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Original poster

Baby has different passport

44 replies

Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 08:55

We are a Northern Irish family of 5 living in Italy. Due to being born in NI, we are entitled to both Irish and British passports. After Brexit, all of our official paperwork was done under our Irish passports.

I had a baby a few months ago. Her Irish passport got seriously delayed and we still don't have it. We managed to get her a British passport which we used to exit Italy to visit family in NI. So as to not look weird, I used my British passport to exit the country too.

We are flying back to Italy tomorrow and I'm not sure what to do. My husband and I have residency based on our Irish passports so I imagine coming into Italy on EU passports would be easier. However our baby only has a British passport at the minute so will she stick out like a sore thumb as being a different nationality to the rest of her entire family?

OP posts:
Singleandproud · 21/08/2022 09:01

Lots of people have different passports to their parents, take her birth certificate if you are worried.
I haven't travelled yet since Brexit but won't at least one of you have to go through the non-EU gate with your daughter? Although the other could go and sort the luggage out if there's a queue.

Hoppinggreen · 21/08/2022 09:01

My DH and DC all have dual UK/EU citizenships with both passports. When entering an EU country they use their EU ones (and I go with them in the EU queue) and when coming back to The UK they use their GB ones. Once we realised DDs UK one had expired so she travelled both ways with her EU one. We were asked when coming back why she didn’t have a UK one but I just explained and it was fine
They are teens though so can answer questions

Janek · 21/08/2022 09:11

Was she born in Italy, so has an Italian birth certificate? Do you have a copy of that with you? You've got your British passport with you so that proves a link with the baby. There is no reason she shouldn't travel on it, except it will be stamped on the way in to Italy and she would only be entitled to stay for 90 out of 180 days on that. I'm not sure how you could sort that out. Or does she have an Italian identity card? Could she travel into Italy on that? Maybe showing the British passport to UK border force then the identity card to the Italian passport control.

This turned into more of a stream of consciousness than I was expecting...

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SolasAnla · 21/08/2022 09:12

You should have travelled with both your uk and Irish passport.
And used the UK one to enter NI.
On return you could present both with the irish one on top and also your baby's one with her birth cert. via the EU gate with the rest of your family. (No point in giving an official a easy computer says no option by splitting your family.
Was she born in Italy as she would have a technical righ to apply for citizenship through birth& residency?

SolasAnla · 21/08/2022 09:17

Janek · 21/08/2022 09:11

Was she born in Italy, so has an Italian birth certificate? Do you have a copy of that with you? You've got your British passport with you so that proves a link with the baby. There is no reason she shouldn't travel on it, except it will be stamped on the way in to Italy and she would only be entitled to stay for 90 out of 180 days on that. I'm not sure how you could sort that out. Or does she have an Italian identity card? Could she travel into Italy on that? Maybe showing the British passport to UK border force then the identity card to the Italian passport control.

This turned into more of a stream of consciousness than I was expecting...

Very good point on the stamp / leave to stay as computers keep records for ever that could come back to cause problems years later.

Original poster
Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 09:20

SolasAnla · 21/08/2022 09:12

You should have travelled with both your uk and Irish passport.
And used the UK one to enter NI.
On return you could present both with the irish one on top and also your baby's one with her birth cert. via the EU gate with the rest of your family. (No point in giving an official a easy computer says no option by splitting your family.
Was she born in Italy as she would have a technical righ to apply for citizenship through birth& residency?

Yes she was born in Italy but isn't entitled to citizenship on that basis. She isn't technically resident yet as we are waiting for her Irish passport to commence that process. We have brought all of our passports home with us so should be able to prove we all have dual nationality. We flew into Dublin and I can't remember which passport I showed there, probably Irish. Her Italian birth certificate is with the Irish authorities (passport processing) but I have a scan of it somewhere which I will print.

OP posts:
MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 21/08/2022 09:20

Yes, the traveling on different passports isn't the issue, it's her not being allowed to stay in Italy.

Original poster
Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 09:22

Janek · 21/08/2022 09:11

Was she born in Italy, so has an Italian birth certificate? Do you have a copy of that with you? You've got your British passport with you so that proves a link with the baby. There is no reason she shouldn't travel on it, except it will be stamped on the way in to Italy and she would only be entitled to stay for 90 out of 180 days on that. I'm not sure how you could sort that out. Or does she have an Italian identity card? Could she travel into Italy on that? Maybe showing the British passport to UK border force then the identity card to the Italian passport control.

This turned into more of a stream of consciousness than I was expecting...

We are coming home for Christmas so could leave on her British passport? Or somewhere else for a weekend if Christmas is too late.

OP posts:
itsevolutionbaby · 21/08/2022 09:24

Similar situation here, family with EU and UK passports. I normally take all the passports, birth certificates etc. Once one of my DD's passports was being renewed and she used a different one to the rest of the family, no issues. We tend to use the one for the country we are entering. However my husband got told recently when leaving that he should use the same passport that he used to enter. Just take all documents and explain, but there aren't any problems normally.

Original poster
Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 09:25

MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 21/08/2022 09:20

Yes, the traveling on different passports isn't the issue, it's her not being allowed to stay in Italy.

OK, what would her 'not being allowed to stay in Italy mean'? If its that she has to leave on her abritish passport by a certain date, that's fine, we can sort that out. We were planning a trip to Germany in November. We could leave on her British passport and reenter on the airish passport which will hopefully have arrived by then. Would that work?

OP posts:
Original poster
Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 09:27

I get so nervous explaining things like this, even when I'm legitimate and telling the truth.

I just keep thinking 'they think I've got heroin'.

OP posts:
MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 21/08/2022 09:42

its that she has to leave on her abritish passport by a certain date, that's fine, we can sort that out.

Yes, that's what I meant. That as she is on a UK passport she hasn't a right to go in to Italy and just live there.

I would take screenshots of any evidence that you have that you have that you have applied for her Irish passport
and
evidence that you (well she) is leaving the country again.

SolasAnla · 21/08/2022 09:54

itsevolutionbaby · 21/08/2022 09:24

Similar situation here, family with EU and UK passports. I normally take all the passports, birth certificates etc. Once one of my DD's passports was being renewed and she used a different one to the rest of the family, no issues. We tend to use the one for the country we are entering. However my husband got told recently when leaving that he should use the same passport that he used to enter. Just take all documents and explain, but there aren't any problems normally.

The important bit is the right to enter the country.
Citizens should always use their passports as ppcontrol have no right to prevent entry of citizens.
For everybody else its by permission.
If it is a foreign pp the system would flag the individual as an overstayer and having crossed out illegally so on a return trip this could void any automatic right of entry.

SolasAnla · 21/08/2022 10:06

Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 09:27

I get so nervous explaining things like this, even when I'm legitimate and telling the truth.

I just keep thinking 'they think I've got heroin'.

You have an Italian record of her birth and details of the hospital, your Italian doctor etc so its not as if you cant prove that she is yours and born in Italy.
From a very quick read of Italian citizenship I think you can apply for her to get an Italian passport (via birth) quicker than you and DH can. If so it maybe beneficial for you to apply.

Hoppinggreen · 21/08/2022 11:01

Singleandproud · 21/08/2022 09:01

Lots of people have different passports to their parents, take her birth certificate if you are worried.
I haven't travelled yet since Brexit but won't at least one of you have to go through the non-EU gate with your daughter? Although the other could go and sort the luggage out if there's a queue.

As I said I am the only one in our family with a non EU passport and I have been allowed through the EU gate with them several times. They prefer the whole party to go through together I think

Original poster
Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 11:18

SolasAnla · 21/08/2022 10:06

You have an Italian record of her birth and details of the hospital, your Italian doctor etc so its not as if you cant prove that she is yours and born in Italy.
From a very quick read of Italian citizenship I think you can apply for her to get an Italian passport (via birth) quicker than you and DH can. If so it maybe beneficial for you to apply.

Show quote history

Yes and she has an Italian health card and tax code. I find border patrol so intimidating. I had a bad experience years ago with my son who was born abroad, though the circumstances were different (Middle East).

OP posts:
Original poster
Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 11:19

MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 21/08/2022 09:42

its that she has to leave on her abritish passport by a certain date, that's fine, we can sort that out.

Yes, that's what I meant. That as she is on a UK passport she hasn't a right to go in to Italy and just live there.

I would take screenshots of any evidence that you have that you have that you have applied for her Irish passport
and
evidence that you (well she) is leaving the country again.

Good idea about the Irish passport!

OP posts:
MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 21/08/2022 11:55

I've had bad experience in the Middle East too. Twice. Once they made my DDs go in a separate queue without me. They were five and three. Confused

I think the problem can be that people except that border control will act rationally 'we can't make a five year old and a two year old go through passport control alone' but they don't always and they follow the rules instead.

FreudayNight · 21/08/2022 11:59

You are over thinking OP. The airport won’t bat an eyelid, but do use the same passport as before.

Original poster
Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 12:00

MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 21/08/2022 11:55

I've had bad experience in the Middle East too. Twice. Once they made my DDs go in a separate queue without me. They were five and three. Confused

I think the problem can be that people except that border control will act rationally 'we can't make a five year old and a two year old go through passport control alone' but they don't always and they follow the rules instead.

How non sensical but I believe it!
My son was born in the middle East and he wasn't allowed to leave the country we were in after he was born. He had a pp but not some other documentation we didn't know he needed. We weren't allowed on our flight and I had to ring my mum to tell her we couldn't come home. It was awful! I was sobbing in the airport and we had to just go back to our apartment where we were living, when we should have been flying home. 😢 😭 😿

OP posts:
TheBikiniExpert · 21/08/2022 12:01

So she's an Italian citizen. Doesn't she have an id card? I travelled on a British passport and had my Italian ID card to prove residency rights. Not a problem.

Original poster
Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 12:09

TheBikiniExpert · 21/08/2022 12:01

So she's an Italian citizen. Doesn't she have an id card? I travelled on a British passport and had my Italian ID card to prove residency rights. Not a problem.

No she isn't an Italian citizen as the citizenship goes by the parents and we aren't Italian. She is entitled to an ID card but non citizens can't fly on it. This was all confirmed by the commune.

OP posts:
mindutopia · 21/08/2022 12:28

Should be fine. I’ve travelled loads with mine who have British passports (and I do now too), but I travelled on my other (non-EU) passport from my birth country for many years. Even without Dh, no one ever even asked any questions.

QuillBill · 21/08/2022 12:34

mindutopia · 21/08/2022 12:28

Should be fine. I’ve travelled loads with mine who have British passports (and I do now too), but I travelled on my other (non-EU) passport from my birth country for many years. Even without Dh, no one ever even asked any questions.

But that's not what this is about. It's about the baby not having proof she has leave to remain in Italy as she only has a British passport. You can't just arrive at a countries border and say you are going to live there without documentation to say you can.

Janek · 21/08/2022 12:40

Itsonlyabiscuit · 21/08/2022 09:25

OK, what would her 'not being allowed to stay in Italy mean'? If its that she has to leave on her abritish passport by a certain date, that's fine, we can sort that out. We were planning a trip to Germany in November. We could leave on her British passport and reenter on the airish passport which will hopefully have arrived by then. Would that work?

Show quote history

No, this wouldn't work. You need to leave the Schengen area. It's because of Brexit. UK passport holders are only allowed to remain in Europe for a total of 90 days in any 180. It is now crucial that we get our passports stamped on the way in and on the way out. If they don't do it on the way in, then you are assumed to have outstayed on your way out, irrespective of how long you have actually been there.

Once you get your Irish passport your dd needs to leave Schengen (fly back to NI?) within 90 days of her arrival back in Italy this time (so Christmas probably isn't soon enough) then travel back on the Irish passport.

If you think the Irish passport will take more than 90 days to arrive, I would go and speak to the Irish Embassy in Italy, because without it your baby is in a slightly ridiculous catch 22 situation.

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