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If you changed your birth nationality and previously had a passport for the birth nationality, do you have to answer this question with "yes"?

The difficulty is that the passport must be returned when you change the nationality, as dual nationality is not allowed, so the requested information cannot be provided (on issue date, number, etc.).

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    Most of the time they'll cancel it and give it back to you for just such a reason as this.
    – phoog
    Jun 10, 2016 at 13:59
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    If you don't have the old passport, you should answer that you had it, and then when asked for the issue date, number, etc., leave it blank if you can, or, if not, answer not available.
    – phoog
    Jun 10, 2016 at 17:11

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I know at least one country where you have to hand in your old passport every time you want new one and don't get to keep it unless you explicitly request it and have a good reason for that (like a valid visa). This makes all immigration/visa forms asking for past passport numbers much more difficult to fill in... but it does not change the answer to the question you mentioned.

You definitely have to disclose any other citizenship you hold or held in the past. It's much better to do that even without being able to give other details than to be caught in a lie or giving the appearance of trying to hide something.

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It is vital that you tell the truth when applying for visas or other means of entering countries, such as ESTA. Being found to be lying on your application is the sort of thing that gets you banned from entering the country for a long time.

The question asks, in a very clear way, if you ever had a passport from a different country than your current nationality. You had a passport from a different country than your current nationality, so you must answer yes. Rather than asking if you should lie on your application, you should ask about how to deal with not knowing your past passport details.

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    OP's problem seems to be he or she doesn't have the details.
    – Belle
    Jun 10, 2016 at 15:50
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    @J.Constantine OK but that's not the question they asked.
    – David Richerby
    Jun 10, 2016 at 15:51
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    I found sometimes you have to read between the lines a bit to actually find the question. Sometimes that requires a comment and then an edit. Not a snarky answer.
    – Belle
    Jun 10, 2016 at 15:56
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    @J.Constantine Fair point. I toned down the snark and added some comments about the importance of answering truthfully.
    – David Richerby
    Jun 10, 2016 at 16:03
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Clearly, answer that with yes, and in the data fields write 'unknown' or leave them blank. It should work without problems; I personally know people in that situation that do so, and never have any issues.

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