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https://etias.com/etias-frequently-asked-questions:

I have dual citizenship for an E.U. country (e.g. Italy, France, Germany, etc.) and for an ETIAS eligible country (e.g. USA, Canada, Australia), do I need an ETIAS? No, you should use the passport of the E.U. or ETIAS member country to enter and exit Europe. You will not need an ETIAS if you travel using the passport of the E.U. member country.

Is that a legal requirement? What are the legal ramifications if a dual citizenship for an E.U. country (e.g. Italy, France, Germany, etc.) enters an E.U. member country not using their E.U. passport?

My main interest is French citizens.

Franck Dernoncourt
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    That would probably be country-specific. – jcaron Mar 31 '25 at 07:27
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    Indeed. Germany requires German citizens to use a German document (id card or passport) when they enter Germany (source: German Foreign Ministry: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/service/konsularinfo/reisepaesse-und-personalausweise). If you don't, you can be fined. – Marianne013 Mar 31 '25 at 14:53
  • @Marianne013 thanks, great to know, you are welcome to convert your comment into an answer. – Franck Dernoncourt Mar 31 '25 at 14:56
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    @Marianne013 where does it say that? The relevant part is Wichtiger Hinweis für Doppelstaater, where it says "Bei Doppelstaatern (...) ist zu beachten, dass nach internationaler Übung, die Einreise nach und die Ausreise aus Deutschland nur mit deutschem Reisepass oder Passersatz, z.B. Personalausweis (...) erfolgen sollte.", i.e., a German document should (not must) be used, and I could not find any mention of fines. Also, "nach internationaler Übung" indicates that this is a "common practice", not a rule or law. – wimi Mar 31 '25 at 16:19
  • EU is not a country, there's no "entering EU" as an immigration concept. Each country has its own rules. – littleadv Mar 31 '25 at 19:12
  • @littleadv fixed. good now? – Franck Dernoncourt Mar 31 '25 at 19:15
  • @wimi And apart from common practice, it seeems to be common sense to do it that way: With your EU passport you come home (or in case of a different Schengen country, as-good-as-home), whereas any foreign passport means some type of hassle (visas, waivers, maximum stays, and - in that scenario - unnecessary bureaucracy). And if you think your foreign passport could disguise your being on some "wanted" list at home, you're wrong anyway – Hagen von Eitzen Mar 31 '25 at 20:04
  • @HagenvonEitzen A lot of bi-nat people residing in a country where they have citizenship don't want to deal with two (or three...) passports and the hassle of renewal etc... Especially when they have limited remaining tie to their origin country. – Nicolas Formichella Mar 31 '25 at 20:56

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