Seeking help from sundaymorningstaple - US travel question

[Tau Beta]

Hi SMS,

My wife & kid are heading out to Taiwan for summer vacation - 60+ days. My wife is Dual Citizens of the U.S. and Taiwan. She’ll be departing and re-entering the U.S. with her U.S. passport.

Question - Upon entry to Taiwan, can she use Taiwan passport? On her re-entry back to the States, will the U.S. checkpoint harass her for using Taiwan passport to enter Taiwan - do they even care?

By not using her US passport at Taiwan, we hope to diss the $125 visa application fee as her stay exceeds 30 days….. Kind of crazy to be applying for a visa back to her birth country when she's still a Citizen.

Please advice….Thanks!

[sundaymorningstaple]

No problem. She should enter & leave the US using her US Passport and enter and leave Taiwan using her Taiwanese Passport. The only thing that's really important is her passports validity. (Not expired and have sufficient remaining months to allow her to use them. (Some require a minimum of 6 months remaining before you are allowed to use them to leave the country). You might check to ensure she has sufficient months left on her Taiwan Passport to ensure that there will be not problem exiting Taiwan.

SE can probably validate this better than myself as he's a tri-passport holder! (My kids are dual citizens but I'm just a Yank)

[Tau Beta]

Thanks bro! Much appreciated!

SM is tri-passport holder!! You guys are awesome… helping out folks with all these craziness. You guys answer questions better than Homeland Security!

[sundaymorningstaple]

Tau Beta, we are just paying it forward.

[Tau Beta]

SMS, MS,

By the way… forgotten something…. she usually gets a stamp on BOTH her passports at Taiwan checkpoint (entry & exit). In the past, if she stays more than 30 days she applies for a visa and still gets a stamp on her U.S. passport at Taiwan as technically, she still enters Taiwan with U.S. passport [I’m kind of paranoid about not following protocols].

This will be the first time she enters Taiwan with a Taiwan passport. Should/will she get a stamp on her U.S. passport too? She won’t have a visa this time for 30+ days stay. Does it even matter?

I know it sounds kind of retard but I’m curious.

Thanks!

[sundaymorningstaple]

There is no real reason for her to even show her US passport at Taiwan as far as I know.

Maybe ksl will know and once he hits the baron's in the wee hours of the morning here he'll probably see this and respond!

His wife is Taiwanese as well but he's British, (We all forgive him for that, as it's not his fault! ) But I think she is only a PR here but not sure. Anyway, he's spent a lot of time in Taiwan so may have the answer close at hand.

I'll send him a PM to flag this thread.

Oh, it's SE not SM (Strong Eagle).

sms

[Tau Beta]

Sweet!! Thanks a bunch!

Are you located in the UK... you sounds like it.

[Tau Beta]

Oh, it's SE not SM (Strong Eagle).

sms

My apology for that - kind of new here and still struggling with names. Is SE (Strong Eagle) a Yank too?

[Tau Beta]

hits the baron's in the wee hours of the morning here he'll probably see this and respond!

sms

Wait!!... this can't be right... you guys can't be in the UK. You got to be in the west coast or pacific time. Man! I'm slow.

[sundaymorningstaple]

We are all in Singapore. It's 11:30 pm 1 Apr here at the moment. Strong Eagle is a Canadian by birth, British by descent & Naturalized American now from Houston, ksl is British & I'm a Yank from Maryland. We are 12 hours ahead of EST here.

[ksl]

There is no real reason for her to even show her US passport at Taiwan as far as I know.

Maybe ksl will know and once he hits the baron's in the wee hours of the morning here he'll probably see this and respond!

His wife is Taiwanese as well but he's British, (We all forgive him for that, as it's not his fault! ) But I think she is only a PR here but not sure. Anyway, he's spent a lot of time in Taiwan so may have the answer close at hand.

I'll send him a PM to flag this thread.

Oh, it's SE not SM (Strong Eagle).

sms

I believe SMS is correct no need to produce the US passport at all, if entering on the Taiwanese passport. My daughter uses her Taiwanese passport not her British to avoid the visa charges too.

[Tau Beta]

[/quote] I believe SMS is correct no need to produce the US passport at all, if entering on the Taiwanese passport. My daughter uses her Taiwanese passport not her British to avoid the visa charges too.[/quote]

Thanks!! Can't believe I've been paying $$$ for nothing. You guys are great!

[Tau Beta]

We are all in Singapore. It's 11:30 pm 1 Apr here at the moment. Strong Eagle is a Canadian by birth, British by descent & Naturalized American now from Houston, ksl is British & I'm a Yank from Maryland. We are 12 hours ahead of EST here.

How cool!! Missed the hawker food there!

Couldn't thank you guys enough for all the info. Honor to be part of this great company. I'm from the 3rd coast. Weather is great here today 80F with no humidity

[Mad Scientist]

deleted

[Tau Beta]

SMS, MS,

By the way… forgotten something…. she usually gets a stamp on BOTH her passports at Taiwan checkpoint (entry & exit). In the past, if she stays more than 30 days she applies for a visa and still gets a stamp on her U.S. passport at Taiwan as technically, she still enters Taiwan with U.S. passport [I’m kind of paranoid about not following protocols].

I am awake now. Your questions.....Most countries that has dual citizenship DOES NOT REQUIRE you to show them your 2nd passport. When I went to Hungary in the 80s via Frankfurt we got stamp at Frankfurt airport all over the passport at their border control.
Once the barcode and biometric enhance feature was embedded, NO more stamps even at the Hungary Border Control.
You enter with TWN passport and exit with that , you should be fine
Only in Asia that you have those stamps splastered on your passport. SG would be doing this away too once they have perfected "NON INVASIVE SCANNING"

MS,

This is really good to know. I am paranoid about breaking laws. Our travel to Taiwan (or anywhere for that matter) has never been more than 30 days. It is not until recently that boy wants to spend more time in Taiwan that we're faced with this question.

2 years ago AA stopped my wife from boarding the plane ‘coz she doesn't have a “visiting visa – 30+ days”