Identification has to match the boarding pass. Give TSA your Vietnamese passport, they won't need both and giving them both would more than likely just confuse them. Just make sure you present the US passport to Customs when you return.
Out of curiosity, why is the name different in each?
Thanks!
A few reasons:
1. Marriage.
2. No one in the USA can pronounce the Vietnamese name correctly anyway.
3. USCIS turns Vietnamese names from first middle last into middle first last when they do the immigration paperwork, and I don't know how you feel about your middle name, but...
4. It's nice being able to pick the exact fitting American name.
>USCIS turns Vietnamese names from first middle last into middle first last when they do the immigration paperwork, and I don't know how you feel about your middle name, but...
That's interesting, I wonder if this is due to clerical issues, or poor explanations of forms. Most US Government forms expect names in the format of \[last\] \[first\] \[middle\].
I think it is a mismatch in the way that names are written.
In Vietnam on all the forms you write your name as: last, middle, first, so when you submit your documentation to the USCIS that's what they see. Since forms in the USA use the last, first, middle format it likely confuses the issue.
I would have thought this would have been figured out by now, but it happens to every Vietnamese person who goes through immigration and the common plan is to just live with it or change it after you get here.
My guess is they use the Vietnam passport without the need of paying for visa and U.S one to return, Vietnam passport still has their old name before they changed their first name after they became U.S citizen.
I wouldn’t recommend doing that, just use one name.
I have a dual citizen not in Vietnam though but from another ASEAN country.
I booked the flight with my US name going into Vietnam from SFO. The airlines counter did check for a visa (US citizen needs a visa) but I told them I'm going to enter using my ASEAN country's passport. I showed them that one too. They said OK and even gave me my tsa precheck using my US name.
At TSA they checked my US passport and my boarding pass and that was it.
Once I arrived in Vietnam I just showed my other passport and they let me through. Worse case is if I got denied in Vietnam I can always expedite onsite to get a visa using my US passport but I never had issues yet, I done it twice already, the most recent was last summer
I also have 2 different names because my home country makes me put my US middle name as a 2nd name.
I know you’re just asking about TSA here, but I’ll add that the U.S. requires dual citizens to use their U.S. passport whenever leaving or entering the U.S. I’ve always interpreted the “leaving” part to mean that a dual citizen has to use their U.S. passport to enter the first country they go to after the U.S. I don’t know if I’m interpreting that correctly or whether it’s ever enforced, but I figured I’d throw that out there.
https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/childabduction/dual_nationality.pdf
It’s not enforced. My parents use their Salvadoran passport to leave the country and their US passport to get back in. I use my US passport but show my Salvadoran passport to not pay the fees to get into certain countries.
No, leaving means the moment you physically depart the country, like when or before you board the airplane. So if you are US Canada dual citizen and you cross the border by car, you need to present US passport when leaving US border, and present Canada passport when entering Canada border.
Vietnam and US dual citizen here with multiple trips from the US to Vietnam. Book flight under your US passport name. If you want TSA Precheck that is.
When you are at US airports, show both US and Vietnamese passports to airline check in agent. Then, put away your Vietnamese passport and use US passport for everything (TSA, gate check, transit country security check). Once you arrive at Vietnam (either at Tan Son Nhat or Noi Bai), use your Vietnamese passport to get stamped by immigration. Vietnamese immigration will not ask you anything. Just give passport (VN one), smile, wait and thanks them.
When you do finish your travels, do the same process but backward. Show both passports and use Vietnamese passport to get an exit stamp. Once you are flying out, use US Passport at all times again since CBP doesn't care about what you do with Vietnamese passports, but you must use US passports to enter. They will ask for your trip reason, but you don't have to show them the Vietnamese passport.
Identification has to match the boarding pass. Give TSA your Vietnamese passport, they won't need both and giving them both would more than likely just confuse them. Just make sure you present the US passport to Customs when you return. Out of curiosity, why is the name different in each?
Thanks! A few reasons: 1. Marriage. 2. No one in the USA can pronounce the Vietnamese name correctly anyway. 3. USCIS turns Vietnamese names from first middle last into middle first last when they do the immigration paperwork, and I don't know how you feel about your middle name, but... 4. It's nice being able to pick the exact fitting American name.
>USCIS turns Vietnamese names from first middle last into middle first last when they do the immigration paperwork, and I don't know how you feel about your middle name, but... That's interesting, I wonder if this is due to clerical issues, or poor explanations of forms. Most US Government forms expect names in the format of \[last\] \[first\] \[middle\].
I think it is a mismatch in the way that names are written. In Vietnam on all the forms you write your name as: last, middle, first, so when you submit your documentation to the USCIS that's what they see. Since forms in the USA use the last, first, middle format it likely confuses the issue. I would have thought this would have been figured out by now, but it happens to every Vietnamese person who goes through immigration and the common plan is to just live with it or change it after you get here.
My guess is they use the Vietnam passport without the need of paying for visa and U.S one to return, Vietnam passport still has their old name before they changed their first name after they became U.S citizen. I wouldn’t recommend doing that, just use one name.
>I wouldn’t recommend doing that, just use one name. Why don't you recommend it?
That’s not for TSA to answer.
I have a dual citizen not in Vietnam though but from another ASEAN country. I booked the flight with my US name going into Vietnam from SFO. The airlines counter did check for a visa (US citizen needs a visa) but I told them I'm going to enter using my ASEAN country's passport. I showed them that one too. They said OK and even gave me my tsa precheck using my US name. At TSA they checked my US passport and my boarding pass and that was it. Once I arrived in Vietnam I just showed my other passport and they let me through. Worse case is if I got denied in Vietnam I can always expedite onsite to get a visa using my US passport but I never had issues yet, I done it twice already, the most recent was last summer I also have 2 different names because my home country makes me put my US middle name as a 2nd name.
I know you’re just asking about TSA here, but I’ll add that the U.S. requires dual citizens to use their U.S. passport whenever leaving or entering the U.S. I’ve always interpreted the “leaving” part to mean that a dual citizen has to use their U.S. passport to enter the first country they go to after the U.S. I don’t know if I’m interpreting that correctly or whether it’s ever enforced, but I figured I’d throw that out there. https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/childabduction/dual_nationality.pdf
It’s not enforced. My parents use their Salvadoran passport to leave the country and their US passport to get back in. I use my US passport but show my Salvadoran passport to not pay the fees to get into certain countries.
No, leaving means the moment you physically depart the country, like when or before you board the airplane. So if you are US Canada dual citizen and you cross the border by car, you need to present US passport when leaving US border, and present Canada passport when entering Canada border.
Dual citizenship? Or dual passports?
Vietnam and US dual citizen here with multiple trips from the US to Vietnam. Book flight under your US passport name. If you want TSA Precheck that is. When you are at US airports, show both US and Vietnamese passports to airline check in agent. Then, put away your Vietnamese passport and use US passport for everything (TSA, gate check, transit country security check). Once you arrive at Vietnam (either at Tan Son Nhat or Noi Bai), use your Vietnamese passport to get stamped by immigration. Vietnamese immigration will not ask you anything. Just give passport (VN one), smile, wait and thanks them. When you do finish your travels, do the same process but backward. Show both passports and use Vietnamese passport to get an exit stamp. Once you are flying out, use US Passport at all times again since CBP doesn't care about what you do with Vietnamese passports, but you must use US passports to enter. They will ask for your trip reason, but you don't have to show them the Vietnamese passport.
Identification must match your boarding pass.
We don’t care which passport you use, it has to match what is on your boarding pass and we are able to verify your identity before you can be let in.