If you can, you should acquire a second citizenship. It's like insurance. You don't need it until you do.
Suppose there's a major political upheaval in your home country, and you must flee for safety. With a second citizenship, you have a ready place to go. If you have an Antigua citizenship, you can just up and leave for Antigua and Barbuda on the strength of your Antigua passport. If other countries suddenly block your country's citizens, you will be able to circumvent this restriction by using your second passport.
However, a second citizenship is more than an insurance plan.
There are other reasons people apply for a second citizenship. One is unrestricted business access to a particular territory. For instance, a resort chain owner might want to establish resort hotels in Antigua and Barbuda. In this case, an Antigua citizenship will open doors for him.
Others apply for a second citizenship for wealth preservation purposes. You can acquire citizenship in another country to enjoy favorable tax treatment, letting you keep more of your earnings instead of paying a lot more in taxes.
Some others obtain dual citizenship to provide a better life for their family. A second citizenship can give your family access to high-quality education, world-class healthcare, a better environment, and an overall better lifestyle.
A second citizenship is also like a VIP membership for globetrotters. A strategic combination of passports can amplify your visa-free travel reach, save you some travel fees, help you cut through miles of red tape, and let you bypass long immigration queues.
Access to the travel privileges second passports entail is one of the main reasons those who can afford to do so obtain a second citizenship. Just the thought of being able to travel visa-free to 190 countries, as in the case of German passport holders, should be enough to make a frequent world traveler giddy.
Two passports can make traveling a lot easier and life a lot more convenient for frequent travelers. However, they can also lead to complications if you are not careful. Follow these tips to master the art of traveling with two passports.
The first rule of two-passport travel is to bring both passports when traveling. The goal is to always have an option when things go awry. When you have both passports, you get the chance to be strategic about which passport to use.
However, there are cases when bringing one of your passports may be ill-advised. For instance, if one of your passports is from a country that has strained relations with your travel destination, it might perhaps be better to leave the controversial passport at home.
It's good practice to enter and exit a country with the same passport. To illustrate, suppose you have a U.S. passport and an Antigua second passport, and you entered Germany using your Antigua passport. In this case, make sure to use your Antigua passport to exit or leave Germany.
The goal here is to ensure that the country you visited will have clear records of you entering and leaving. If you enter UAE using one passport and leave it using another passport, UAE customs will show only records of you arriving but not going.
Thus, they will conclude that you are still in the country and have overstayed your welcome. This could cause problems the next time you visit the same country.
Airlines will check your passport because they want to confirm your destination will not refuse you entry. They do not care which passport you will use when you get through customs. This means you don't necessarily have to use the same passport for the airline and customs.
Therefore, choose whichever passport will give you the most convenience when booking your flight, at border control upon departure, and at border control upon arrival. You can use one passport to book your flight and the other passport for customs. You can also use the same passport for both the airline and customs.
The U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs says U.S. citizens must enter and depart the United States using their U.S. passports. This rule applies even to dual citizens. However, U.S. citizens with dual citizenship may use their non-U.S. passport when traveling to and departing a country other than the United States.
Therefore, suppose that you hold U.S. and Antigua citizenship and plan to fly to Antigua and Barbuda. Complying with the United States' rules on entry and exit for its citizens means you need to use your U.S. passport at the U.S. border control at the airport when you depart the country. Then you can use your Antigua passport to enter Antigua and Barbuda.
Likewise, use your Antigua passport when you leave Antigua and Barbuda and your U.S. passport upon returning to the United States.
Suppose you are traveling to a country other than Antigua and Barbuda. What if you're going to Cambodia? In that case, you will still have to comply with the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs rule that requires citizens to enter and exit U.S. soil with their U.S. passports. However, you have a choice on which passport — your U.S. passport or your Antigua passport — to show when you enter Cambodia.
In this case, revisiting tip number three above will help you decide. In other words, choose the passport that will give you more benefits in Cambodia. Choose the passport that will provide you with visa-free entry, an extended stay period, shorter lines, less hassle at border control, and fewer fees, among others.
A second passport brings with it many benefits such as wealth preservation, business opportunities, a backup plan, and a virtual key to the world's best holiday destinations.
However, having two passports could get complicated when you have to decide which passport to use with the airline, at border control when you depart, and at border control when you land.
To aid with the confusion, just follow this simple rule. Bring your passports for options, and use the passport that will give you the most benefits at whichever stage of travel you're in: booking a flight, entering, and exiting.
Just remember to check the passport rules of the country you're departing from and visiting to ensure you comply with them.
