A British woman from Aberdeen has been left stranded abroad after her 11-month-old baby was prevented from boarding a Ryanair flight from Alicante due to new rules affecting dual nationals.
Sarah Schloegl, her Austrian husband Philipp, their three-year-old daughter and baby had been on a short break in Spain. Since February, British dual nationals must show a British passport or a certificate of entitlement of abode, costing £589, when boarding flights, trains or ferries to the UK.
Schloegl said she was unaware of the change and argued it should have been publicised in airports and on airline websites. At the departure gate, her older child and husband were allowed to board, but the baby was refused. “My baby was born in the UK, lives in the UK, but she’s not allowed to enter the UK, even with me, her mum, who is British,” she said.
The family attempted to provide the baby’s UK birth certificate and Austrian passport issued by the Austrian embassy in the UK, but the Home Office refused to accept these as proof of British nationality. Emergency travel documents were also denied by the British embassy in Spain.
Facing a delay of nearly three months, the family decided to stay with relatives in Austria. Monique Hawkins of campaign group the3million criticised the Home Office’s approach, saying: “We cannot see the compassion in refusing boarding to an 11-month baby.”
A Home Office spokesperson said public information on the rule change had been available on gov.uk since February. The Austrian embassy confirmed it was in contact with the family and UK authorities to explore ways to expedite the matter.
