British Dual Citizens Could Be Denied Boarding from 25th February — Here's What You Need to Know
- Helena
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
This one may not affect you directly, but you may know someone who needs to know this!
If you hold British dual citizenship, travelling to the UK is about to become a little less flexible, and potentially a lot more expensive.
For years, many dual citizens were able to enter the UK using whichever passport was most convenient. Those living abroad with British citizenship often travelled on their non-British passport without issue. That informal flexibility is now coming to an end as the UK tightens its border controls under its expanding Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system.
From 25th February, the rules are changing.
What’s changing when you travel to the UK?
Under UK law, British and Irish citizens have an automatic right of entry to the UK. That hasn’t changed.
What has changed is how airlines are required to check passengers before departure.
The UK’s ETA system, a digital pre-screening process for visitors from visa-exempt countries, is now being enforced much more strictly. While many travellers will need an ETA to board a UK-bound flight, British and Irish citizens are not eligible for one at all.
This creates a problem for dual citizens travelling on a non-British passport.
From 25th February, airlines will be expected to ensure that:
British and Irish citizens are travelling on their British or Irish passport, or
They can prove their right of abode using official documentation
If you cannot do this, the airline may deny boarding, not because you can’t enter the UK, but because the airline risks fines for carrying inadequately documented passengers. The names, must match across documents.
Who does this affect?
This change disproportionately affects dual citizens from visa-exempt countries, particularly:
Australia
New Zealand
Canada
The United States
EU countries
If you hold both a British passport and another nationality, and you travel to the UK even occasionally, this matters.
Why can’t dual citizens just use an ETA?
British and Irish citizens cannot apply for an ETA.
The ETA is designed for visitors, not people with an automatic right of entry. If you travel on a passport without an ETA, airline systems will flag you. But because you are British, you are also ineligible to apply for one.
That leaves airlines with no easy way to verify your eligibility unless you present:
A valid British passport, or
A Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode linked to your non-British passport which costs almost £600!
Without one of these, boarding may be refused.
What are your options as a British Dual Citizen?
In practical terms, British dual citizens now have three realistic ways to enter the UK:
Travel on a British passport
This is by far the simplest solution. A British passport is cheaper than alternative documentation and avoids problems at check-in.
Apply for a Certificate of Entitlement
This proves your right of abode but is significantly more expensive than renewing or applying for a British passport, and adds ongoing complexity.
Emergency travel documents (short-term only)
For those travelling urgently before enforcement begins, emergency documentation may still be accepted, but this is a temporary workaround, not a long-term fix.
Renouncing British citizenship is technically another option, but for most people it is neither practical nor desirable.
How does this affect those without British Citizenship?
If you are travelling to the UK without British or Irish citizenship, the ETA applies as normal.
Those who do not hold British citizenship must:
Apply for an ETA online or via an app
Pay £10
Apply at least three days before travel
Hold a valid ETA even when transiting through the UK, not just entering it
The ETA lasts for two years and allows multiple trips, but it is still an additional cost and an extra administrative step.
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A unique challenge for those with two surnames ...
The rules may prove especially complicated for some dual nationals, particularly women in countries where naming conventions differ from those in the UK.
In Greece, for example, non-national women who marry a Greek citizen must retain their maiden name after marrying. This can create a mismatch if their British passport has already been updated to reflect their spouse’s surname, potentially putting them at odds with the requirement for names to align exactly across passports.
Spain presents a different but equally difficult challenge. British citizens who acquire Spanish nationality often adopt the local convention of using two surnames, one from each parent, on official documents. Their UK passport, however, will usually display only a single surname, again creating a discrepancy.
Current guidance indicates that exceptions may be considered, but only in limited circumstances. Where someone can demonstrate that changing the name on their foreign documents is not possible, officials may allow a different name to be used on UK-issued paperwork, though this appears to be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Why has the UK made this Change?
The issue comes down to airline liability.
Airlines are legally required to check passengers’ entry eligibility before departure. If they transport someone without the correct authorisation, they can be fined.
When a British dual citizen books a flight using only their non-British passport, airlines cannot easily tell that person is exempt from immigration control. The UK government has chosen to solve this by enforcing stricter pre-departure checks rather than relying on border discretion.
In short, airlines are being pushed to err on the side of caution, and that caution falls on the traveller.
The real impact: less flexibility, more admin
For years, dual citizens benefited from flexibility:
Booking flights under whichever passport was valid
Sorting things out at the border if necessary
Avoiding extra paperwork
That flexibility is now gone.
Instead, the responsibility sits squarely with the traveller to ensure their documentation is perfectly aligned before they even reach the airport.
Our take
This change doesn’t remove the right of British dual citizens to enter the UK, the fallout would be huge if they did, but it does make travel less forgiving and far more document-dependent.
If you are a British dual citizen living in abroad, and you travel to the UK:
Make sure your British passport is valid
Don’t assume airline staff will “work it out”
Expect stricter checks at check-in, not the border
Helena
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