Thanks for the response. I appreciate it. Do you know if
when you leave the U.K. for the U.S., there is a U.K.
immigration check before you leave the U.K. airport, or
if the only folks that ask for your passport when leaving
the U.K. are the airline folks (to make sure you have a
valid visa for the destination {U.S.} country?

Thanks!

S B <s_brook.nothere@not.here.for.spam.att.canada.ca> wrote in message news:<3EFE5287.1537E628@not.here.for.spam.att.canada.ca>... Simon wrote: If you are a dual British/U.S. Citizen, and/or have information pertaining to this, I'd appreciate your advice: What's the best way to travel between the two countries, regarding which passport you use? E.g. If I travel from the U.S. to the U.K., do I travel with my British passport (give my British passport to the airline at the U.S. airport upon departure, and the same British passport to the British immigration upon arrival in the U.K.)? When I return from the U.K., do I do the reverse, and use my U.S. passport only? Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated. When you leave the US, you show your US passport to the airline, or else they'll want to know where your I-94 went. Since an American doesn't need a visa to enter the UK, they will permit you to board understanding that you have sufficient documents for UK Immigration. Then on arrival in the UK you show you UK or US passport for entry - except if you show your US passport your stay will be time limited. When you leave the UK, you show your US passport to the airline, because they want to know that you have the needed documentation to enter the US. On entry you MUST show your US passport and only your US passport.

Simon wrote: Thanks for the response. I appreciate it. Do you know if when you leave the U.K. for the U.S., there is a U.K. immigration check before you leave the U.K. airport, or if the only folks that ask for your passport when leaving the U.K. are the airline folks (to make sure you have a valid visa for the destination {U.S.} country? Thanks!

There is no longer government run "passport control" when leaving the
UK. The airlines took reponsibility for verifying that you carried
documents that they could say demonstrated to the best of their
knowledge that you had the documents to travel. In fact on our trip to
the UK last year, the airline checked a) at check in, b) on entry to the
departure lounge, and c) during boarding!

This was done because the airlines carry the can if you don't have the
proper documents ... they get fined. So, they implemented their own
checks which were more thorough than UL PPControl, which made that
function reduntant.

> > Thanks for the response. I appreciate it. Do you know if when you leave the U.K. for the U.S., there is a U.K. immigration check before you leave the U.K. airport, or if the only folks that ask for your passport when leaving the U.K. are the airline folks (to make sure you have a valid visa for the destination {U.S.} country? Thanks! There is no longer government run "passport control" when leaving the UK. The airlines took reponsibility for verifying that you carried documents that they could say demonstrated to the best of their knowledge that you had the documents to travel. In fact on our trip to the UK last year, the airline checked a) at check in, b) on entry to the departure lounge, and c) during boarding! This was done because the airlines carry the can if you don't have the proper documents ... they get fined. So, they implemented their own checks which were more thorough than UL PPControl, which made that function reduntant.

I always thought that the purpose of passport control on leaving the UK
was more of being able to identify that a person had not overstayed
his visit in the UK, as well as to be able to stop someone who might be
trying to flee from UK jurisdiction. I never viewed it as a verification
that you had sufficient documents to enter your destination country,
although it may have also served that purpose.

When I visited Australia, on departure I went through an exit immigration
point, and similarly it seemed that this check was to document that I had
left Australia (they actually put a "Departed Australia" stamp in my passport).

Stephen Gallagher