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ETIAS for dual citizens: which passport to use

By Aaron Houston · Last checked 2026-10-28 against official EU sources

Status as of 2026-10-28: ETIAS is not in operation and no applications are being collected. The EU says it will announce the start date "several months prior to its launch."

Short answer: it depends on your two nationalities. If one of them is an EU/Schengen country requiring ETIAS or Ireland, you don't need ETIAS, but you must travel on that passport. If both are visa-exempt (for example US and Canada), you need one ETIAS on the passport you'll travel with. If one is visa-required, you choose: ETIAS on the visa-exempt passport, or a visa on the other.

Source: EU news corner: Dual citizenship and ETIAS (14 Sept 2025) and the official ETIAS FAQ, last checked 2026-10-28.

Your nationalities ETIAS? Which passport
EU/Schengen ETIAS country or Ireland + any other No ETIAS Must use the EU/Irish passport
Two visa-exempt countries (e.g. US + UK) Yes, one Your choice; travel on the one you applied with
Visa-exempt + visa-required (e.g. US + Dominican Republic) Yes, if you use the visa-exempt passport Otherwise a Schengen visa on the other passport

I'm a US citizen with Italian (or Irish) citizenship. Do I need ETIAS?

No. "If you are a citizen of any of the European countries requiring ETIAS or Ireland, you are exempt from ETIAS regardless of any other nationality you may hold. In this case, you must travel with the passport issued by the European country requiring ETIAS or Ireland" (EU: Dual citizenship and ETIAS). The EU example is Maria, an Argentine-Spanish dual national flying from Buenos Aires to Italy: she needs no ETIAS and must use her Spanish passport.

This is the trap for many heritage citizens (for example Americans with Italian, Irish or Polish citizenship by descent). If your EU passport has expired or can't be used, the EU says to contact the authorities of the country that issued it, "as otherwise you will not be able to travel to the European countries requiring ETIAS" (official FAQ). The FAQ doesn't offer a fallback of using ETIAS on your other passport, so renew the EU passport in good time.

Unconfirmed: How carriers and border guards will handle an EU dual national who arrives on a non-EU passport with an ETIAS. The EU pages say you "must" use the EU passport but don't describe what happens otherwise. Don't plan on it.

I have two visa-exempt passports. Which one do I use?

You need an ETIAS, and you can pick which passport to apply with. Because ETIAS "is linked to your passport, make sure to travel with the one used in your application, as otherwise you will be refused boarding by the carrier or entry at the border" (EU: Dual citizenship and ETIAS).

Some passports have extra conditions. The EU example is Denis, a Canadian-Serbian dual national going to Finland. A Serbian passport only qualifies for ETIAS if it is biometric; otherwise he'd need a visa, so "the simplest option" is his Canadian passport. The same biometric rule applies to passports from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, and ICAO-standard biometric passports are required from Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine (official: What you need to apply).

Tip: choose the passport with the most validity left. An ETIAS lasts 3 years or until that passport expires, whichever is sooner (FAQ). See new passport = new ETIAS.

One of my nationalities needs a visa. What are my options?

You decide. With the visa-exempt passport you can apply for ETIAS, provided it meets the travel-document conditions. With the visa-required passport you need a Schengen visa instead. In the EU example, Laura, a US and Dominican dual national, applies for ETIAS if she travels on her US passport, or needs a visa if she travels on her Dominican one (EU: Dual citizenship and ETIAS). Travellers with a valid visa don't need ETIAS (FAQ).

What about family members of EU citizens?

If you aren't an EU citizen but your spouse or parent is, the dual-national rules don't apply to you. You may instead qualify for family-member status, which waives the EUR 20 fee in some cases. See ETIAS for children and families.

Dual-national checklist

  1. List both nationalities and check which group you fall into (table above).
  2. EU or Irish citizen? Renew that passport if it's expired, and use it. No ETIAS needed.
  3. Two visa-exempt passports? Pick the one with the longest validity (and biometric, if required) and travel only on it.
  4. Apply only on the official site or app once ETIAS opens, for EUR 20 (official vs third-party sites).
  5. Remember EES: you'll still register fingerprints and a photo at the border (EES at the border).
Want it on one page? ETIAS & EES Europe travel checklist ($7, optional). ETIAS itself is EUR 20 only on the official EU site.

Sources

Keep going: This page is part of our main guide to who needs ETIAS, which walks through every decision in order. Related questions: Do Americans need ETIAS. Ready to act? See ETIAS requirements.

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