The Home Office has reversed its controversial policy requiring British dual nationals with EU citizenship to present a British passport when returning to the UK. Under the new rules, those with post-Brexit settlement status can now use their EU passport or national identity card for travel.
The change, quietly updated on a government webpage, comes weeks after the original rules took effect on 25 February, causing significant disruption. Thousands of people, including EU citizens who had naturalised but not yet received British passports, were effectively locked out of the country.
Jelena, a Latvian-British dual national, said she was “absolutely devastated and angry” at the lack of communication. She had spent £2,000 on naturalisation and planned to return to Latvia to wait for her passport. She only learned of the change via a social media post from campaign group the3million.
The3million welcomed the U-turn but criticised the Home Office for not publicising it widely. Monique Hawkins, head of policy and advocacy, said: “The changes are hidden away on obscure Home Office pages. People are hearing about it from us, rather than from the government.”
Florence, another affected dual national, missed a trip to see her elderly father in France on 28 February. She said: “Now, I hear that the government has made a U-turn. Why now? There was plenty of evidence back on the 25th that people would be stuck.”
The rule change does not apply to British nationals in the EU who naturalised post-Brexit, or EU citizens who naturalised before the EU settlement scheme was available, or those with Windrush independent leave to remain.
