8

We live in the UK and my daughter has dual citizenship. However, she never entered the UK with her Brazilian passport, only with the German passport. Now we are travelling to Croatia without the German passport (lost). Will it be OK to reenter the UK with only her Brazilian passport?

Improve this question
9
  • 8
    She can enter at the discretion of the UK border control, but only as a short term visitor. Her entry will be denied if she suggests she wants to stay longer than six months. If she wants to stay longer than six months, she will need to prove that she is a German citizen. Losing an EU passport is a serious business, this should be reported and a new passport or EU identity card requested. She can enter the UK with a German ID card if she has one.
    – Calchas
    Commented May 29, 2016 at 21:59
  • thank you both for your help! she is 6 years old @GayotFow
    – castro
    Commented May 29, 2016 at 22:09
  • 4
    Does your daughter have a Personalausweis (German ID Card)? If so, it's literally all she'll need both for Croatia and the UK (and you get unlimited stay in the UK with it)
    – Crazydre
    Commented May 29, 2016 at 22:30
  • Castro: do you or your daughter's other parent have German or other EU citizenship as well? If so, will the EU citizen parent be traveling with your daughter, or already in the UK when she returns?
    – phoog
    Commented May 29, 2016 at 22:31
  • 2
    I hope "lost" just means "misplaced it somewhere at home and couldn't find it when hurrying to be in time to catch our flight". Whether or not that is the case, though, making sure the passport is either found or replaced should be a priority (though it may be possible to postpone until you're back home).
    – Jasper
    Commented May 30, 2016 at 10:38

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
16

You indicated in a comment that your wife has German citizenship, and that she will be traveling with your daughter (and with you, though that's not relevant for our purposes). Because of those facts, your daughter can benefit from freedom of movement as laid out in directive 2004/38/EC, as the family member of an EU citizen. It's therefore not necessary for her to prove German nationality as a condition of being granted indefinite entry. Instead, your wife can prove her German nationality and that your daughter is her child.

Improve this answer
1
  • 4
    I second this answer. If your wife has a German ID Card or passport, your daughter will have no Problems entering. Her Brazilian passport will show that she's your wife's daughter.
    – Crazydre
    Commented May 29, 2016 at 23:11
10

German embassies abroad can provide a "Reiseausweis als Passersatz" for Germans who have lost their papers. This is supposed to be used to get back to Germany, but according to German websites this is accepted by other EU countries as well.

Improve this answer
8

I'd try to replace the German passport as quickly as possible.

It seems that as a Brazilian citizen, you can enter the UK without visa for six months. But you need a visa to join your family or partner in the UK for a long stay. Assuming that your daughter would want to stay with you long term in the UK, she'd need a visa.

Now since she is a German citizen, she doesn't need a visa, but the problem is that she might have to prove it at the border. If there is proof other than the passport that she has German citizenship, that might help (for example a German identity card, birth certificate etc.).

I'd really try to get a new passport, or at the very least contact some agency that would handle this - which may be hard to find, because it is such an unusual situation.

PS. If the customs officer asks how long she wants to stay in the UK, you have a problem. Because you would either be lying, which is bad, or you would stay that she wants to stay permanently, which is also bad.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .