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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.Â
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.
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– 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.
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#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.
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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.
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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.
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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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Hi Lara,
I have a question. I have dual citizenship. I have a US and an EU passport. I was not able to renew my EU passport (expired during COVID)before traveling to the EU. I entered the EU on my US passport, renewed my EU passport and left on my EU passport. Will I have problems in the future with my US passport when visiting other countries because technically I didn’t leave the EU on the US passport? Should I travel back to the EU before 90 days and exit the EU on my US passport?
Thank You!
You will not have problems in the Schengen area, as long as you show your Italian passport at any entry and exit point. So no need to come back to Europe and fix the US passport record ?
Hi
I have 2 passports same name but different passport numbers can I do 90 days on passport 1 then fly back on passport 2 for 90 day ??
That may work, depending on which state authority issued the passports refer to. If they both were issued by authorities of non-Schengen states, it would be in breach of the regulations to stay longer than 90 days by using a second passport. The 90-day rule (in any 180-days period) applies to each individual, irrespective of which passport they use. Even if the border check would somehow miss your identity on a different passport, you could later still be identified at a random police check at a train station or other public place based on a thorough check. If caught staying in excess of your 90-day quota within the given period (180 days counting backward from the date in which you are checked (“caught”), you could be fined and banned from the whole Schengen area for a long time.
Hi Lara I have a question. I have dual citizenship a Swedish and a Tunisian passport. I travelled from Tunisia to Sweden in September. During my stay in Sweden i couldn’t renew my Swedish Passport because it takes time the validity date has expired now. Can I use my Tunisian passport to travel back to Tunisia and show the expired Swedish Passport at the check-in counter ?( Knowing that I have a 2 hours transit in Germany)
You may not. An expired passport is never good enough at border checks. You should ask for renewing your Swedish passport urgently, by proving that you have urgent matters to attend to in Tunisia and cannot wait for the normal renewal time.
Hello, we are dual Polish and US nationals. We entered Poland on our Polish passports at the beginning of the summer and have the problem that my daughter’s Polish passport expired while we are here, and she won’t be able to get a new passport before we are due to travel for the beginning of the school year in the US. We know that if we leave the Schengen zone from Poland, they will require us to present a valid Polish passport, meaning that my daughter cannot leave until a new passport can be obtained (around 30 days of missed school, and we’ve already been told that we cannot get expedited processing!). Do you know whether it might be possible to leave from a different Schengen zone country, e.g. fly to New York via Paris or Amsterdam rather than directly from Poland? Or will we face the same problem when trying to leave the Schengen zone without a valid Polish passport (and no entry stamp in our US passports)? Thank you!
The answer depends on how long you stayed in Poland/Schengen area. If you stayed less than 90 days, you may exit the Schengen area from any of its member states. Conversely, if you stayed more than 90 days in Poland/Schengen, then you really need your Polish passport to exit the Schengen area without violating the law.
Hello, I am a dual Polish / US citizen flying from LAX to Berlin by way of AMS. My goal is to enter and exit the EU on my Polish passport and do the same in the US with my US passport. Since the airline only allows one passport, I have entered my Polish passport info. Please correct me if this is the wrong thing to do!
In terms of showing my passports at the airport / customs, is this right correct:
Arrive at LAX and show my EU passport to the airlines, and my US passport to customs (I have global entry)
Arrive at AMS and show my EU passport to customs, and EU passport to airline when checking in for the 2nd flight
Arrive in Berlin and show EU passport
When returning back to the US:
In Berlin, show US passport to the airlines, EU passport to customs
In AMS, show US passport to airline, EU passport to exit the EU
In LAX, show US passport to enter the US via Global Entry
I have never entered the EU on my Polish passport, so your help would be much appreciated!
That is the correct plan. Enjoy your travels!
Hello Lara
I am half greek and half Cypriot with a British passport.
I have been living in Greece for about six months each year for many Years.
Since last year I have been restricted to the 90 days EU laws.
I arrived back in Greece at the end of June this year, I need to stay here until the very least October. But, because this would go over my ninety days allowance by ten days,I planned a quick trip to Cyprus, which although is part of the EU, doesn’t have the Schengen rules. So in other Words I could go to Cyprus for 10 days and this would mean when I arrive back in Greece I would save 10 days.
Recently in the last few weeks I have obtained a Cypriot passport. Now I am not sure what to do. Do I still need to leave? I would rather not leave.
Or is there a way of Just staying and showing the Authorities my Cypriot passport when I leave?
Or, If I decided to go to Cyprus anyway, would I just leave Greece on my British passport leaving the Schengen Area and return to Greece with my Cypriot passport. And then leave Greece with my Cypriot passport and show my British passport in the UK in October.
My wife obtained an Irish passport 2 years ago and has never used the British one since then even on returning to the UK.
I am very grateful for your help.
Hello, Marios! In general, the strategy you describe would not work. Border police do cross-reference passports in the Schengen area and match your name to your cross-border movements. The consequences for violating the visa policy vary across EU member states, between fines and re-entry bans. This said, it is worth checking whether, according to Greek law, Cypriot passports have preferential treatment. There might be an agreement between the two countries that allows you to stay longer in Greece. So the usual 90 days EU restrictions would apply in other Schengen member states but could be overridden just for Greece. I hope this helps.
Hi Lara,
thank for the information.
I also have a question: I have dual nationality, Italian and British.
I am currently in Italy, since mid-June and I am planning to extend my stay until the very beginning of October, which will make over 90 days in the Schengen area.
As Italy is part of the Schengen area, it is my understanding that I can move freely in the area without time restrictions, so being Italian, I can stay here as long as I want. Is this accurate? what about on my return to the UK? I suppose being a British citizen as well and having permanent residence there I should have no problems to enter the country. correct?
Thank you
Antonella
Of course. Having both nationalities, Italian and British, has the advantage of allowing an indefinite stay in both countries. Italian citizenship includes European citizenship. That entails, among other things, the right to freedom of movement and of residence in the other EU member states according to EU Directive 2004/38/EC. For more information, please ask us for advice.