Dual nationals travelling to the UK

[tinydynamine]

A heads up for my fellow UK-other nationality dual nationals:
From the end of February, dual nationals travelling to the UK must use their UK passport when entering the UK. Since Brexit I have been using my German passport only. This will no longer be possible. I could be denied boarding at the airport. My son has only ever had a German passport. Through me he automatically has British citizenship which means he now also needs a British passport to the UK.

You hold 8 nationalities??

Just keep your choices and options open.

You just never know when stupid will affect an entire nation like it did the UK in 2016.

Family of 4 - 2 passports each

Yeah, never say never I suppose, especially in the current climate.

For my naturalisation interview I was asked if I was prepared to defend France in case of a war with the UK on the opposing side, I said that it was a such a ridiculous question I wouldn't answer 😅

thanks for posting this as I wasn’t aware.

It’s a pain, but now we have to carry both passports when we travel (uk citizens living in EU and also have EU passports). I have to travel with my British passport due to ETA and last time on exiting the EU we were asked for our EU residents permits (showed EU passport instead). All seems to he getting more complicated now!

its the 10 year anniversary of the Brexit vote this summer. I wonder if the occasion will be marked in any way ( nearly put celebrated, but couldn’t even bring myself to put that!) or if it Will be quietly ignored, for the failure/ devisive event that it was.

No just 3 but we carry the kids’ passports too - my husband likes to have them all together so he has 8 with him.

I didn’t actually realise other nationalities haven’t had to do this all along. Anyone who has been dual national outside the EU has always needed to carry both if going in between those countries.

When we check in to go to the states we use out American passport information and then we always go to the counter to show our British passports for the return.

It's looks like you can use either Irish or British passports. Though I've just received word that I've got British citizenship as an Irish person so I will have two passports soon.

thought it was standard practice to have both, my dd always travels out on one and back on the other as we thought it was a legal requirement (certainly is for the USA) my dh keeps both his in date too

Holders of Irish passports are not impacted by this new rule in any way, as Irish passport holders enjoy free movement rights to enter the UK thanks to the Common Travel Area.

Haha. What happened after that?!

It sounds funny when it’s France, but it wouldn’t have 200 years ago. And there are other countries with large populations here where there could conceivably could be conflict. What would happen if we ended up in a war with Pakistan for example? I can only assume this has all been thoroughly thought through.

I hold both Irish and UK passports and yes I agree I can go out and return on the Irish one without ETAs either way. The UK one expires in 2027 and I was thinking of not bothering to renew. I still think this is OK. The new rules don't seem to force me to prefer the UK if I hold citizenship. UK is a lose lose and Irish is a win win.

The interviewer kept insisting it was a compulsory question and I had to give the correct answer otherwise my application would be refused. She eventually gave up after I said I wouldn't defend the UK either.

This seems like a lot of noise. I'm dual US/UK and I've always had to travel with two when going between the two. Most counties expect you to enter on their passport if you are a citizen. It's more a surprise the UK didn't.

Yes it does. Until last Summer we had no issues just using the first one at hand but BA wouldn't issue me a boarding pass when we checked in online in Portugal with our German passport for the flight back home.
We had to go to the counter and show them the UK ones to prove that we didn't need an ETA.

For the last two flights last year I declined the "do you want to use the same information for both flights" option and entered the other passport details accordingly.

It's a shock for EU citizens 😅

You have always been "required" to use your UK passport to enter the UK as it proves that you have citizenship rights one of which is to enter the country.
There was no issue using another states PP when there was a common travel agreement.

The airline will want either a UK PP or the other states PP and proof the UK will allow entry on that PP as they are subject to fines for landing someone who has to be deported.

Your son can use his German PP and a valid travel document but getting his UK citizenship recognised via a PP proves his citizenship rights.

I’ve always entered this country on my UK passport and the other country on the other passport. Sometimes it means buying two separate tickets but that’s fine.

For dual UK/French, and living in UK, does this mean that all EU countries must be entered on EU passport, or only France? And other EU countries can be entered on UK passport?

My UK passport expired in 2018...been using my German one since then plus an ETA since last year. I'm going to apply for a renewal for me and a first passport for my son.

If the UK had not left the UK, I would not have acquired Germsn citizenship...but here we are!

We use our German passports for all EU countries we enter.

This is actually critical for us right now - DD is going to the UK soon (luckily in Feb, so before the new rule hits, right?) and in principle she has UK/Irish/other EU citizenships. But keeping all 3 passports active is tricky when she just occasionally goes to the UK so she currently travels there on her Irish passport. So she will be able to use that Irish passport in future, as the critical criterion is the requirement- or not - to fill out the ETA form?

It's so simple really isn't it? Seems to me that the issue is the cost of maintaining two passports if ETA required for UK entry by a dual citizen.

Just keep the UK passport up to date. That's all that's needed.

No ETA required for Irish and UK passport holders visiting either country under the CTA.

My kids are US/UK dual nationals, born in US. They initially only had US passports however when we returned to the UK permanently (15 years ago) we were told off for entering on US passports as they would basically be classed as overstaying. They now have both passports and enter US on US passports and UK on UK passports.

@LadyGreySpillsTheTea

Irish passport holders do not need an ETA in order to travel to the UK.

And vice versa!