Syd-lon Passport Options

[NIGELINOZ]

Hi Everyone,
I will be travelling to the UK next year(Oct-Nov) and would appreciate the opinions of others about this question.
I was born in the UK in 1960,came to Australia with my parents as migrants and have not travelled overseas since we arrived in 1965.
I am a permanent Australian resident without any form of passport although I have a travel document issued for a single journey to my parents which I am included on.
My question is which would be easier-Obtain a UK passport and get a returning resident visa to re enter Australia or apply for Aussie citizenship and get an Aussie passport and therefore no need for a visa?
(I am assuming I don't need a visa to enter the UK)
It's pretty sad being a 46 year old who has not travelled os yet but hey I
better things to do-like partying till all hours!:)
Any opinions appreciated.
cheers from downunder!

[redsnail]

Get both. You're entitled to them.

The Australian one might be the tougher of the two as you will need some form of evidence that you're a permanent resident/citizen. You'll need your birth certificate and some form proof of residency. It'll be all on the form at the Post Office. (or online).

The British passport is pretty easy to get if you're entitled to it (you're British by birth). All you would need is your birth certificate.
I went to Canberra to the British High Commission. (daughter of a Brit. Needed my birth certificate, my parents marriage certificate and Dad's birth certificate).

I believe extracts aren't accepted, only full birth certificates.

With regards as to which one's best to get back to Australia permanently. You'll definitely need the Australian passport unless you can somehow get proof of permanent residency in the British passport.

When I travelled "home to Australia" on a return ticket. (Oz-UK {been here for 12 months}-Oz) I automatically handed my UK passport over the counter at Heathrow. The person asked if I had a visa to stay in Australia. I then handed my Australian passport over and it was ok.

[Globaliser]

I am a permanent Australian resident without any form of passport although I have a travel document issued for a single journey to my parents which I am included on.

My question is which would be easier-Obtain a UK passport and get a returning resident visa to re enter Australia or apply for Aussie citizenship and get an Aussie passport and therefore no need for a visa?

(I am assuming I don't need a visa to enter the UK)First of all, you will need a passport to do this travel. So you're right to ask. Second, you can normally only get a passport from a country whose nationality you hold. It sounds like you do not currently hold Australian citizenship, but if you were born in the UK in 1960 then you should be a British citizen by birth.

Do you know that you qualify for Australian citizenship? If you do, and you are prepared to take it up, then my first impression is that this is likely to be the best thing to do. Your closest connections are with Australia, yet without Australian citizenship your legal right to be there (and the ease of your exit from and re-entry to Australia) are more precarious than if you had citizenship. So is there anything stopping you? If not, then do that.

With the Aussie passport, you will be able to come to the UK for a normal tourist visit without needing a visa. You should also be able to go to Europe (EU) without needing a visa. So your short-term travel plans are not really affected by this. The only real difference in the UK is that you have to endure the non-EU passports queue instead of enduring the EU passports queue.

I believe that Australia no longer requires you to give up other nationalities when you apply for Aussie citizenship. You need to check this. But if I'm right about that, then you'll always be entitled to the benefits of your British citizenship (which, to cut a long story short, you acquired at birth) whenever you want to avail yourself of them. The British passport should always be available to you as a backup should anything go wrong with other plans.

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice and you should not rely on it as formal advice. If you want formal legal advice, you should contact a solicitor or other approved adviser, and check that they have the necessary expertise in Australian and British law - only they can give you proper advice based on all the details of your own personal circumstances.

[James 1077]

Get both; you are most likely to be entitled to them.

[Miraz]

definately - get both

You can get the UK passport application underway through the Commission in Canberra - strictly speaking you should have a UK passport, as you are currently a foreign national in Australia.

You will pay as much for a resident-return visa as you will to apply for Australian citizenship and the passport to go with it....but you will never have to worry about whether you can renew it.

[DOME]

If I may give the definitive answer - I deal with this scenario EVERY working day - too often in fact.

1. You should apply for a GBR passport at the British High Commission CBR - you're entitled as UK born.

2. You should apply for Australian Citizenship - you're entitled by virtue of length of residence etc. and then apply for an OZ passport.

With both passports in hand, lob to the Check In counter at SYD - present the OZ passport to check in, pass Immigration, and board and travel to UK. On arrival LHR, present the GBR passport at Immigration.

When returning from UK, it gets slightly more complex; at Check In present the OZ passport to get your boarding pass. When going out thru Passport Control, present the GBR passport. When arriving in SYD pull out the OZ passport.

It will work perfectly, so long as you get the steps in the order above. Enjoy your visit "home"

[NIGELINOZ]

Thanks to everyone who replied,especially DOME,I had no idea I could stillhang on to a British passport once I became an Australian citizen,I thoughtI would have to surrender the British one before the Australian one was issued.Thanks,I will do as you suggest.Cheers!

[gdiphil]

Just to add that I have both, born in UK, inherited the Oz citizenship from my father so I travel to Oz on the Aussie passport and to the UK on its passport. I've never lived in Australia but travel there a lot. The benefit of having the UK one is that you can travel anywhere in the EU without the need for some visas which I know some Euro zone countries require for Australians. Having the Aussie one after all this time in Oz itself is a no brainer really. You don't want to fall foul of immigration law changes, who knows what could happen in the future. Also it is not unknown for people with permanent residency in Australia who find themselves falling foul of the law, even minor infractions, being deported. Even on occasions when they have lived their lives for the most part in Australia. So, yes, get both. A win win situation.

[Pax Vobiscum]

I realise this wouldn't be a problem for UK/Oz dual nationality, but there are some slight negatives to consider. If you hold dual nationality for countries A and B and you get into trouble in country A you cannot get help from country B's diplomatic service. For countries which still have compulsory national service, you could even end up with a spell in the military!

I had no idea I could stillhang on to a British passport once I became an Australian citizenSome countries seem to take a dim view of dual nationality and require you to relinquish any other citizenship you may hold - neither UK nor Oz fall into this category.

PV
Not an expert in this area, but I'm sure someone will let me know if I'm wrong ...