of the Raj?). I'm sure there'll be examples in the other direction as well.

[ClaphamGT3]

I have a UK and an Irish passport. Probably the best combo because the CTA pre-dates the EU and, even if the UK ever are stupid enough to make it hard for people to enter the UK on an EU passport, an Eire passport holder still gets treated as a UK national for the purposes of UK border control.

Another advantage not mention is that, if you travel to EU countries a fair bit (I do) you save a shot load of time at border control. You can also work visa-free in EU countries for at least short periods of time

[Kermit power]

981Boxess said:

It has already postponed a couple of times, I wonder if it will ever happen, last time it came up it was about £7 so not expensive, it is easily worth that to get off Alcatraz.

It'll not be the worst of the Brexit stupidity taxed, but I could still do without it, along with the hidden tax of having to renew your passport more frequently if you have the cheek to travel more than once every couple of months or so as many business travellers do!

Seriously, in this day and age, why on earth is there even a need to have a paper passport at all? All the necessary info could easily be embedded onto modern driving licences, (or why not even a phone app with modern security?) and why do they need an expiry date? We could just submit an updated photo once every 10 years to the (massively slimmed down, cheaper and better for the environment) passport office with no delays, and if you weren't travelling for a few years, no problem! Just update the photo 72 hours before departure and all good!

[Chucklehead]

Killboy said:

Get whatever you can. Rules change, and there is no downside to having multiple citizenships.

unless one of those countries goes to war and you get called up

OP i have a UK and Irish passport - I got my Irish passport this year after a couple of irritating trips through Europe at the end of last year. The time i have saved and the flights i have made to me make it worth it. It was minimal outlay, and always handy to have a second passport when you need to renew or as it gets closer to expiry if nothing else..

[981Boxess]

Chucklehead said:

The time i have saved and the flights i have made to me make it worth it. It was minimal outlay, and always handy to have a second passport when you need to renew or as it gets closer to expiry if nothing else.

These two reasons are probably enough to make the effort worthwhile.

Travelling anywhere today is such hard work that anything that makes life easier has to be worth having.

[Kermit power]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

I have a British and a German passport, so do my two kids, my wife only has a German one. I tend to use the British passport when entering and leaving the UK, but the only real difference is that I don't get the speech about how long I can stay, that I am not allowed to work whilst in the UK, etc. but apart from saving 30 seconds I can't see any real advantage to that.

There are some difference in visa requirements and costs between the two passports. German passports don't need a visa for Turkey but UK passports do (or did at least when I went to Istanbul 7 years ago, before I had a German passport) and visas for India are cheaper for German than British passport holders (payback for the days of the Raj?). I'm sure there'll be examples in the other direction as well.

Many years ago I flew from Athens to Istanbul. Everyone had to pay an airport tax on arrival and there was a price list with the cost in lots of different currencies that looked like a foreign exchange board.

I was about to use my left over Greek Drachma to pay until I realised it would've been about 6x more expensive than any other currency!

[Kermit power]

Chucklehead said:

unless one of those countries goes to war and you get called up

OP i have a UK and Irish passport - I got my Irish passport this year after a couple of irritating trips through Europe at the end of last year. The time i have saved and the flights i have made to me make it worth it. It was minimal outlay, and always handy to have a second passport when you need to renew or as it gets closer to expiry if nothing else..

When I lived in France as a kid, a number of people we knew with dual British/French nationality had to choose, when they turned 18, whether to do French military service or surrender their French nationality.

Most of them gave their French passports up without a second thought. I sometimes wonder how many of them might now regret it?

[Rumdoodle]

Kermit power said:

RedWhiteMonkey said:

I have a British and a German passport, so do my two kids, my wife only has a German one. I tend to use the British passport when entering and leaving the UK, but the only real difference is that I don't get the speech about how long I can stay, that I am not allowed to work whilst in the UK, etc. but apart from saving 30 seconds I can't see any real advantage to that.

There are some difference in visa requirements and costs between the two passports. German passports don't need a visa for Turkey but UK passports do (or did at least when I went to Istanbul 7 years ago, before I had a German passport) and visas for India are cheaper for German than British passport holders (payback for the days of the Raj?). I'm sure there'll be examples in the other direction as well.

Many years ago I flew from Athens to Istanbul. Everyone had to pay an airport tax on arrival and there was a price list with the cost in lots of different currencies that looked like a foreign exchange board.

I was about to use my left over Greek Drachma to pay until I realised it would've been about 6x more expensive than any other currency!

No visa required and nothing to pay on arrival in Turkey these days. Straight to immigration, passport stamped and that's it.