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I flew out to Poland in August entering Poland using my American passport because at the time I only had one passport. You can stay in Poland for three months without a visa. During my three months, I became a Polish citizen and have my I.D card and a Polish Passport. I'm about to leave for America in a few days, so my question is: When I go up to the border control in Poland which passport do I show them? I've been told by most people to show my Polish passport and if they need to see my American passport I can give them that also. The only thing I have an issue with is that I entered with an American passport. Don't they keep track of that in a computer or something?

Flimzy
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Michael Rudowski
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    You entered on your American passport, you should probably leave on it, so that your immigration record shows you as departing. –  Dec 20 '15 at 11:15
  • @Tom But wouldn't that be stir some confusion since you can only stay 3 months on your American passport without a visa. I'v been in Poland for about 4 months. – Michael Rudowski Dec 20 '15 at 11:18
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    You kind of left that 4 month bit out in your original post ;-) So technically you have already violated your entry, as far as your American passport goes. I would show them both and ask immigration to note your US passport as having left, just to be safe. –  Dec 20 '15 at 11:23
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    @Tom I think he felt he shared that info by saying he entered in August and wants to leave now – skv Dec 20 '15 at 11:29
  • @tom haha sorry about that ;) Ok good idea. So i'll just show them both, let him/her know that I came in with an American passport, but also showing that I am a Polish citizen. I just don't want to be arrested or something cause those were not my intentions lol – Michael Rudowski Dec 20 '15 at 11:31
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    I would just show the Polish passport. Don't complicate matters. – phoog Dec 20 '15 at 16:46
  • See also I have two passports/nationalities. How do I use them when I travel? – Michael Hampton Dec 20 '15 at 17:09
  • @Tom To be safe from what? – phoog Dec 21 '15 at 03:56
  • @phoog To be safe from having a black mark against his US passport in the Polish immigration database, which might someday be shared with other governments. –  Dec 21 '15 at 05:36
  • @Tom immigration authorities don't impose such marks in absentia. They have to find you in the country, or on exit, whereupon they may fine, remove, and/or ban you. This could not happen to the OP, since he is Polish. – phoog Dec 21 '15 at 14:30
  • @phoog - You can buck the system all you want based on your assumptions. I will continue to provide information that errs on the side of caution. –  Dec 22 '15 at 02:27
  • @Tom it's not an assumption. It's how immigration works in countries such as those of the EU that respect people's rights. They won't ban anyone until there's an actual decision against them; the decision will be made when they try to enter or exit the country, or if they come into contact with authorities while in the country. Since the subject of the ban would be present and able to explain that he is a Polish citizen, there will be no ban. – phoog Dec 22 '15 at 03:55
  • I never said "ban", I said black mark (ie: red flag), a reason for the passport holder to be quizzed further when entering a country. –  Dec 22 '15 at 04:27

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Show your Polish passport to border guards anywhere in the EU (in Poland but also in Germany, UK, etc. should you go there in the future), you won't get any question and the rest (like the entry stamp you have in your US passport) doesn't matter anymore. Paperwork aside, you certainly cannot be arrested or punished in any way for being in Poland as a Polish citizen.

In fact, as Polish citizen, it's showing only your US passport to the Polish authorities that could theoretically put you in trouble, you are always supposed to use your Polish passport (see the section on dual citizenship in the Wikipedia article on Polish nationality law).

When booking/checking in for a US-bound flight, provide the airline with your US passport details to establish you can enter the country and avoid problem there. As far as the US is concerned, you are still supposed to use your US passport every time you cross the US border.

If anyone ask, you can always show the other passport to explain your situation but there is no reason to worry about this.

Relaxed
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  • Wow ok. Thanks so much for this info! It puts a lot of weight off my shoulder! I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to leave the country in time for Christmas due to my unique passport situation. Thanks so much again! (: – Michael Rudowski Dec 20 '15 at 12:52
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    @MichaelRudowski, your situation is not unique. Something much like it happens whenever somebody is naturalized. The only problem I can think of is when some third country notices the absence of your exit stamp in the US passport and wonders if you are a reliable traveller. (BTW, you should read up on the travel rights you and your dependents now have in the EU.) – o.m. Dec 21 '15 at 08:35