New rules have come into force that require British dual nationals travelling without a British passport to pay £589 for a ‘certificate of entitlement’ or risk being unable to travel to the UK.
New travel restrictions imposed by the UK government require that all British dual nationals have either a valid British passport or the abovementioned certificate in order to enter the country.
Although the government faced backlash over the introduction of the scheme, with many dual nationals maintaining that they did not receive enough forewarning ahead of the rule change, it has declined to grant any extension on the deadline.
Opponents of this new rule said it placed an unnecessary and unavoidable inconvenience on British dual nationals, many of whom might find themselves unable to re-enter the country if they were not aware of the new requirements.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Home Office minister Mike Tapp dismissed any suggestion that the government had failed to effectively communicate new border rules. He also declined to entertain the implementation of a grace period that would allow people more time to source the necessary documentation.
He maintained that since the scheme was first outlined, the government has conducted a clear and coordinated communications campaign to inform dual citizens of the change.
Tapp added that since 2024, the Home Office has provided explicit guidance to people who naturalise or register as British citizens and emailed people who have registered or naturalised in the last 10 years.
Some temporary mitigating measures have been put in place by the government, however, which will for a short time allow British dual nationals to enter the country on expired passports.
These measures include the government issuing temporary operational guidance to carriers confirming that they may at their discretion accept an expired UK passport issued in 1989 or later alongside a valid non-visa national third country passport
“Carriers may also choose to accept alternative evidence and can contact the Home Office’s carrier support hub, which may be able to confirm British citizenship for those with a digital record on the UK’s immigration and passport system,” Tapp said.
Tapp said the ETA scheme, under which these new travel rules are introduced, is not intended to penalise British citizens who live abroad.
“That is why we have given as much time as possible to allow passengers in such a position to make the necessary arrangements and why we have now put in place additional short-term measures to assist our nationals when travelling to the UK,” he said.
Leave a Reply