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I have a question on this electronic APIS. If I fly from China to USA and book ticket and check in using Chinese passport, but enter USA using US passport, will this be a problem? I am concerned due the the information mismatch between APIS (immigration) and US passport, there will be a problem entering US?

thanks

Nick
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  • The first problem is that you won't be able to check in with your Chinese passport unless you have a US visa in that passport. – David Richerby Apr 20 '19 at 20:52

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It won't work like that.

When you check in for your flight to the US, you will have to show your US passport, so that the airline can verify that you have the right to enter the US. The airline will send your US passport information via APIS, so there won't be any mismatch.

In the rare event that they screw up and do not send the correct US passport information to APIS, they'll get a "do not board" message back. If for some reason that doesn't happen and they board you anyway, you'll get a big X on your receipt when you use the APC kiosk at US immigration (because the kiosk checks your passport against the flight manifest from APIS and prints the X if there is a mismatch) and you'll probably get more than the usual questions when you speak to the CBP officer.

Michael Hampton
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    That’s a significant problem if you don’t want China to know you have another citizenship given China’s nationality laws. – Zach Lipton Apr 20 '19 at 03:05
  • Oh, that's right. You're pretty much going to have to go via a third country on separate tickets, as described in the linked Q&A. – Michael Hampton Apr 20 '19 at 03:33
  • The airline is not China. – Aganju Apr 20 '19 at 03:33
  • then how can dual nationality citizens book flights using one passport and enter US on another? do they give both passport info to airline when checking in? – Nick Apr 20 '19 at 03:56
  • @Nick, in general, yes, there's not usually a problem showing the airline different passports as needed, but since China does not allow you to hold Chinese nationality along with a second citizenship, people are concerned about the risk of losing their Chinese citizenship. – Zach Lipton Apr 20 '19 at 04:02
  • @Zach, thank you for your comment. If I go through 3rd country, e.g. Korea. I will enter Korea with Chinese passport/korean visa and then get another ticket using US passport to fly to US. Since I entered Korea using Chinese passport but will exit Korea using USA passport. will that be an immigration/customer problem? I will not enter and exit korea using the same passport. – Nick Apr 20 '19 at 04:07
  • @Nick you check in for the flight to the US with your US passport and show your Chinese passport to any Korean government officers you might encounter. – phoog Apr 20 '19 at 04:35
  • @phoog thank you. another question. I understand how transfer through 3rd country works. however, what is the risk of leaving US using Chinese passport and enter China directly (without 3rd party country)? is it because I need to exit and enter US using US passport? – Nick Apr 20 '19 at 05:44
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    @Nick You haven't got a US visa in your Chinese passport. The Chinese immigration might question how you were able to enter the US without one. Then they may discover your US citizenship. – Michael Hampton Apr 20 '19 at 05:47
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    @Nick the greater risk is in leaving China to travel to the US, because you'll have a boarding pass for a flight to the US, but you won't have a visa in your Chinese passport. The airline wouldn't have issued a boarding pass to you unless you had another passport. – phoog Apr 20 '19 at 13:47
  • @phoog thanks again. Will leave US on a Chinese passport and enter with US passport be an issue? I have read a lot about there is no immigration at airport when you leave the US. – Nick Apr 20 '19 at 14:59
  • @Nick it shouldn't be an issue with the US. I have been leaving the US with a non-US passport for years and it's never been a problem. But I think US airlines may pay more attention to immigration status; I usually fly on European airlines. – phoog Apr 20 '19 at 17:32
  • When transferring via 3rd country, do I need to enter that country (meaning a separate ticket and enter the customers) or I can simply make a connecting flight? @phoog – Nick Apr 22 '19 at 04:23
  • @Nick You have to cross immigration in the third country, in order to ensure that your travel plans are not plain in your passport. So it will be separate tickets. – Michael Hampton Apr 22 '19 at 04:26