electronic travel authorisation<\/a> (ETA) or eVisa.<\/p>\nThe UK government claims the change will help \u201cdigitise the immigration system\u201d in a move towards a \u201ccontactless UK border\u201d.<\/p>\n
The ETA, which costs \u00a316 ($31), is intended to streamline entry for visa-exempt visitors from countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, but it has created a hurdle for dual nationals.<\/p>\n
British (and Irish) citizens who are also citizens of another country will be ineligible for an ETA, meaning they can no longer use a foreign passport to enter the UK.<\/p>\n
Instead they must present a valid British or Irish passport or a certificate of entitlement (COE) \u2013 a document proving a right of abode that costs \u00a3589.<\/p>\n
The only alternative is to renounce their British citizenship, a process that takes six months and costs \u00a3482. (Ireland does not charge a fee to renounce citizenship.)<\/p>\n
\u2018It seems quite cruel\u2019<\/p>\n
For Mordy, compliance has been a scramble.<\/p>\n
Because her last UK passport expired more than 20 years ago, she had to navigate a full application rather than a simple renewal.<\/p>\n
She did not have a long-form birth certificate, which includes parents\u2019 details and ended up having to order it twice due to what she calls a \u201ccompletely unclear\u201d digital application process.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve now ordered a second birth certificate and I\u2019m getting it couriered,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
On Friday, almost two weeks after her initial application, she was still waiting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems like an extraordinarily long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says if the certificate arrives soon, she will have to ask for her passport application to be fast-tracked to make it in time.<\/p>\n
If it doesn\u2019t, she faces the prospect of cancelling her flights.<\/p>\n
She says the British High Commission suggested the COE as an alternative, but that would require surrendering her Australian passport for up to eight weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only other way would be to renounce my British citizenship, that takes six months and it\u2019s not cheap,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems quite cruel, there\u2019s no clear timeline, which you need for your travel plans,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u2018No one wants their passport any more\u2019<\/p>\n
The effect of the rule change has been felt across the Australian travel industry.<\/p>\n
Vicki Hope, a Sydney travel adviser, says some clients have had to change their plans drastically.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn some cases, we are working to a firm deadline, if the [UK] passport doesn\u2019t arrive, the trip would need to be cancelled and rebooked,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
She says Australian-born dual citizens who never felt the need for a UK passport are now feeling \u201cunsure\u201d and \u201canxious\u201d as they try to figure out how to comply with the rules.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have had to urgently submit documentation and are now waiting, fingers crossed, hoping it\u2019s processed in time,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat brings added cost, stress and disappointment, particularly when their travel has been planned and they have been looking forward to their trip for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brisbane-based Kara Przybylski, 26, has dual citizenship, but currently only holds a valid Australian passport.<\/p>\n
Born in the UK with an Australian father, she only heard about the new rules in early February.<\/p>\n
Przybylski plans to visit the UK soon, but has not booked flights and says she will put off applying for a new passport because she feels \u201cbad for all the people that need to get theirs urgently, I don\u2019t want to clog the system\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sucks for people who have flights booked, the government should have allowed more time before it comes into effect.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says she would have preferred to prioritise getting the Polish passport she is also eligible for.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince [the UK] left the EU no one wants their passport any more,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the high commission confirmed it had received a \u201csignificant volume of enquiries from British Australian dual citizens ahead of the enforcement date\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have addressed most frequently asked questions, including through letters via email, social media posts and videos with our deputy high commissioner<\/a>,\u201d they said.<\/p>\nMordy says she found the official support channels lacking. When she attempted to call the high commission for guidance, she was redirected to a website or asked to provide credit card details for a paid transfer to the UK for advice.<\/p>\n
Public reaction appears divided.<\/p>\n
Some social media users argue citizens should always carry their national passport.<\/p>\n
But under the commission\u2019s Q&A video, one commenter points out that their four-month-old Australian-born daughter \u201ccan\u2019t enter the UK despite being a citizen by birth\u201d, while a non-citizen on the same flight can enter instantly \u201cpurely by obtaining an ETA\u201d.<\/p>\n
For many dual citizens the new enforcement is creating a difficult choice between their heritage and their bank accounts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a UK citizen by descent \u2026 now I\u2019ll have to decide between the expense and hassle of renewing my passport or the expense and hassle of renouncing citizenship,\u201d one said. \u201cBetter to not bother going at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another commenter said: \u201cMany of us have elderly parents in the UK \u2026 To think with my Australian passport I can pretty much enter [every] country on the planet apart from the one I\u2019m BORN in beggars belief \u2026 Regardless of the route I take I certainly don\u2019t feel British any more.\u201d<\/p>\n