Recent weeks have seen increased media coverage and online discussion about how the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system applies to dual British nationals. Reports of boarding refusals, check-in uncertainty and inconsistent public messaging have caused concern.
The Home Office has now clarified its position and confirmed a limited transitional concession is being brought in to ease issues while the new, stricter rules bed in.
Under the transitional concession, some dual British citizens may travel using an expired British passport, subject to strict conditions. The clarification is intended to reduce disruption during the early phase of ETA enforcement. It does not alter the longer-term expectation that British citizens travel on a valid British passport.
It’s imporltnt to note that British nationality law has not changed, and British citizens do not require an ETA. The confusion and issues relate only to evidencing British citizenship when travelling to the UK.
Dual British Citizens: New Rules from 25 February 2026
From 25 February 2026, the UK’s ETA regime places responsibility on carriers to verify a passenger’s permission to travel before departure. Carrier systems assess eligibility by reference to the passport presented at check-in.
Where a dual British citizen presents only a non-UK passport, the system identifies them solely by that nationality.
If that nationality falls within ETA scope, the carrier is required to confirm that a valid ETA or visa is in place. Carrier systems cannot independently identify British citizenship unless recognised proof of that status is presented. In practice, that means either a valid British passport or a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode endorsed in a foreign passport.
Where neither is used, the system processes the individual only as a foreign national. Some dual British citizens have therefore faced delays or warnings that they require an ETA, despite holding British citizenship in law.
Public messaging has not always clearly distinguished between the legal exemption for British citizens and the operational limits of carrier verification systems.
Transitional Flexibility for Dual Citizens
The Home Office has confirmed that, in limited circumstances, an expired British passport issued in 1989 or later may be accepted for travel. The concession applies only where the individual also holds a valid passport from an ETA-eligible country and has obtained an approved ETA linked to that foreign passport.
The measure recognises that some dual nationals remain British citizens but do not currently hold a valid British passport. It operates as a temporary accommodation while ETA compliance systems are embedded.
Eligibility is narrow. The expired passport must fall within the specified issuance period. The foreign passport needs to be valid. An ETA has to be approved before travel. Where documentation is incomplete, the risk of disruption at boarding remains.
Longer-Term Position
The expired passport concession is not a permanent alternative and does not create a new recognised category of travel document. It’s simply a pragmatic adjustment during implementation, benefittign dual nationals whose British passport has lapsed, the update offers short-term flexibility.
As such, beyond the tranisitional provisions, the rules remain clear: dual British citizens are expected to travel to the UK on a valid British passport where they rely on British citizenship. In the absence of a valid British passport, a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode remains a recognised method of evidencing British citizenship for travel purposes.
Wider Implications
As carrier enforcement becomes routine, reliance on a foreign passport alone without appropriate endorsement is likely to increase the risk of boarding refusal. This is prompting some dual nationals to reconsider how they manage travel documentation and, in a small number of cases, whether to renounce British citizenship. Renunciation is a formal and irreversible legal act. The present issue concerns proof of status at the border, not the status itself.
British citizenship continues to confer an automatic right of entry. The practical issue is how that right is demonstrated within a digital pre-clearance environment. Limited flexibility exists for now. Over time, travelling on a valid British passport remains the lowest-risk approach for dual British nationals.
