A UK-born Australian citizen is warning travellers about a major passport rule change coming into effect very soon. From February 25, dual Australian–UK citizens who don’t have the correct documents will likely be turned away at the airport before they even board their flight.
The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system is a part of a raft of new measures aimed at tightening border controls, and has been in the pipeline since 2023.
Australians who also hold British citizenship will no longer be able to enter the UK as tourists when the rule comes into effect.
Instead, they must travel on a British passport or hold another passport along with a certificate of entitlement to be allowed into the UK.
It means border officials in the UK now expect those who hold British citizenship to enter the country as British citizens, not as visitors, like many dual citizens do.
The new digital ETA system enforces that rule, which is set to catch many dual citizens off guard.
UK-born Queenslander and travel expert Annabel Symonds suspects that tourists who don’t have the right passport or digital approval (a paid certificate of entitlement) will be stopped from boarding their flight altogether.
“They are warning people that it could happen,” she told Yahoo News Australia.
“Airlines can get very strict, and they will stop you from boarding — I’ve experienced that.”
If you’re a dual Australian-UK citizen, you’ll soon need to use a British passport or apply for a special certificate. Source: Getty
Annabel said, with just weeks to go until enforcement commences, broad confusion remains.
“I don’t work for immigration, but it does seem like a lot of people aren’t really aware of what’s going on,” the Sunshine Coast woman said.
“The confusing part is, for people like me who have dual citizenship, to understand what that actually means.
“So if you are British, you can’t obtain the ETA visa. So that’s why you need to have your British passport to get back into the UK.”
Where the passport changes get muddy
Annabel said there is a significant lack of clarity for long-term migrants who haven’t used a British passport in decades and are now being told they need one again.
“There’s been a lot of uproar about why people should be paying the money to get a passport just to get back into the UK when they can’t obtain the ETA visa,” she said.
Annabel, who runs a popular travel blog, added that the rules become even more complicated for families.
That’s because different requirements depend on when children were born, whether parents were married, and whether children are considered British citizens by descent, meaning they would also need a British passport to travel to the UK.
She encouraged Australians who hold multiple passports to always travel with them, regardless.
“I always carry both,” she said.
“Coming into Australia, especially, you always need an Australian passport to get back into the country.
“When I got my citizenship in 2022, I went on holiday to Fiji, and my husband told me to call Immigration to check if I needed an Australian passport to get back in.
“They told me I wouldn’t get back in on my British passport because there was no visa attached to it anymore since I was a citizen. I had to do a 24-hour passport while I was in Fiji.”
Annabel said there had been situations where people went on holidays, didn’t apply for an Australian passport in time, and then got stuck overseas.
“I’ve heard stories of families being separated, with partners having to stay overseas for months before getting back into Australia,” she said.
“So it’s definitely worth having both passports with you whenever you travel.”
Weeks left before the final deadline
With just weeks until the changes come into force, impacted Australians are being urged to brush up on the rules.
Before now, there has never been a strict legal requirement for British citizens to enter the country using a British passport.
Under the current system, some dual nationals — particularly those holding passports from visa-exempt countries such as Australia, Canada or EU member states — may travel on their non-British passport, but require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the UK.
From February 25, they will need to enter with a UK passport or on another passport and hold a certificate of entitlement.
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