Help please- Transit through US, expired US passport

[Lemonbus]

First time very stressed poster. Will try to keep it short. Feeling very stupid so please be kind!
After spending the day researching this online I think I know the answer to this but just wanted to check if anyone had experience of this.
Booked a once in a lifetime holiday to Central America flying via US. All British citizens. Only DD16 has dual citizenship UK/US (born in US). Has only ever had one US passport when she was born which expired years ago. We fly in a week. Have only just discovered she has to go through US immigration on a valid US passport. (Feeling v.stupid) Is that it? Anyone experienced this? Are ESTAs checked at departure airport? Have read that if you can get to US they will allow you through immigration with a severe talking to but feel that's a huge risk. Is our only option now to book new flights not going via US at all.
Apologies not as short as I wanted. Thanks for reading.

My DS is a dual us/ UK citizen. My ex used to make it very difficult for me to renew his us passport. We entered the us once for twice on a British passport and esta, and it's been fine. My understanding is that the can't deny a US citizen entry

ESTA is irrelevant. USCs must enter the US with a US passport. And we are not eligible for ESTA even if we have dual nationality (as the US government doesn’t officially recognize dual nationality anyway - to the US authorities you are an American and that’s that).

Correct - we cannot be denied entry. However it’s still a federal crime to enter without a US passport. You got away with it - good for you! Doesn’t mean it’s a recommended course of action for the OP.

@SeaToSki Thanks so much, I have done this. 🤞

exactly

that’s what i’ve been trying to say but the. posters come on and basically encourage her to take the risk

this is a huge holiday for the op and her family
this is a 16 year old girl we’re talking about!

Not a chance i’d be taking the risk.

added to which, given op for some reason avoiding answering when the holiday is

im guessing it’s very imminent, which limits options hugely

Thanks for your comments, I did state in my OP that we are travelling in one week.

@courgettes4eva you could always try, you know, actually reading the OP

oh i’m sorry OP

so very imminent if only 6 days away

what’s the situation re what you’ll do atm?

i would never ever renounce US citizenship

Thank you Mumsnet!

I read the emergency passport info as deaths and proper emergencies only. I was wrong (and probably very lucky!)

Followed your link @SeaToSki and we have an appointment on Friday morning when we will be issued an emergency passport so can travel as planned 🤞🤞🤞🤞 😊

hooray

take every piece of ID and evidence of who you, DH and DD are with you..for both countries. Sometimes they want birth certificates for everyone, a marriage certificate, evidence of residence and then you will likely have to tell them every time you all have been to the US before so take a minute and write it all down with dates. Then passport photos..look up the US guidance as it is slightly different from UK.

Then you will get all the papers together and they won't want any of it bar her current expired passport..but you never know!

Hope it all works out and you have a lovely holiday.

@SeaToSki I have already started a list of all the extra documents I will take even though not been asked for them! 😂

We lived in the US for a while so definitely taking those expired passports with visas in. Might just take the whole filing cabinet!!

Thanks again for the help 😊

Brilliant news!! Have a fantastic time l!! What a relief!!

Don’t forget—BOTH parents have to go to the passport appointment.

It's one parent only because she's 16. Under 16 both parents..

Many countries have tax treaties with the US, making the US tax burden very light.

Ah, okay. Good to know.