Which of my two passports should I use for Australia?

Q Later this year, I hope to travel to Australia via Sri Lanka and come back direct. I am lucky enough to have both British and Australian passports. What I’m confused about is which one do I use at each stage of the journey?

Charlotte E

A People who have two passports are in an excellent position, but you need to be careful about how you manage them.

Starting with first principles: two types of organisations are interested in the nationality of your passport. The immigration authorities of the country you are travelling to want to know that you are entitled to enter, and also want you to enter and leave their country on the same passport. (One exception to this: the UK has no checks on departure.) The airline wants to know that you are entitled to travel to the destination of your ticket. It is not interested in how you later leave that destination.

From the UK to Sri Lanka: the British government doesn’t care about when you leave. The airline wants to know that you have a valid passport and visa; for most people, that will be Sri Lanka’s electronic travel authorisation (ETA), price $50 (£38). Organise this with your British passport. At the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, use your British passport to enter and leave.

From Sri Lanka to Australia: on departure from Colombo, the airline will want to know that you are entitled to enter Australia. Therefore, present your Australian passport to the airline, which gives you the automatic right to enter with no additional formalities. This will apply even if you are on a connecting flight, eg on Singapore Airlines rather than SriLankan Airlines direct to Melbourne or Sydney. On arrival in Australia, show the passport control people your Australian passport. You should also use this to leave Australia.

From Australia to the UK: use your British passport for the flight – otherwise you will be asked, as an Australian, to obtain a UK ETA. On arrival in the UK, just go through the eGates with your British passport. If this all seems too complicated, just apply for the free Australian eVisitor pass, which is fast and easy to obtain, and do the whole thing on your British passport.

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Q I know you are a fan of Albania. But have you heard about the controversy over the new Vlore airport? I read that it is being built next to a lagoon that has pelicans and flamingos, which does not seem like a good idea.

Rebecca H

A At present, the sole major air gateway for Albania is Tirana: Mother Teresa international airport, about 10 miles west of the capital. It is now around 70 years old, and for most of its existence handled a few tens of thousands of passengers each year. Although it has a large new terminal, Tirana airport is struggling to cope with a surge in passengers, especially tourists. Last year, more than 10 million people flew in and out, making Tirana significantly busier than many UK airports, including Bristol and Glasgow.

Albania has plenty of potential to expand tourism, with a largely unblemished Adriatic coast. The tourism minister, Mirela Kumbaro, told me she is “pushing for four- and five-star hotels with international brand names”. For comparison, neighbouring Montenegro has about half the coastline length and half the area of Albania, but has two airports: one in the capital, Podgorica, and the other at Tivat on the coast.

Accordingly, Albania has been building a new £100m airport near the coastal city of Vlore in the south of the country. Last Thursday, the first certification flight, intended to confirm the readiness of airport systems, touched down. But as you say, environmentalists are concerned about the proximity of wetlands on a key migration route for birdlife.

A group known as Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania says: “The construction of the airport near the Narta Lagoon is not only a disaster for the birdlife in the area, but also questionable in terms of flight safety.” Along with other environmental groups, it has challenged the plans in the Supreme Court of Albania, though the case has yet to be heard. Meanwhile, Munich Airport International, the German state-owned firm that was expected to operate the new airport, has ended its involvement.

What does all this mean for travellers? History tells us that airport projects tend to go ahead despite environmental objections. I predict that by the summer of 2027 there will be regular flights to Vlore, at which point all eyes will be on the lagoon and its avian population.

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Q l’m due to fly to Pakistan in a few weeks. If the Foreign Office doesn’t recommend against travel, where do I stand with claiming the price of the flight if I decide to cancel?

‘Trips at 50’

A I have not been lucky enough to go to Pakistan. But all the accounts I have heard from travellers who have been are extremely positive. They talk about the dramatic scenery, desert forts and shimmering mosques. But most of all, they describe the generous welcome given to visitors by the people. So I can’t wait to go.

At present the Foreign Office warns against travel to border regions, especially in Kashmir. But the rest of the nation is open. In the light of the heightened conflict with India, the FCDO says: “British nationals already in, or planning to travel to, the region should be aware of geopolitical tensions ... remain vigilant, monitor the media and this travel advice.”

While this is a volatile part of the world, I think it unlikely that the Foreign Office will warn against travel to Pakistan in the next few weeks. Even if it does, people (possibly including you) with flight-only bookings are in a difficult position. Your contract with the airline is to take you to Pakistan. The fact that you no longer want to go is not legally relevant. So long as the carrier is in a position to fulfil its side of the bargain, you have no claim to a refund.

Having said that, airlines typically offer flexibility when the destination on your ticket looks increasingly dangerous. Your carrier may offer the chance to rebook later, or switch to a different route. A full cash refund is unlikely.

If you have booked on a package holiday, then you are in a stronger position. As soon as the FCDO warns against travel to a destination, trips are cancelled. Full refunds or alternative trips (the choice is yours) are offered. Conversely, in the absence of a Foreign Office warning, there is no obligation to refund you. And to cover all bases: unless you have one of the vanishingly rare “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) travel insurance policies, you will not be able to make a claim.

So, in your position, I would start packing and looking forward to the trip.

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