5 ms·

I have German and US passports. I definitely feel very lucky with the way I get treated at most borders compared to others. And Thai is probably still one of th

I have German and US passports. I definitely feel very lucky with the way I get treated at most borders compared to others. And Thai is probably still one of the better ones. I wonder how it's to travel with a Pakistan or Afghanistan passport.

Jtsummers 8y ago
https://www.passportindex.org/comparebyPassport.php?p1=us&p2=de&p3=af&p4=pk&fl=&s=yes https://www.passportindex.org/comparebyPassport.php?p1=us&p2... Quite a difference between them. And that's just access, addresses nothing about how people are treated.
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  I have never been treated badly as German. In my view it's one of the best passports you can have for travel.
  - 21 8y ago
    I don't think it's just the passport (hint: how do you look?)
    - maxxxxx 8y ago
      I honestly don't think so. I am generally not a people person and don't make a very friendly first impression.
      - prmph 8y ago
        OP is probably referring to your racial/ethnic appearance
        maxxxxx 8y ago
        When I was in Cambodia/Laos/Thailand I often stood in line at the border with people from Poland, France and other countries. Me and the French were checked less and got in with less questions than the Polish people. I can imagine they get treated better than dark skinned people but even within white people there is a difference.
    - charlesdm 8y ago
      As a white European, I have never been treated badly (or even been searched) -- I travel quite a bit. But I know a girl from Colombia who gets checked nearly every single time she crosses a border.
      - raincom 8y ago
        Colombian/Caribbean passports = extra scrutiny for drug mules. Watch the customs check when flights arrive from Caribbean/latin America.
    - puranjay 8y ago
      Also matters who you're with. Traveling with my wife, I get treated with more respect than when I traveled alone
vowelless 8y ago
How did you manage to get German and US? Doesn't Germany expect you to be exclusively German?
- gervase 8y ago
  German citizenship can be passed jus sanguinis, which doesn't conflict with US requirements based on jus soli. Thus, a child born in the US to German parents is eligible for citizenship in both countries. This bypasses both countries' requirements on exclusive citizenship because you are not applying for citizenship, but rather exercising your claim to existing citizenship. This is a semantically meaningful differentiation from a legal standpoint. Note that exercising this claim yourself will permanently disqualify you from government clearances at all levels. Source: I went through this process. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_soli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_soli
  - bowmessage 8y ago
    Could you talk more about this process? I am a dual US/UK citizen and don't remember (might have been to young) such a process.
    - gervase 8y ago
      The difficulty level will vary based on how much paperwork you have already (for proving citizenship during your jus sanguinis claim). I had to submit FOIA requests for records going back to the 1950's, as well as retaining a lawyer. The process took three trips to the German embassy, 18 months, and roughly $2000. However, once the initial process was completed for myself, processing it for my children took a single trip, no lawyer, and roughly $100 apiece for application fees.
    - niij 8y ago
      See: https://de.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/dual-nationality/ https://de.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/dual-nationali... German citizenship law has changed quite a lot. You are allowed dual nationality if you are born to German parents, whether in or out of Germany. You are granted German citizenship if your parents were non-citizen German residents living in Germany, with the caveat that you must choose only one nationality upon turning 21/23. Up until around the 60's or 70's German citizenship was only passes paternally, but it not can pass through both the father and/or mother. There was no concept of jus soli before 1990. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nationality_law#Birth_in_Germany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nationality_law#Birth_i...

Jtsummers 8y ago

https://www.passportindex.org/comparebyPassport.php?p1=us&p2=de&p3=af&p4=pk&fl=&s=yes https://www.passportindex.org/comparebyPassport.php?p1=us&p2... Quite a difference between them. And that's just access, addresses nothing about how people are treated.

maxxxxx 8y ago
I have never been treated badly as German. In my view it's one of the best passports you can have for travel.
- 21 8y ago
  I don't think it's just the passport (hint: how do you look?)
  - maxxxxx 8y ago
    I honestly don't think so. I am generally not a people person and don't make a very friendly first impression.
    - prmph 8y ago
      OP is probably referring to your racial/ethnic appearance
      - maxxxxx 8y ago
        When I was in Cambodia/Laos/Thailand I often stood in line at the border with people from Poland, France and other countries. Me and the French were checked less and got in with less questions than the Polish people. I can imagine they get treated better than dark skinned people but even within white people there is a difference.
  - charlesdm 8y ago
    As a white European, I have never been treated badly (or even been searched) -- I travel quite a bit. But I know a girl from Colombia who gets checked nearly every single time she crosses a border.
    - raincom 8y ago
      Colombian/Caribbean passports = extra scrutiny for drug mules. Watch the customs check when flights arrive from Caribbean/latin America.
  - puranjay 8y ago
    Also matters who you're with. Traveling with my wife, I get treated with more respect than when I traveled alone

vowelless 8y ago

How did you manage to get German and US? Doesn't Germany expect you to be exclusively German?

gervase 8y ago
German citizenship can be passed jus sanguinis, which doesn't conflict with US requirements based on jus soli. Thus, a child born in the US to German parents is eligible for citizenship in both countries. This bypasses both countries' requirements on exclusive citizenship because you are not applying for citizenship, but rather exercising your claim to existing citizenship. This is a semantically meaningful differentiation from a legal standpoint. Note that exercising this claim yourself will permanently disqualify you from government clearances at all levels. Source: I went through this process. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_soli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_soli
- bowmessage 8y ago
  Could you talk more about this process? I am a dual US/UK citizen and don't remember (might have been to young) such a process.
  - gervase 8y ago
    The difficulty level will vary based on how much paperwork you have already (for proving citizenship during your jus sanguinis claim). I had to submit FOIA requests for records going back to the 1950's, as well as retaining a lawyer. The process took three trips to the German embassy, 18 months, and roughly $2000. However, once the initial process was completed for myself, processing it for my children took a single trip, no lawyer, and roughly $100 apiece for application fees.
  - niij 8y ago
    See: https://de.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/dual-nationality/ https://de.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/dual-nationali... German citizenship law has changed quite a lot. You are allowed dual nationality if you are born to German parents, whether in or out of Germany. You are granted German citizenship if your parents were non-citizen German residents living in Germany, with the caveat that you must choose only one nationality upon turning 21/23. Up until around the 60's or 70's German citizenship was only passes paternally, but it not can pass through both the father and/or mother. There was no concept of jus soli before 1990. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nationality_law#Birth_in_Germany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nationality_law#Birth_i...