{"id":439141,"date":"2026-02-22T05:49:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T05:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/439141\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T05:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T05:49:12","slug":"new-passport-rules-for-dual-citizens-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/439141\/","title":{"rendered":"New passport rules for dual citizens explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chris<\/p>\n

Updated February 22, 2026 \u2014 4:30pm,first published 1:58pm<\/p>\n

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Dual Australian-British citizens are discovering that nearly forgotten family links to the UK and Ireland may prevent them from entering the countries with a cheap online pass and instead require them to take out a foreign passport or certificate costing more than $1000.<\/p>\n

The rule change, which affects anyone who is technically a British or Irish citizen regardless of whether they have taken steps to claim that nationality in practice, comes into effect on February 25 and has already upended itineraries.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe welcome for dual nationals at London\u2019s Heathrow Airport may be changing.AP<\/p>\n

As a result, dual citizens are ineligible for the inexpensive \u00a316 ($30.50) ETA<\/a> that now lets them travel to Britain. Instead, they will need a British or Irish passport.<\/p>\n

\u201cBritish citizens, including those who hold dual nationality, are not eligible to apply for an ETA, even if their other nationality (such as Australian) would normally require one,\u201d the British High Commission stated. \u201cThis is because British citizens already have the right of abode in the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dual citizens also have the option of obtaining a Certificate of Entitlement from the British government for a one-time fee of \u00a3589 ($1135)<\/a>, which can be used alongside a non-UK passport to enter the country. The Certificate of Entitlement can be applied for whether someone is within the UK or abroad.<\/p>\n

\"AA traveller walks through Terminal 5 of London\u2019s Heathrow Airport.Bloomberg<\/p>\n

The rule change has set off a string of panicked conversations between travel providers and Australians heading to the UK who may be unwitting British citizens by descent.<\/p>\n

Lynton Jones, of Sydney-based travel agency The Savvy Traveller, said he had one customer born in 1943 to a father from the UK who immigrated to Australia in 1913 as a toddler.<\/p>\n

The customer \u201cnever had, nor thought he could have, nor wanted\u201d a UK passport, Jones said. \u201cNow in his 80s, it would seem that he is technically classed as British by the UK government.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 1.1 million people who were born in the United Kingdom were living in Australia in 2023, which makes it the largest migrant community in Australia, on ABS figures.<\/p>\n

More than 2 million people in Australia have one or both parents born in the UK, 2021 Census figures show.<\/p>\n

\"DualDual British-Australian citizens without a UK passport will need a Certificate of Entitlement.Shirley Cronin\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n

The UK government warns: \u201cIf you or your parents were born in the UK, you might automatically be a British citizen.\u201d Irish-Australian dual citizens are also included in the rule change because of the long-standing Common Travel Area that provides reciprocal arrangements and shared travel area between the UK and Ireland.<\/p>\n

Although the man successfully applied for his ETA online, Jones noted that \u201chis information is technically wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was queried, he could be denied entry under the new rules upon arrival, even with his approved ETA in place.\u201d With less than two months until departure, it is not clear what he should do.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a travel professional, I don\u2019t want to give him wrong information, especially with the trip costing tens of thousands of dollars,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Calabria,<\/a><\/p>\n

In another instance, a travel agent had to cancel and rebook a family\u2019s long-awaited UK holiday when the travellers realised too late that they required UK passports and could not obtain them in time. The postponement came at \u201cconsiderable financial and emotional expense\u201d, the Australian Travel Industry Association wrote.<\/p>\n

One affected traveller posted on a UK visa forum that they were born in the UK but had lived in Australia for 15 years. They applied for British passports for their two sons at the start of the year but have seen no progress. \u201cIt has been nearly a month since any update on our applications after sending them every bit of supporting documentation they need. I\u2019m starting to panic now,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n

A UK passport \u2013 which requires periodic renewal \u2013 costs \u00a3108 for an online adult application in Australia and \u00a370 for a child, plus a \u00a319.86 courier fee (about $380 all up). A typical four-week turnaround begins once initial documents are received. An Australian adult passport costs $422.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

While the change affects 85 countries, it has sparked a firestorm among British and Irish Australians. \u201cI think there is some confusion,\u201d said Anthony Goldman, joint managing director of the Goldman Group, a travel agency that focuses on corporate and luxury travel. \u201cNot everyone is going to register the change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The changes will also affect Australians with no claim to British citizenship. While ETAs have been used since October 2023, the new rule means they will be strictly enforced by British customs effective February 25. The ETA will become mandatory to board a plane for the UK.<\/p>\n

Flight Centre notes: \u201cAirlines will be legally required to verify an ETA before allowing travel for short visits, including tourism, business and transit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the confusion, bookings remain strong. Flight Centre Corporate data shows bookings in January 2026 are up compared with a year ago. The British government maintains that \u201cthe introduction of ETAs is in line with the approach many other countries have taken to border security … and helps prevent the arrival of those who present a threat to the UK\u201d.<\/p>\n

Goldman noted that Australians are generally \u201cused to different visa entry requirements\u201d, citing recent updates to European travel rules. \u201cThe difference is that this affects a lot of Australians because they\u2019re British citizens by descent,\u201d he said. \u201cIf someone has a father born in the UK 80 years ago, theoretically they will now need a UK passport.\u201d<\/p>\n

To clear up the confusion, the government has provided a \u201cCheck if you\u2019re a British citizen\u201d<\/a> webpage, allowing travellers to confirm which documents they need and which queue they should join upon arrival. <\/p>\n

Underscoring the complexity of citizenship rules, numerous Australian politicians were ejected from office in 2017-18 because they unwittingly were subjects of other countries. The constitution requires parliamentarians to hold only Australian citizenship.<\/p>\n

with Caitlin Fitzsimmons<\/p>\n

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"ChrisChris Zappone<\/a> is a senior reporter covering aviation and business. He is former digital foreign editor.Connect via X<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated February 22, 2026 \u2014 4:30pm,first published 1:58pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439142,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-439141","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-kingdom","8":"tag-gb","9":"tag-great-britain","10":"tag-greatbritain","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}