We have to wait and see how this will affect travelling on two passports and how they will process this. Meanwhile, travelling with duel citizenship does require some special measures and we quote from the SA High Commission website:
“Please note that in terms of the South African Citizenship Act it is an offence for a South African citizen with dual citizenship to enter or depart the Republic of South Africa making use of the passport of another country. Once a person has been granted dual citizenship, the holder must always enter and depart South Africa on their valid South African passport.”
The South African Citizenship Act provides for retention of South African citizenship PRIOR to the acquisition of a foreign citizenship. A condition of attaining dual citizenship for all South African citizens aged 18 years or older is that they must apply and be granted permission to retain their South African citizenship prior to the acquisition of a foreign citizenship.
If a South African citizen does not obtain this prior permission they will automatically lose their South African citizenship on voluntary acquisition of a foreign citizenship. It is an offence for a South African citizen with dual citizenship to enter or depart the Republic of South Africa making use of the passport of another country. Once a person has been granted dual citizenship, the holder must always enter and depart South Africa on their valid South African passport.
In essence legislation provides that a South African dual citizen can use his or her foreign passport/citizenship/nationality freely outside South Africa. However, in South Africa, he/she may not use his or her foreign citizenship to gain an advantage or to avoid a responsibility or duty, which he or she as a South African citizen would otherwise have or have not been entitled or subjected to.
When travelling also decide which passport to use based on which is better for you given the circumstances. But, as mentioned, you must always present yourself to authorities of your own country as a citizen of that country. You can’t commit a crime in your home country and then flee to your other country’s embassy. You can’t enter your home country using your passport from another country. Doing these things will have serious legal consequences.
Here are some procedures to remember if you have different citizenships and want to travel with Dual Citizenship:
- When travelling internationally, you must use a single passport for each leg of a trip. You can’t switch mid-stream. Meaning, you can’t check into a flight in Johannesburg using your SA passport and then enter Holland using your British passport. This will cause problems because the airline records the identities and citizenships of everyone on the flight.
- Keep the letter of permission – or certified copy of it – from your home country allowing you to obtain dual citizenship with you when you when you travel. You may legally be asked for it by immigration officers.
- Travel with both of your passports no matter where you are going. You never know what may happen.
