These are the UK dual citizen passport rules you need to know

“Dual nationals: beryllium you are British aliases you can’t travel in”: that is nan imaginable facing group who person citizenship of some nan UK and different country.

Millions of British citizens unrecorded abroad. An estimated 1.2 cardinal person dual nationality and ain a passport issued by their state of residence. Most unrecorded successful nations whose citizens do not require a visa to participate nan UK. These see personnel states of nan European Union and wider Schengen area, arsenic good arsenic Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and nan US.

Passports issued by these countries let travellers to sojourn nan UK for a enactment of up to six months for tourism, family visits aliases business.

At present, British dual nationals tin usage their overseas passport to participate and exit nan UK. But from 25 February 2026, that action ends – obliging British citizens who want to return to get a UK passport aliases an costly “certificate showing correct of abode”. These are nan cardinal questions and answers.

What is changing?

From 25 February this year, nan Home Office says British group who are citizens of a 2nd state must recreation to nan UK using:

Why nan change?

At coming personification pinch a passport issued by a “non-visa” federation tin participate nan UK for up to six months without formality. If nan individual stays longer, nan Home Office cannot show whether nan personification is an overstayer aliases a British national who happens to person entered connected a overseas passport.

One purpose of nan UK’s physics recreation authorisation (ETA) is to region that confusion. The online licence required by each overseas visitant (except an Irish national) who is entitled to recreation to nan UK without a visa. Conversely, nan authorities says: “You cannot get an physics recreation authorisation (ETA) if you’re a British aliases Irish dual citizen.”

While successful mentation nan ETA has been required since 2 April 2025, afloat enforcement will only statesman connected 25 February 2026.

The problem past for British group who person only a overseas passport and do not person impervious of citizenship is that they will person nary ineligible measurement to show they are entitled to participate nan UK. They cannot get an ETA. Airlines and shipping operators will truthful contradict them boarding.

Read more: What is an ETA and really tin visitors to nan UK use for nan caller visa?

What are nan options for UK dual nationals?

The comparatively inexpensive prime is to get a British passport. The value is £94.50, pinch an estimated processing clip of 3 weeks (it is usually less) successful nan UK. But nan process for British group surviving overseas takes longer.

Another action is simply a certificate of entitlement that is attached to your overseas passport. The “certificate showing correct of abode” costs £589. If you are still interested, hunt online for “Form ROA”.

But I request to recreation successful an emergency…

If you cannot get a caller aliases replacement passport successful clip to travel, you tin use for an emergency recreation document, costing £125 and valid for a azygous travel to nan UK.

I was calved overseas and person ne'er had a UK passport, but americium a British national by descent. Should I worry?

Plenty of prospective visitors to nan UK are concerned. You tin cheque if you are a British national by descent connected this UK authorities website.

According to nan strict missive of nan law, anyone who has British nationality done ancestry will request to state nan truth and get a passport aliases certificate of correct of abode earlier travelling to nan UK. The aforesaid moreover applies to group pinch Irish citizenship who person ne'er been adjacent nan island.

In practice, I foretell nan immense mostly of specified travellers will not state nan truth and use for an ETA successful nan accustomed mode without a problem. But location is nary guarantee of success.

Data sleuth Dr Nick Brown gives nan illustration of an Australian family travelling to nan UK successful which nan begetter and children person Australian passports and are issued ETAs, but nan mother has a British passport: “They get to Heathrow. Border Force serviceman looks astatine Mum’s UK passport. Place of birth, London. So nan kids are British citizens. They should person a UK passport, and successful summation must person made a mendacious declaration erstwhile getting their ETA.”

Which passport do I usage erstwhile returning to my state of residence?

Your overseas passport. Bear successful mind, location are nary passport checks erstwhile departing nan UK. The airline, ferry institution aliases Eurostar will beryllium willing successful knowing that you are entitled to recreation to your destination. A passport from that state (or, successful nan lawsuit of nan EU, immoderate personnel state) is nan champion measurement to show that you will beryllium allowed in. If you usage your British passport, things will get messy.

But my hose expects maine to recreation connected nan aforesaid archive successful and retired of nan UK…

Airlines person different policies. Most let you to specify your chosen recreation archive erstwhile you cheque successful for your flight. Checking successful for nan return half of a travel pinch Ryanair, for example, you should beryllium offered nan opportunity to recreation connected your UK passport aliases a caller document. Select nan latter, obviously, and capable successful your overseas passport details.

Some airlines are trickier, and you whitethorn request to telephone nan bearer (or usage online chat) to get nan archive specifications changed.

What astir travelling to nan UK earlier 25 February 2026?

The Home Office confirms: “If you person a valid passport for a nationality that tin get an ETA, you tin usage it to recreation to nan UK without an ETA aliases a certificate of entitlement.” If you participate by 24 February 2026, you tin enactment successful nan UK beyond that date.

Just punctual maine why nan ETA was brought in?

The authorities says it is “a much streamlined, integer migration system” that it claims “will beryllium quicker and much unafraid for nan millions of group who walk done nan UK separator each year”.

What if I person an Irish passport?

Congratulations: you are nan astir fortunate of travellers. You are successful nan perfect position of being capable to recreation freely betwixt nan UK, nan EU and nan wider Schengen area pinch nary request for further archiving either now aliases successful nan early – erstwhile the Etias permit becomes compulsory for each British travellers.

This portion is kept updated pinch nan latest accusation