Hi guys .... thanks for the responses .... yes, figured it was a long shot and everything you mention makes sense.
To answer the "predicament" ....... wife let her passport expire, and there's a backlog on processing ...... so, would take a few weeks to get. We have the opportunity to travel in the next couple of weeks (mexico, CA, or carribean). She also has a EU passport (not expired), so could travel on that ..... but the return would be the issue.
To answer the "predicament" ....... wife let her passport expire, and there's a backlog on processing ...... so, would take a few weeks to get. We have the opportunity to travel in the next couple of weeks (mexico, CA, or carribean). She also has a EU passport (not expired), so could travel on that ..... but the return would be the issue.
I wouldn't risk it. If the airline denies you boarding you are up an expensive creek. If the US boarder patrol grants you entry but levies a fine.... or just any number of things.
Have you considered domestic travel? Puerto Rico is as Caribbean as it gets but doesn't require a passport.
Can't a dual citizen travel and enter the US on the other passport? You certainly could go to Mexico and the Caribbean as long as you did not transit the US.
No. US demands that if you have a US passport, irrespective of dual nationality, you MUST leave and enter the US on your US passport.
Have you considered domestic travel? Puerto Rico is as Caribbean as it gets but doesn't require a passport.
I thought about that, but perhaps the travel opportunity is a last minute cruise.
There's also the U. S. Virgin Islands
However: when you depart the VI or Puerto Rico, the airline may ask for proof of citizenship & ID, such as a birth certificate plus a drivers license. US immigration may also ask for it.
U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR's) who travel directly between parts of the United States, which includes Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), without touching at a foreign port or place, are not required to present a valid U.S. Passport or U.S. Green Card.
However, it is recommended that travelers bring a government issued photo ID and copy of birth certificate.
There's also the U. S. Virgin Islands
However: when you depart the VI or Puerto Rico, the airline may ask for proof of citizenship & ID, such as a birth certificate plus a drivers license. US immigration may also ask for it.
U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR's) who travel directly between parts of the United States, which includes Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), without touching at a foreign port or place, are not required to present a valid U.S. Passport or U.S. Green Card.
However, it is recommended that travelers bring a government issued photo ID and copy of birth certificate.
When traveling from PR to the mainland by plane, you do not pass through immigration. So while it would be nice to have those documents, it is effectively the same as flying from Hawaii or Alaska to the mainland US. Yes it is nice to have it, but not really necessary.
I guess I am confused. I thought the OP was outside the US where his dual citizen spouse had no need for a US passport.
Yes it is nice to have it, but not really necessary.
The "copy of birth certificate" advice is a bit silly, and probably written by a DC bureaucrat who doesn't get out much. I've never carried it in any travel context anywhere, but I would never travel anywhere (even to the corner shop) without a driver's licence.
You can pay extra ($60) and get an expedited passport if you apply in person to one of 26 US Passport Agencies:
Expedited Service at a Passport Agency
If you need a passport very quickly, the best method may be to apply at a U.S. Department of State Passport Agency.
There are 28 passport agencies around the country that can provide expedited service. Many have opened in the last few years and there may be one closer to you than you think.
Appointments and proof of immediate international travel are required to apply at U.S. Department of State passport agencies. For a complete list of agencies, click here.