Information & Chat > Visas, Legal Paperwork and Other Documentation
Usage of Russian and UK Passports at Different Borders
TrevorM:
--- Quote from: Manny on December 08, 2009, 07:54:03 AM ---Sparky and I thrashed this out on the phone earlier today. I think I have my head around it now.
For travel to Russia, disregard the UK passport for all intents and purposes is the answer.
Our wives will have both a UK passport and a Russian passport with ILR in it. Either/both allow entry to the UK.
* Book flights in the name on Russian passport
* Leave UK on Russian passport (as that is the only one that allows entry to Russia)
* Enter Russia on Russian passport.
* When leaving Russia, this is also done on the Russian passport. The requirement to demonstrate right of entry to the destination (UK) is done using the ILR visa* not the UK passport.
* Once you have entered the UK, you can either use the Russian passport with ILR and fill in the usual landing card or whip out your shiny UK passport and drift through with the locals. (Border guards do not know what name you flew in.)
From what I have read, an ILR is valid if presented in an expired passport in conjunction with a current passport (that hasnt got ILR in it). ILR is a lifetime visa and Russian passports only last 5 years, so this kinda makes sense.
That said, a cunning Russian border guard would just love to make a big deal out of this IMO. The answer to that is pay the Home Office another £150 to duplicate the ILR in her current Russian passport.
--- End quote ---
On return from Russia this Summer, the UK Immigration Officer told us that irrespective of of what passport wifey had to show to get in and out of Russia, on re-entering the UK she must show her UK passport as she is now a UK citizen.
The Russian border guards don't check visas for the destination country, this is done by the airline at check-in/bag-drop, so I don't see a problem here. Certainly we didn't have a problem showing wifey's expired Russian passport with her ILR visa as well as her current Russian passport to the airline desk. We had to do it this way as her Russian passport is in her former name and her UK passport is in her new married name, hence the ticket name was in her former name to match her Russian passport. She then gave her current Russian passport and boarding pass to the Russian border guard who stamped both the passport and the boarding pass. If both passports have the same name, then there is no problem at all, just show the UK passport at the airline desk and Russian passport and boarding pass to the Russian border guard.
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