Travel on foreign passport after ceremony?
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2022 11:56 am
I just received notification that my application for citizenship was approved. Now I need to schedule the ceremony, and I want to make sure I time it right given some upcoming travel plans. I see three options:
1. Ceremony ASAP, travel on foreign passport
2. Ceremony ASAP, apply for and travel on British passport
3. Ceremony after travel but within 90 days
Obviously option 3 is the safest, but after many years and many ££, I just want to get things tied up right away. Rationally I know at this stage nothing can go wrong and waiting is fine, but there's a part of me that still worries.
Option 2, getting a British passport before travel, feels like too much of a gamble. My first trip is less than 10 weeks away, and even though the timeline says lots of people are getting their passports more quickly, it seems like an unnecessary risk.
So, is option 1 even an option? Previous threads I've read suggest the reason this is best avoided is that one might be denied boarding/denied entry. I'd be travelling on a New Zealand passport and have enough travel stacked that airline agents can be convinced I won't "overstay" the normal 6-month limit. Presumably Border Force would be able to see that I'm a citizen even if I'm travelling on a foreign passport?
TLDR, can I travel to/enter the UK on my foreign passport after my ceremony, before I've applied for my British passport?
1. Ceremony ASAP, travel on foreign passport
2. Ceremony ASAP, apply for and travel on British passport
3. Ceremony after travel but within 90 days
Obviously option 3 is the safest, but after many years and many ££, I just want to get things tied up right away. Rationally I know at this stage nothing can go wrong and waiting is fine, but there's a part of me that still worries.
Option 2, getting a British passport before travel, feels like too much of a gamble. My first trip is less than 10 weeks away, and even though the timeline says lots of people are getting their passports more quickly, it seems like an unnecessary risk.
So, is option 1 even an option? Previous threads I've read suggest the reason this is best avoided is that one might be denied boarding/denied entry. I'd be travelling on a New Zealand passport and have enough travel stacked that airline agents can be convinced I won't "overstay" the normal 6-month limit. Presumably Border Force would be able to see that I'm a citizen even if I'm travelling on a foreign passport?
TLDR, can I travel to/enter the UK on my foreign passport after my ceremony, before I've applied for my British passport?