Confused about EU/UK passports for dual nationals travelling to the UK from Europe

[MrsFinchley]

I'm British and live in Europe with my two kids. I recently discovered the law has changed for dual nationals so we're in the process of applying for UK passports (hopefully in good time for our travel plans in the summer 🤞), but I'm still not sure what passport I should use when? Which details do I use to check in (obviously has to be the same outbound and return), then do I have to use the same passport to go through passport control? Do I use the EU passports for the kids then just have to show the UK passports on arrival?

Points to show passport
Outbound:
Check-in online - EU passport
Bag drop at airport - EU passport
Border control departure - EU passport
Passport control arrival - UK passport? EU and UK passport?

Is there some kind of system keeping track of arrivals and departures? When I leave the UK, there's no specific "border control" so if I enter the UK with a UK passport, but have used EU passport details for check-in, might there be a problem in a system somewhere?

Sorry if this seems obvious to some! It seems like a totally stupid rule change and I don't see the point of it.

Also, to anyone who hasn't heard about it, be aware! I only discovered it by chance by reading an article about a poor Scottish woman who got stuck in Spain with her baby. We fly to the UK 3 times a year and I have seen absolutely nothing about any rule changes. ESTA yes, absolutely all over the Ryanair app/emails. But this? Nothing!

I´m thinking this about my brother. We both have dual EU-Uk nationality, the UK one by descent, my mum is English. I have a valid British passport, and have always kept it so. My brother never renewed his after he turned 18. He is 49. My thought is, how would they know he is a British national when he stopped renewing his passport in the early 90s, before the digital era and crosschecks,? Would it be flagged if he had an ETA on his EU passport? I am curious about this.

Now I’m no immigration agent but from all the calls to passport / immigration / embassies there was 1 clear message - If my child ever had a passport, ever has birth registered in the UK, ever applied for anything ever via NHS or any such, then yes he’s in the system, he’ll be flagged as his ETA would be invalid / illegal (a UK national cannot legally have an ETA) and would not be permitted to board. It’s the airline that can be sued for not checking so in theory if you pass airline control, you could get away with it at border control if the person is not traveling with their parent who have given them the nationality by descent. Hope that helps!

Thanks! that is helpful.

It's such a pain. We travel via ferry into the UK and I need to put our UK passports for entering the UK and EU on the way back. We go through border control for both with respective passports. When leaving the EU last year via airport I accidentally gave my UK passport to the EU border control official and he was leafing through my passport looking for my entry stamp or my visa. As a family of 4 we now need to travel with 7 passports.

I've been dual since acquiring my EU citizenship 10 years ago but I didn't even realize the kids needed UK passports (EU dad and born in EU) until this all kicked off in the press in February. It cost us €700 to sort out the passports from abroad for the kids (UK no longer accepts multilingual births ertificates for the UK and the certified translations were €€€, kids needed ID for an upcoming hospital appointment so had to get EU ID cards as has to send their EU passports off with the application!). Plus mine needed renewing this year as well. Has been very expensive and stressful.

I contacted TUI about this as I mostly book with them and they said that as long as I'm able to show them both passports is asked they don't care which one I use on the booking. If they ask me on return if I'm authorised to travel to the UK I just produce my British passport. I don't tend to fly with Ryanair, mostly TUI/Jet2/easyJet (or their subcontractors, I know Ryanair is one of them but I actively avoid booking them) or BA.
I can't recall now if any of the airlines supported separate check ins, I don't think I ever noticed.

I am so glad I found this thread. I am completely unsure either. I live in the UK and hold both french and British passports (all in date), my kids are the same so we don't qualify for the etia. Do this mean I have to book 2 different flights one from incoming to the EU and one for going back to the UK? Then use my respective/ appropriate passports?
Can I book a return flight and talk to the airline? I am only asking as I have tried to book a package holiday but Thomas Cook won't facilitate the passport change. Any advise I would be really grateful

I think the airlines will say it's fine because you can show them both your passports and they can then manually approve you to fly. But what you potentially can't do is check in online in advance. If their systems can't automatically find your permission to travel, then you'll get told to check in at the airport. Then it's possible that you get denied boarding because they've oversold the flight.

That happened to me on an Easyjet flight and I bet all the low cost airlines do the same (it wasn't a dual national issue, but I couldn't check in online due to a system issue and they told me to check in at the airport, where they said the flight was full).

@Octize I think it should be fine if it's this summer you're booking for as ETIAS is not in effect yet so there should be no problem using UK passports for checking in with the airline for both flights, then using EU passports when you go through border control on arrival and departure.

We will all have to wait and see what happens when ETIAS comes in though...

I can help here! My son is a dual national. Use EU passport for check in and show at the EU border, use UK passport at the UK border. I travelled literally a week after the new rule came into force and didn't have my son's UK passport on me and they tried to tell me he needed an ETA and was a visitor to the UK. They let us in after about an hour delay at the border (fun with a toddler) because they can check their systems if an active UK passport exists. Mind you, some EU countries will also ask you for the UK passport at the EU border when you try to enter your return flight. But it depends on the country

Also, generally travelling with kids into an EU country these days doesn't allow online check in any more. Every time I travel with my child I have to go to the counter. Regardless of what passport you put down

Nobody really seems to know what's going on, anymore. (Thank you, BREXIT!) I have just done a return trip from London to Madrid last week . Partner (UK Passport only) and I were separated on arrival, but the process for him, including fingerprints, wasn't too time-consuming, If you have one, I would use your EU Passport and API to travel from UK, but carry both an EU and a UK passport for re-entry into UK. The research for information was more confusing and stressful that the actual process!

I apologise. I have realised that my comment doesn't actually help at all with your question about your children. I wrangled in fist-fights with MS co-pilot for weeks before the trip, trying to get clear, non-contradictory answers, and that was just travelling as 2 adults without having to legislate for children. It's a mine-field.

I feel your pain - I am a dual national UK and a European country and have held both passports 35+ years. Kids are registered/citizens of my 2nd nationality but have no proper affinity to the country other than occasional trips to visit family. We are all born in Northern Ireland - DH and DCs all had UK passports, but have now taken Irish ones as they are cheaper and less admin for European travel. I could have an Irish one too, and it would make travelling much easier but it's all so bloody unnecessary 🤬 I have the first holiday since the rule came in coming up in August and really hope I don't have to check in in person and end up not getting a seat!!!

Ah Brexit… Such a smart decision and the clown Farage still going strong…

Anyway…I am an EEA citizen with leave to remain. I travel on my EEA passport with no issue as my leave to remain is linked to my passport.

My children, however, are dual citizens. They have to travel into their non uk home country on their non British passport and into UK on their British passport. It’s a right faff as they can never check in online when travelling back to the Uk.

Thank you 🙏

@Bafflingpineapplecow I'm glad they let you fly despite not having your son's UK passport with you! It seems silly that you should have to carry so many passports! I've been looking up passport wallets with 7 slots

I'm not sure about "Use EU passport for check in and show at the EU border, use UK passport at the UK border", because the UK doesn't really have exit border checks and relies on airlines for that info, so if you use an EU passport for check-in and UK passport at the border on return, then the system wouldn't have your departure and return registered correctly? I don't know. It all seems to be a stupid waste of time to me anyway 🙄

@baguettefan I have an Irish passport too and can get them for the kids (with a bit of extra admin, time and money!) but I think it'll be the best solution at the moment for barrier free travel. A very big waste of my time and money though and I resent it!

I am in the same position. Dual nationals living in France flying to the UK in July.

I was told by Air France that we cannot check in online as we need to use the UK passport to check in to go to the UK and the French to check in to go home to France.

This is because we need to prove to the airline that we are allowed into the UK with an ETA. And also there's the problem of British nationals not being allowed into the EU for more than 90 consecutive days. So if we leave UK with the UK passport, then we risk starting a timer of 90 days and having problems when we next travel to the UK next year....

Of course, when ETIAS comes into force, we will also need to prove to arilines that we are allowed in the EU without it, so need to check in with French passports.

I don't mind travelling with both passports (I always have done) its just knowing which one to show when to avoid needing an ETA/avoid being fingerprinted for EES....

The reason? It’s to allow pre checking of identities before arrival. To reduce pressure on the arrivals control and allow everyone to use egates. Everyone must have ‘permission to travel’. Whether that is proved via a visa (all electronic now), an ETA, existing status in the UK, or being exempt from being British or Irish. The airline has to send in your check in data to get a permission to travel response from the UK. Usually instant.
The outbound immigration control is based on flight data. If you travel in with something that gives you limited ability to stay in the country and overstay that will flag. If you arrive as a Brit there wouldn’t be a flag because no limit.
Most countries are doing this pre clearance step now. Europe is a little behind with their ETIAS and that has photos and fingerprints too so is more time consuming. Hasn’t gone well so far.

It has nothing to do with Brexit. We never had uncontrolled borders between us and other countries. (The Schengen area).

It’s another example of big data processing doing jobs that humans needed to do. Easier for governments to get people to do the proving themselves than employ a human to do it.

The small boats do make a farce of the whole thing!

Remember it’s the airlines/ferries sending the check in data to the country you are travelling to. So destination country for check in. And same document at that border.

My husband and children have both, they always enter the UK on their UK passport and enter the EU on their EU passport. It doesn’t matter which once they used at check in etc, just passport control.

How did they check in online?

Cos now dual nationals need to check in with different passports for each flight.

We tend to use their EU passports as they’re the ones we use the most when we go anywhere.

But that wont work now cos the airlines will check if they have an ETA attached to it....

It has worked twice since the new rules came into force in airports, I know things are still slightly different at some actual ports, I’m not sure what its like at train stations.