Can I let my Britain passport lapse?

[Puffinshop]

I'm a dual citizen living outside the UK but I visit the UK regularly. My British passport is about to lapse. I hold another EEA passport.

I know that if I can't show a valid British passport I'll have to pay for an ETA now. But that's only 10 pounds for 2 years whereas a whole new passport, applying from overseas, is 120 pounds for 10 years.

I know you're supposed to enter the UK on a British passport if you have one, but am I required to have one or can I just essentially behave as though I'm not a British citizen for the purposes of travel? We only go for short visits to see family, I don't need to live or work there.

Ugh title should of course say British passport. Autocorrect.

You may get picked up on it. I once absent-mindedly scanned my French passport at the gates at LHR (took the wrong one out of my bag) and got pulled over. I showed them my British passport and they let me go after a telling off. I guess border control use the API information from airlines on outbound and inbound trips to match the passports held by dual passport holders, or else do some information sharing with foreign border control partners.

But am I actually required to hold a British passport if I'm a British citizen travelling to the UK?

I'm not trying to trick anyone and I'll get the bloody passport if I need to, just want to know if I genuinely don't hold a valid British passport is that breaking some kind of rule?

No help from my, OP, and I'm sorry to hijack, but just read that if you have dual nationality and travel to the UK you have to use your UK passport on the way in, and the other one on the way out. Is that correct? Can someone explain it like I'm 5?

My DCs were born here, now adults, and have just applied for their first British passports. We just thought it would be handing when looking for internships or jobs in the UK, as no plans to move back. However we do travel back and forth quite often.

No, you are not.

Depends which country I think.

i am a dual passport holder- although I’ve only just got round to getting an Irish passport although I’m a citizen by birth.

my understanding is on entering the uk you have to show you have the right to remain, so for most that would be their UK passport. Irish citizens automatically do so it doesn’t matter which passport you use.

if your other nationality does not give you the right live and work you may need to show a British passport to evidence. Although I am not sure whether an expired passport/birth certificate would do if you don’t have a current one.

although with the new “visa” thing coming in surely if you have your passport endorsed and you only visit, have return tickets etc then it would be the same as any other visitor?

Sorry, I'm muddying the waters. I got into trouble as I was telling them that I lived in the UK, but had no way of proving that I was entitled to.

Yes, that's generally what I've done, used the British passport at UK border control and my Icelandic passport in Iceland. Travelling to other countries I use the Icelandic one so that we all match as a family.

I don't think the British authorities know I'm a dual citizen, though - anyway I've never declared it to anyone over there. My current British passport was acquired before I became an Icelandic citizen and got my first Icelandic passport.

I'd be getting the ETA like any other visitor if I didn't have the British passport but it seems confusing whether this is allowed!

Your NZ passport wouldn't have shown you had leave to remain though - that would have been the issue surely?

In OP's case she doesn't need to show she has leave to remain as she is only entering as a tourist.

I live in the UK and have an Irish passport. I had a UK passport but didn't update it after it lapsed last year. I've since travelled to the EU and outside the EU and flew back to the UK on my Irish passport with no problem. I'm not going to bother getting a UK passport again, my Irish one is good enough for me

You're right, @titchy. I'm being as dense today as I was at the time!

I think Irish is different because you're exempt from getting an ETA anyway. But perhaps it's the same principle!

Do nz visitors need some sort of visa/visa waiver to visit the uk?

like if I visit the US I get an ESTA, which shows I’m only there for a visit and if that passport is then not logged leaving the country I’m an overstayer/in the country illegally.

just thinking if there’s a difference between entering the uk as a uk citizen on a nz passport, with no visa documentation attached to that passport- in which case you should be entering on your uk passport or have a visitor documentation attached.

I don't see how they would even know that you had previously held a UK passport. AFAIK there's nothing that links Icelandic, or any other nationality, passports to UK passports. The GDPR alone around that would be a minefield!

If I recall correctly when you apply for a passport you need to declare any other nationalities.

i did my ESTA recently and I had to include my second passport details.

if they bring in the visa thing I would expect it would be the same- a question about any other citizenship.

Oh I very much agree that it's an overstep, but they do link passports I believe. If I apply now for a new British passport they'll ask me if I hold any other valid passports and, unless I lie, I will then have to lend them my Icelandic passport or show them photocopies of every page.

I don't know why they are allowed to require this, since my Icelandic passport is the property of the Icelandic state, but I know I wouldn't get anywhere arguing about it.

Iceland does not require me to show them my British passport.

You don't have to hold one, but if you intend to travel to the UK and you're a British citizen, I think they want you to use the UK passport on entry. If you never intended to travel to the UK, you could let your passport lapse.

The exception is dual Irish /British nationality, iirc.

Imo, it's best to have in your possession all the passports you're entitled to hold. I think the British passport would be worth the money and effort, in other words.

DS has this situation in reverse, resident in UK but also holds Canadian citizenship. I had forgotten to renew his Canadian passport and then we suddenly had to fly to Canada. I applied for the Canadian ewuivalent of the ETA for him therefore, but he was turned down on the grounds that a citizen cannot get an ETA, ie the Canadians knew he was a Canadian. It's possible the Brits are equally organised, do if you want to go the ETA route here, make sure to apply for that ETA early enough that IF they say no, you have time to get a passport. Maybe just apply for sn ETA right away even if you're not planning to visit the UK soon?

Thanks @Puffinshop
I might phone the embassy/consulate and ask.
I suppose it means you have two passports to lose/forget when travelling!

The reasons the Irish passport is an exception are:
The Good Friday Agreement, which made it possible for people born in NI to hold an Irish passport only (no British passport needed) even though British by birth,
and
An agreement signed way back in the1920s (iirc) between British and Irish governments, guaranteeing mutual freedom of travel between the two states.

international convention is that if you intend to travel to a country where you are a citizen, you should use the that country's passport on entry.

when uk was within the eu this was a bit/very relaxed.
some countries are very strict on this (us/ca for example)

This does sound likely, thanks. I know it doesn't sound right to get an ETA for a country you're a citizen of and it's surely not what they intended to happen.

Just wondering if I could avoid the expense and ballache but... probably better not risk it.

Thanks for this thread OP - i'm in the same boat. Not being able to get an ETA hadn't occurred to me.

I'd better get my passport renewed i guess. Balls.

If I recall correctly when you apply for a passport you need to declare any other nationalities.

Oh certainly the Iceland passport office would be aware, and quite probably in Iceland if they checked your passport number it would show you as a dual national, but they couldn't then pass that information to UK Immigration.