Dual Citizens: Which Passport's Documents to Use Overseas

Use your Australian passport whenever you leave or enter Australia. For documents going overseas, use the passport the receiving authority knows you by, usually your other country's passport for dealings with that country, and make sure the name on the document matches it. Bring both passports to a notary, and state your nationalities truthfully on every form.

Key takeaways

• Smartraveller and Home Affairs both say to use your Australian passport when leaving and entering Australia.
• You can enter and leave your other country of nationality on its passport, but local authorities may then not treat you as Australian.
• For a notarised document, show the passport whose name matches the document and that the receiving authority knows you by. Bring both.
• Answer nationality questions truthfully and completely. If a country does not recognise dual nationality, ask its consulate or a lawyer before you act.
• Your other country's consulate in Australia may offer services to its nationals; what it issues is a foreign document, not an Australian one.
• For a third country, apply for a visa and travel on the same passport, with supporting documents in the same name.

Which passport do you use to leave and enter Australia?

Your Australian one. Smartraveller's advice for travelling as a dual national is to use your Australian passport when going in or out of Australia, and Home Affairs says the same on its page about travel documents for citizens. Smartraveller warns that airlines may not let you board a flight to Australia without an Australian passport, proof of Australian citizenship or a valid visa, and Home Affairs notes that a citizen arriving without an Australian passport may have their entry delayed while their identity and citizenship are checked.

Once you have left Australia, Smartraveller says you can travel on another country's passport. That is where the choice starts to matter.

Which passport do you use in your other country?

Smartraveller says you can enter and leave your other country of nationality on that country's passport, and some countries expect their nationals to do so. The trade-off is that if you use that country's passport, local authorities may not view you as Australian, which can limit the Australian Government's ability to help you there. Some countries also have exit permits for their nationals, or compulsory military service. Check your obligations with that country's embassy or consulate before you travel, and get the advice in writing.

The same thinking carries over to documents. When you deal with a government office, bank or court in your other country, it usually knows you as its national, under its own identity number and the name on its passport. A document you prepare in Australia for that office is most likely to be accepted if it identifies you in the same way.

Situation	Passport to use	Notes
Leaving or entering Australia	Australian	Smartraveller and Home Affairs guidance
Entering your other country	That country's, if its rules require or allow it	May limit Australian consular help there
Document for your other country's government	Usually that country's	Match the name and ID number it holds
Document for a third country	The one used for your visa or file there	Keep one passport per application
Document for an Australian body	Australian, usually	Or whatever ID the body asks for
Notary appointment	Bring both	The notary records which one was used

Which passport do you show a notary?

A notary identifies you from your identity documents and records which document they relied on. For a document going overseas, show the passport whose name matches the name in the document, and preferably the one the receiving authority knows you by. For a power of attorney for property in Greece held under your Greek identity, that is usually your Greek passport. For a document for a company in a third country that knows you as an Australian, it is usually your Australian passport.

Bring both passports anyway. If the two passports spell your name differently, or one shows a former name, the notary can see that both refer to you, and the certificate can be drafted accordingly. What the receiving authority accepts is up to it. Our guide to how a notary verifies identity explains what notaries generally look for, and our guide to a name that does not match your passport covers what happens when the difference is noticed overseas.

What should a document say about your nationality?

The truth. Many foreign forms, affidavits and powers of attorney include a line for nationality or citizenship. If it asks for all your nationalities, list them all. If it asks for one, for example because it was drafted for that country's nationals, state that nationality accurately, and ask the foreign lawyer or office whether you should also mention the other. A notary witnesses you signing or swearing the document; they do not check what it says about your nationality, but a false statement in a sworn document can have serious consequences.

If you are worried about how your other nationality will be treated, for example because a country does not recognise dual nationality, or because you are unsure whether you still hold a nationality, get advice from that country's embassy or consulate or a lawyer in that country before you sign. Smartraveller notes that some countries do not recognise dual nationality and that a country may consider you its national even if you do not accept it.

Can your other country's consulate help instead?

Often, for its own nationals. Many foreign embassies and consulates in Australia renew their passports, register births and marriages, and in some cases prepare or witness documents such as powers of attorney for their nationals, under their own law. For a document going to that country, this can be simpler than an Australian notary followed by DFAT and legalisation. Ask the consulate what it offers and whether its version will be accepted by the office at home.

The difference to keep in mind is that a document prepared by a foreign consulate is a foreign official act, not an Australian public document, so DFAT generally will not apostille it, and it may not be accepted in a third country. If you need a document for a third country, or for an Australian body, the Australian route is usually the right one. Our guide to consulates and legalisation in Australia explains how consulates fit into the chain.

What about a third country?

For a visa, residence permit or job in a third country, pick one passport and use it consistently: for the application, for travel, and as the identity document on your supporting paperwork. A visa is usually linked to a specific passport, and a notarised document in a name or number that does not match the passport on file invites a query. If the third country is outside the Hague Apostille Convention, your documents will also need DFAT authentication and embassy legalisation; check the HCCH status table on the day, since membership changes.

How do you prepare documents as a dual citizen?

1. Identify the receiving authority. Your other country's government, a third country, or an Australian body.
2. Ask how it knows you. Which nationality, which passport, which spelling and which identity number.
3. Check the document's details. Name, nationality and passport number should match that passport.
4. Decide the route. Australian notary and DFAT, or your other country's consulate, based on where it is going.
5. Bring both passports. And any document linking two versions of your name.
6. Answer nationality questions truthfully. Get advice first if you are unsure of your status.

What if one of your passports has expired?

An expired passport is still evidence of the nationality and name it recorded, but most notaries and receiving authorities want a current photo identity document for identification. If your other passport has expired and the document is for that country, ask its office whether it will accept identification by your current Australian passport, with the expired one as supporting evidence of your identity there. Some will; others will want you to renew first, which is usually done through that country's consulate in Australia and can take time.

Renewing a foreign passport from Australia often needs its own documents, such as a birth certificate from that country, a certified copy of your Australian passport, or proof of address. Our guide to renewing a foreign passport in Australia covers what consulates commonly ask for. Keep both passports current if you use both, since the moment you need a document notarised is rarely a good moment to start a renewal.

Common mistakes to avoid

The first is flying home on your other passport and being delayed at check-in or at the border. The second is preparing a document in your Australian passport name for an office that knows you under a different spelling on its own passport. The third is leaving your other nationality off a form that asked for all of them. The fourth is using a foreign consulate's document in a third country that will not accept it. The fifth is letting your other passport expire and finding you cannot renew it quickly when a document is due.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

Elena holds Australian and Italian citizenship and needs a power of attorney for her late father's estate in Italy. The Italian notary on the estate knows her by her Italian tax code and Italian passport. She checks that the draft uses the spelling on her Italian passport, brings both passports to an Australian notary, and has the document apostilled by DFAT. She flies to Italy for the settlement on her Australian passport out of Australia, as Smartraveller advises.

In short

Use your Australian passport to leave and enter Australia. For documents going overseas, use the passport the receiving authority knows you by, make the document's name and details match it, and bring both passports to the notary. State your nationalities truthfully, and get advice from the other country's consulate or a lawyer if your status there is unclear. Our document notarisation services page explains how a document is prepared for overseas use.

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