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For dual citizens I know which passport to show at which step when travelling between the two.

But now I'm adding a new complication.

Let's say I have citizenship in the Us and Canada and (born in US, live in Canada).

Travelling from Canada to Japan with a layover in the US. Who sees what passport? When I enter the US they'll want to see my US passport but what do I show to enter Japan? I'm assuming the Canadian passport since its where I actually live (and what matches the passport of my travelling companion).

And what about the return trip?

(edited for specific countries)

thecjm
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  • It is close to impossible to answer that kind of corner-case questions in the abstract, independently of which countries hide behind the letters. Much depends on the attitude of each of them towards dual citizenship. – hmakholm left over Monica Mar 25 '19 at 15:12
  • Without naming the specific countries, only general advice can be given, and it is already all contained in the linked Q&A. – Michael Hampton Mar 25 '19 at 15:49
  • Posted edited to give country specifics. and i looked at https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/52100/i-have-two-passports-nationalities-how-do-i-use-them-when-i-travel but don't see my specific situation covered there. – thecjm Mar 25 '19 at 16:49
  • I might be missing something but how does a passport show where you live? You can enter Japan visa-free for up to 90 days on either passport, wouldn’t you just use your US passport when you exit the US and enter/leave Japan? The important point being to have your Japanese entry/exit fully recorded, and prove you can enter the US on your return trip? – Traveller Mar 25 '19 at 17:00
  • So where's the complication? In general when you book a flight you specify a travel document that matches the entry requirements of that country. Just show whatever passport you used when you booked the flight. Although in this particular scenario it doesn't make much if a difference. – async Mar 25 '19 at 17:16
  • I think using US passport the whole way through makes sense for entry into Japan but what about returning?

    I'm assuming I have to use the same passport to leave Japan as I entered with, so US passport to leave Japan and US passport to enter US. I will need my Canadian passport to get back into Canada on the last leg of the trip - does it matter at all that the passport associated with my flight don't line up with the passport I use to re-enter Canada?

    US and Canada don't have exit screening so the flights from Japan-US-Canada are all on one ticket and associated with one passport

     – thecjm Mar 25 '19 at 17:17
  • You must use your US passport to pass through US immigration. Otherwise the answers are the same as in the linked Q&A. – Michael Hampton Mar 25 '19 at 17:33
  • You can pick whichever passport you want to enter Japan. It doesn't really matter. If one of them allows you to enter under more favorable terms, choose that one. If not, just pick whichever one you prefer for whatever reason, or flip a coin. When you check in to each flight, use the passport you'll show at your final destination. If any questions arise about ability to enter any country, and those questions can be resolved by showing your other passport, show your other passport at that point. – phoog Mar 25 '19 at 20:52

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Go to the check in counter in Canada: tell the check in person that you want to use your Canadian passport to leave Canada and to enter Japan, and that that you will use your US passport to enter and leave the US. The check in person will probably need to capture this in your travel records, so the info that will be sent to US and Japan will be corrected.

You may want to head to the airport a littler earlier to get this sorted out.

Hilmar
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    I don't think it much matters whether the departure from Canada is recorded in connection with the Canadian passport or not. I would either use the US passport for the whole trip until I got to the Canadian immigration desk on return, or use the Canadian passport for the whole trip except for the US immigration desk at the point of transfer. The airline doesn't really need to know about the other passport, since citizens of Canada do not need ESTA and citizens of the US do not need eTA. – phoog Mar 25 '19 at 20:54