Dual British nationals have been warned they may be denied boarding flights, ferries or trains to the UK after 25 February unless they carry a valid British passport. The Home Office issued the warning amid mounting complaints from British people living or travelling abroad who risk being barred from entry.
The change stems from new border controls due to take effect on 25 February, requiring all travellers to the UK to obtain permission to travel unless they are British or Irish citizens or exempt. Visitors for short stays must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation costing £16, but dual nationals face a steeper hurdle: they must either present a British passport or pay £589 for a ‘certificate of entitlement’ to attach to their second nationality passport.
Affected individuals have voiced frustration. One British woman in Germany, a dual national, said her son due to travel to the UK in four weeks may be caught out. Another British woman in Spain, who took Spanish citizenship after Brexit, noted that showing her British passport at the airport could legally jeopardise her Spanish nationality, as Spain requires renunciation of previous citizenship upon naturalisation. A British-Italian man born in London, who has never held a British passport and travels on his Italian passport, said he faces being stranded after a work trip to New York if he returns after 25 February.
The Home Office defended the changes, stating they are part of a digitisation programme to enable a ‘seamless travel experience’ while strengthening border security. However, campaign group The 3 million has called for a low-cost, one-off travel authorisation akin to Canada’s system, urging the government to act to prevent British citizens being ‘locked out of their own country’.
