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Two passports: What dual nationals in Switzerland should know when travelling

Holding two citizenships can be an advantage but is also sometimes subject to some rules. This is what people with dual multi-nationalities should know when travelling from and to Switzerland.

Two passports: What dual nationals in Switzerland should know when travelling
When arriving in Switzerland, this passport is best. Photo by: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

For many readers of The Local, gaining Swiss citizenship helps them to feel more settled – but there are also travel benefits, including avoiding the long queues reserved for foreigners when arriving in Switzerland.

Citizens of the European Union can also enter Switzerland freely, through the same quick line.

This no-hassle access has especially been an issue for British citizens. Before Brexit, they could whizz through the CH / EU passport control line at the airport. Now, however, they have to queue up with third-country nationals.

What if a UK citizen is also a Swiss national?

Then it’s much easier. They, as well as all dual citizens (of Switzerland and another country), are obviously much better off travelling with both passports — presenting the Swiss (or EU) one when arriving in Switzerland for a quicker, headache-free entry, and showing the British one when passing through immigration control into the UK – for very same reasons.

This was made clear recently when Financial Times journalist Chris Giles last year tweeted that the UK Border Force “detained” his dual-national daughter while she was travelling from France into the UK with her German passport – and not her British one. 

He went on to say that UK border guards released his daughter. According to Giles, the border staff said she should have had both passports with her “and asked why she was travelling on her German one”.

So the lesson here is clear: even though you are not breaking any laws (at least not Swiss ones), if you travel with your ‘other’ identity papers when arriving in Switzerland, presenting your country-specific passport is much simpler.

There is also another reason why a dual national is better off showing the Swiss passport when entering Switzerland.

As one reader with the America /Swiss nationality told The Local, she once inadvertently showed her US passport when arriving in Geneva from the United States.

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While there is nothing illegal about that, the immigration officer asked her how long she plans to stay in Switzerland. When she said “I live here”, he asked for her residence permit. When she replied that she is also a citizen of Switzerland, the man asked for her Swiss passport, telling her she will find it easier in the future to automatically present her Swiss ID when arriving in the country.

READ MORE:

The United States is an exception to the rule

While the dual US-Swiss citizen is better off, for practical reasons shown in the above example, presenting the Swiss passport when entering Switzerland, that choice doesn’t exist when travelling to the United States.

According to the US State Department, “US nationals, including dual nationals, must use a US passport to enter and leave the United States”.

The reason for this rule is not given, though the US has a conflicting stance on Americans willingly applying for another citizenship.

While it accepts that people born abroad may be automatically considered a citizen of that country, the US government balks at anyone voluntarily applying for another passport.

“A person who acquires a foreign citizenship by applying for it may lose US citizenship”, the State Department says. “In order to lose US citizenship, the law requires that the person must apply for the foreign citizenship voluntarily, by free choice, and with the intention to give up US citizenship”.

Judging by Switzerland alone (though the situation is likely similar in other countries as well), while some Americans do give up their US passports when becoming Swiss, many others don’t.

So never show any other passport than the American one when coming to and leaving the USA.

The State Department doesn’t mention what the penalty for this “infraction” could be, but it’s better not to find out.

READ: How to apply for Swiss citizenship: An essential guide

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Closure of A13 motorway: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy

As summer school break in many Swiss cantons is about to begin, your plans to drive south for the holidays may be seriously disrupted by the closure of one of the main routes between Switzerland and Italy.

Closure of A13 motorway: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy

Italy is one of the most favourite summer destinations for many Swiss families: not only is it geographically close enough to get there by car, but it also has abundance of beaches and good weather is almost guaranteed.

But driving to Italy this summer, especially in the next few weeks, will be no simple matter.

Recent massive thunderstorms unleashed a landslide of mud and rubble, which destroyed a part of the north-south axis of the A13 motorway.

The collapsed section, between Thusis (GR) and Bellinzona (TI), is an important throughway for both passenger and commercial traffic, as it connects Switzerland with Italy.

The San Bernardino Pass, which straddles the A13, is consequently closed to traffic, as are the impacted parts of the motorway.

They will remain closed ‘until further notice,’ which is a general and non-specific term — primarily because nobody knows for sure.

According to the Graubünden cantonal police, this section will remain out of service “for months,” while the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) said it expects “to be able to reopen the A13 in three to four weeks.” 

But even this slightly more optimistic forecast is not definite.

Roads will reopen within this timeframe “only under the assumption that there will be no ‘nasty surprises,’ according to FEDRO. “The clean-up work and reconstruction depends, among other things, on the weather.”

Either way, if you are heading south in the immediate future, expect, as Swiss media reported, “impending traffic chaos.”

To make matters worse, the cantonal road, which is normally used as an alternative, was also damaged by the storm, and is closed to transit and through traffic in both directions.

What alternative south-bound routes are there?

FEDRO recommends the Gotthard route — either via the tunnel or the Pass.

There are other options as well, though they will take longer:

In Switzerland:

  • Over the Oberalp and Lukmanier passes
  • Over the Julier and Maloja passes
  • Over the Albula and Bernina passes via Poschiavo
  • Over the Grimsel and Nufenen passes
  • Through the Lötschberg car transport and the Simplon pass
  • From the Brünig pass road via Grimsel and Simplon
  • Via Martigny over the Great St. Bernard

Alternative routes abroad, for which fees may apply:

  • Via South Tyrol
  • Via Geneva through the Mont Blanc tunnel
  • Via Geneva, Annecy and the Fréjus tunnel

Will you be able to avoid traffic jams on these alternate routes?

It is highly doubtful.

During the holiday season, there is almost always congestion and bottlenecks in front of the Gotthard Tunnel, the Great St. Bernard, and the Lötschberg.

Traffic could be lighter if you avoid peak travel hours and weekends, but don’t expect miracles.

You can find real-time information about traffic jams and road conditions here:

TCS

strassen.gr.ch

Should you travel by train instead?

It is always a good idea if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, and trains are typically a more relaxing and reliable way to travel.

Except this summer.

From June 9th, and for at least three months, the train service between Italian cities of Domodossola and Milan will be interrupted due to railway works, also disrupting travel between western Switzerland and Italy.

A bus service set up by Swiss national railway company, SBB, will run between the two cities, adding at least an hour to the trip in the best traffic conditions.

But train traffic to and from other countries — including France, Germany, and Austria — will be chaotic as well.

You can find more information about these disruptions here:

READ ALSO: Why you should not rely on trains to and from Switzerland this summer 

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