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.

No. Just because you are a UK citizen doesn’t mean your children are UK citizens.

I can't go to America at the moment as my US passport is expired. But I think they're more strict over there than they are here in the UK? I was told there was a chance I'd be arrested if I attempted to enter the US on one of my other passports 😱, but not sure if that's correct

I’ve entered my home country on an expired passport. You’re a citizen. They can’t deny you entry.

I don't know about the UK, but you can't enter the USA on an expired US passport anymore. It changed in 2022 (just in case your country is also the US! You can't do that anymore apparently).

It doesn't matter whether you use an EU or UK passport to travel to the US, but your ESTA will be linked to one of your passports so you need to use that one I think.

When you apply for an ESTA you have to tell them about all of your passports - or at least you did the last time I applied.

I use my french iD card in this case, I don't have a French passport.

I am a UK -EU dual citizen as are my kids. Last year we got the proper third degree at Heathrow as to why we were visiting, how long for etc. fuck off mate I am actually British, this is my British passport I am waving under your nose. Another amazing brexit dividend.

Similarly my dad is British but has British and Irish passports. He just uses the Irish one, the British one has not lapsed yet but he has no plans to renew. He just joins the EU lanes every time he comes in and out.

So, when booking travel in the first case, which passport number should I use?

I don't think this matters at all. Either. Just use that one when you check in.

Haha fond memories of explaining the Icelandic naming system to a border guard at Heathrow. Yes, we're a family of four with four different last names.

It is unlawful to enter the US using your dual nationality passport. If you are a US citizen you are obliged to use your US passport to enter (and leave) the US. You can use your other passport to enter the destination country if leaving the US. It's best to follow the rules when dealing with USCIS.

Ireland is different. Irish citizens and treated as if they are U.K. Citizens (and vice versa) in almost all situations. An Irish Citizen can come and go from the U.K. as they please and live here if they want to etc etc. If you show another passport however. this may not indicate a right to enter, stay or live in the UK, which is probably the issue with not having your U.K. passport available on entry.

it's a PITA to get their first British passport if they're born abroad (which essentially is a process of proving that they are British citizens). They want to see all sorts
Even if they have a British Overseas Birth Certificate?

I don't know about that. I was always told those were a waste of money but maybe it'll help!

Yes, it is worse with the kids. I travelled with my two for my father's funeral in the UK and we had the whole "can you tell me mummy's full name" etc. Every time. They did when my DD was 5 and she just stared at them and refused to speak.

You don’t need a British passport but you do need to prove that you have citizenship (how you would do that I have no idea).
an expired passport is no longer valid and does not prove citizenship as you may have rescinded since the expired date.

Irish people don’t need a U.K. passport or ILR or any of that, they’re exempt

I never bothered to get British birth certificates for my children because it costs about £150 and doesn't give any additional proof of British citizenship beyond having the passport.

You'll have to provide the same supporting documents as for the passport in any case.

There is no legal requirement to use a British passport to travel into the UK if you are a British citizen. But you will be processed as a citizen of the country whose passport you are using. If you can show you are a British citizen, border control can't deny you entry (there may be some extreme caveats to that, but generally speaking). If you can't show British citizenship then border entry can be denied on a whim, pretty much, but it very rarely is.

However, if you ever need to return as a British citizen (to stay, for instance), or prove your citizenship for other purposes it will be much easier to do so with a British passport. And 12 quid a year is not much of an investment to keep that option open to you.

No, having a British parent doesn’t always mean the child has British citizenship.

The UK does not have birth right citizenship, the only photo ID to prove citizenship is a UK passport, so actually the only thing they will accept is a passport as in the UK it is the only way to establish citizenship. As someone who gained citizen my certificate and other photo ID like a driving license would not be considered sufficient to prove citizenship.

So its one of those stupid rules because you don’t need a passport just proof of citizenship, but currently a passport is the only accepted proof.

This is incorrect. The UK has qualified birthright citizenship and there are other ways to prove citizenship than a passport.

Well yes.
Esp seeing that they require those to apply fur a passport…

But it doesn’t mean border forces will be happy with anyone turning up, with just those….

You can apply for a right of abode certificate to prove your British citizenship when travelling on other passports but I think it's more expensive than just getting a British passport

I wasn't looking to prove my British citizenship. I know how to do that.

The question was whether I could act as an Icelandic citizen for the purposes of short term travel.