Some Clarification
Dec. 9th, 2006 01:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nfotxnNow that I'm home I do suppose some clarification as to the funny end of my Europe trip. Essentially it comes down to the murky concept of dual nationality. In countries where it's not allowed people freak out. They don't understand how it works.
So here's how the story goes.
I'd arrived at Barajas Airport with Mark (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
climatebearnj) and was at the check-in counter. The woman working for ICTS (the Spanish TSA) saw my destinations (Newark and eventually Toronto) along with my UK passport and essentially had a little Spanish lady freak out given that I wasn't returning to Spain or the UK or anywhere other than YYZ. She didn't understand that as a Canadian and British citizen I have the right to travel on whatever passport I please. My mistake was not renewing my Canadian passport before leaving even though I didn't have to. I was told to reschedule my flight and head to the Canadian Consulate (Embassy) in Madrid which I did in a bewildered haze.
At the Consulate the Canadian woman working on my behalf, a very attractive tri-lingual Québeq'er named Carla, called Continental airlines at Barajas and gave them heck. Punctuated and grinding Spanish heck. Even still the ICTS and therefore Continental still claim the fault lies on me for not providing them with all the documentation they wanted to see. In reality I suspect they were afraid of America given that I was stopping in Newark and passing security there to transfer to my flight to Toronto. They didn't understand that until January it still didn't matter if I was arriving in the USA as a British citizen because they still would accept ID other than my passport in the USA as proof of my citizenship to Canada. There was some bullshit ballyhooed around about not having a "return ticket" despite having flown out of Canada on the same UK passport. It's clear now in hindsight that they simply didn't not understand what was going on.
So this could have been avoided in two ways. I could have been less of a pussy and demanded THEY speak to the Canadian Embassy rather than just swallowing my pride and leaving. Or I could have just travelled with both passports, which I will do from now on.
In the end I think short of our national embassies most airport staff really have no idea about the details of travel and just air on the side of caution at every unknown. This is a pretty lame form of security that depends on imposition and submission of travellers, which I don't much appreciate. But even still there isn't much of an option is there? I've definitely learned that the hard way. Two terrible days in Madrid partying in Spanish discotheques until 5AM where I met another Canadian as well as the one and onlyfunkybearmartin which I will elaborate about in a later post.
So here's how the story goes.
I'd arrived at Barajas Airport with Mark (
climatebearnj) and was at the check-in counter. The woman working for ICTS (the Spanish TSA) saw my destinations (Newark and eventually Toronto) along with my UK passport and essentially had a little Spanish lady freak out given that I wasn't returning to Spain or the UK or anywhere other than YYZ. She didn't understand that as a Canadian and British citizen I have the right to travel on whatever passport I please. My mistake was not renewing my Canadian passport before leaving even though I didn't have to. I was told to reschedule my flight and head to the Canadian Consulate (Embassy) in Madrid which I did in a bewildered haze.At the Consulate the Canadian woman working on my behalf, a very attractive tri-lingual Québeq'er named Carla, called Continental airlines at Barajas and gave them heck. Punctuated and grinding Spanish heck. Even still the ICTS and therefore Continental still claim the fault lies on me for not providing them with all the documentation they wanted to see. In reality I suspect they were afraid of America given that I was stopping in Newark and passing security there to transfer to my flight to Toronto. They didn't understand that until January it still didn't matter if I was arriving in the USA as a British citizen because they still would accept ID other than my passport in the USA as proof of my citizenship to Canada. There was some bullshit ballyhooed around about not having a "return ticket" despite having flown out of Canada on the same UK passport. It's clear now in hindsight that they simply didn't not understand what was going on.
So this could have been avoided in two ways. I could have been less of a pussy and demanded THEY speak to the Canadian Embassy rather than just swallowing my pride and leaving. Or I could have just travelled with both passports, which I will do from now on.
In the end I think short of our national embassies most airport staff really have no idea about the details of travel and just air on the side of caution at every unknown. This is a pretty lame form of security that depends on imposition and submission of travellers, which I don't much appreciate. But even still there isn't much of an option is there? I've definitely learned that the hard way. Two terrible days in Madrid partying in Spanish discotheques until 5AM where I met another Canadian as well as the one and only
funkybearmartin which I will elaborate about in a later post.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 07:00 am (UTC)Someone in your family will have to make grandchildren so that you can hear little children at Christmas say. . . "Uncle Brodie! Uncle Brodie! Tell us about the time you got trapped in Madrid!"
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 01:06 pm (UTC)Yeah, I think you've hit it on the head: bitch out Continental for not figuring it out. And maybe save your boarding pass stubs from your outbound flights? Did they ask to see those? You should totally ask Continental to pay for your swank two-day stay in Madrid... just to see if they'd do it :-)
And shame on you for having such a crappy time during the first two days of the Madrid bear run. Shame! :-)
no subject
Date: 2006-12-14 09:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 01:29 pm (UTC)That's daft.
I've always travelled to Europe on my British passport, and when returning, I've always checked in with my British passport, and then switched when I got back to Canada. Not that it really matters, when returning what passport you use.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 03:25 pm (UTC)Entry of Citizens of Canada:
Citizens of Canada are exempt from the visa and passport requirement of Immigration and Nationality Act (section 212(a)(7).) To enter the United States, a Canadian citizen must be able to establish both identity and citizenship. Documents that may establish citizenship are:
Birth certificate
Citizenship certificate
Passport.
Although a CBP officer may accept an oral declaration of citizenship, it is recommended that a Canadian citizen carry a document that establishes citizenship. Under current procedures, all travelers may be required to present photo-identification.
NOTE: A Canadian citizen arriving from outside the Western Hemisphere is required to present a passport.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 03:29 pm (UTC)Anyway.
Maybe it's because you were entering the US from outside the Western Hemisphere that they were giving you a hard time. I swear that the DHS and the TSA are the US version of the KGB, only not as well organized or competent.
I dread flying even within the boarders. Maybe it's time to explore driving places and seeing the sights along the way.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 03:32 pm (UTC)I think it's nappy nap time.
the timres we live in
Date: 2006-12-09 06:09 pm (UTC)Whew, I'm glad you got that straightened out! valuable lesson to be learned: NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING WHEN ABROAD. Period. I learned this the hard way when I was your age, too. When you're out there in the world, you're not in your turf. It is not your country. Oxymoron? yep. but it won't sink in til you get to live a very inconvenient or even scary example (Turkey or the Middle East - and I'm talking about way back when, never mind now!) You realize in a heartbeat you could be detained indefinitely, treated in a way that would shock people back home, and nobody in the world would know where you are, and what happens after that is up to God - and them. Family, friends, embassy, USA... whatever else is after the fact.
So, from now on: BOTH passports. ok, chief! :-)
Some pix? LOVE that icon, btw! Ya so artistic :0)