Travelling on original passport after oath

U can get her Canadian passport in 5 days after oath......wait or two days....apply the passport with ur travel itinerary print out....ask the passport officer for 3 day service pay 35 dollars extra and u t done......9 days including a weekend is good time.....

Travel with US Passport and tell CBSA officer on the way back that she is Canadian. Just carry her Canadian citizenship certificate with her in case. This is not an issue at all.

Concur with the simple observation by vefabuyuk, and adding my typical not-so-simple elaboration:

xero9: I'm curious about something.. With my wife's oath coming up in mid-December, we have a flight booked to the US only 9 days after the ceremony. I guess what I'm wondering is how she might re-enter Canada on our return flight. She obviously still have her US passport, but she can't technically say she's a visitor, but at the same time if she says she's a citizen then what proof does she really have. I know this might be a not so common situation for most on here, as I think a lot of countries you need to give up your home country's passport before getting a Canadian one, but I'm hoping someone else has been in the same boat.

Some aspects of this depend on the original nationality of the person becoming a Canadian citizen, each country having its own laws governing citizenship and loss of citizenship.

For the U.S. citizen becoming a Canadian citizen, a shrug is in order, no big deal. I offer some detailed explanation below (my usual) but generally there is nothing to worry about, the newly dual citizen can travel to the U.S. and back to Canada using the American passport without issue.

Note: Canada does not require new citizens to renounce any other citizenship. This is ordinarily referred to as becoming a "dual citizen" . . . which is discussed in other topics here.


U.S. citizens becoming Canadian citizens in particular
Additionally, U.S law does not require its citizens to renounce or relinquish their U.S. citizenship upon becoming a citizen of another country. Since Canada does not require new citizens to renouce other citizenships, this means that a U.S. citizen can become a citizen of both Canada and the U.S. upon becoming a Canadian citizen. This is, by far, what Americans becoming Canadian citizens do.

There are two catches in this:

1) When applying for a new U.S. passport, the dual Canadian/U.S. citizen should read the declaration/affirmation very carefully. The last I looked there is a phrase or sentence in it that affirming that the individual has not . . . I forget the language but it has to do with acquiring citizenship in another country, and that needs to be crossed out, and it is a good idea to write something like "obtained Canadian citizenshp but do not intend to renounce U.S. citizenship." I think many forget to do this, but technically then they are signing a false affirmation (because they have obtained Canadian citizenship) and do not run into problems. But, the better practice is to amend the declaration and be upfront.

2) When traveling to the U.S., the U.S. citizen must enter the U.S. as a U.S. citizen, and ordinarily present proper documentation to that effect (U.S. passport when flying commercially). I am not sure how POE officers handle situations in which a dual American/Canadian citizen has forgotten to bring their U.S. passport, I suspect merely a caution usually, but I do not know. In general, an American citizen will be considered and treated as an American by U.S. authorities, with no official recognition of other citizenships. The U.S. essentially acknowledges that many people have citizenship in multiple countries, but they do not formally recognize an American's citizenship for any other country but the U.S.

These technicalities are mostly insignifcant. They have little or no impact. They are technicalities. There is not a problem being a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada. Many, many people are.


Affect on travel between Canada and U.S.

For cross-border traveling there is minimal impact on an American who becomes a dual American-Canadian citizen. Ordinarily the American should probably carry both passports, using the U.S. passport to enter the U.S., and using the Canadian passport when returning to Canada. That said, there should be no problem traveling without the Canadian passport in possession. An American citizen who presents a U.S. passport upon boarding a flight from the U.S. destined for Canada should have no problems boarding the commercial flight. At the POE, upon arrival, there might be a couple questions or so, upon presenting the U.S. passport, beyond the usual, but nothing of significance; if asked about not having a Canadian passport, just stating that there was not time to obtain one before traveling should suffice.



Some additional observations

*** Note that some countries prohibit the carrying of more than one passport. So, when a dual citizen travels elsewhere in the world they should take care to be familiar with the requirements of each country they will be traveling through.

*** Reminder: U.S. citizens must file income tax returns no matter where in the world they are living, no matter for how long. (Treaties and current tax laws at the least minimize, and for most entirely avoid, any double taxation, so this is just one of those inconvenient paperwork hassles imposed on dual American-Canadian citizens.)

*** Remember: if traveling elsewhere in the world, but transiting through the U.S., remember that the U.S. requires its citizens to enter the U.S. as U.S. citizens . . . what I said above about a minimal issue at the U.S. POE does not necessarily apply if the dual citizen is arriving from some where other than Canada . . . I do not know anything in particular in this regard, but if the flight is orginating in a country other than those which are the equivalent of visa-exempt (for U.S.), I would for sure remember to have one's currently valid U.S. passport for presenting upon arriving in the U.S. (even if it is just transiting through, with a flight continuing on to Canada).

xero9: I'm curious about one aspect of not having a Canadian passport though, maybe you can shed some light on it.. Why is it that a Canadian/US citizen with a US passport is able to get back in to Canada by air, but one who is simply a PR cannot? Do they really just take your word for it?

I am guilty of generalizing what happens practically, usually.

Technically, yes, a PR returning to Canada is required to present a valid PR card. Practically, so far as I have seen reports, not really.

Practically, usually, an American who is a PR of Canada (as far as I have seen and heard anecdotally) does not run into any problems boarding a flight destined to Canada, from the U.S., if they present their U.S. passport, even if they do not have a currently valid PR card in possession.

But, you are correct to note that technically the airlines are supposed to check Canadian PRs for a currently valid PR card even if they are from a visa-exempt country, presumably including Americans.

Again, though, at least in terms of flying directly from the U.S. to Canada, most reports indicate that the airline will glance at the identification page of the U.S. passport and allow the American citizen to board the flight. At the POE there may be some questions about why the individual does not have their PR card, but here too I have not seen anyone report problems beyond being asked a few more questions than usual . . . recognizing, of course, that other factors may trigger concerns, questions, or problems, depending on those other concerns.

Thus, there is no need for anyone to take someone's word regarding their status in Canada, practically, when the American boards a flight headed for Canada. American citizens can do so, ordinarily, without showing any additional authorization or status. And, again, the identification page of the passport confirms identity and status authorizing entry into Canada (as a citizen of a visa-exmempt country) and that is what the airlines check for. No need to tell the airlines the individual is a Canadian PR or citizen even.

An American citizen should book flights to and from the U.S., or flights departing from the U.S., as an American citizen. Thus, for airlines which require the prospective passenger identify travel documents or status upfront, when booking, that is what the American should indicate. This remains the better approach even when the individual has both passports. (Note: A dual citizen should probably keep passports from both countries current, if feasible -- immigrating to another country does tend to complicate a person's life some.)

The technicality side of this may be more significant if the travel includes countries other than the U.S. and Canada.

I wish I could be your wife, waiting for my citizenship for 19 months now, got RQ. God knows when i will get test/interview and oath