Dual citizens of the UK and another country have been handed a lifeline that could allow them travel to Britain without either of the officially required documents.
From next Wednesday, 25 February 2026, the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) will be mandatory for all travellers arriving in the United Kingdom – except British and Irish citizens.
UK citizens are not allowed to apply for an ETA. Until now, the government has insisted that only a valid British passport or a “Certificate of Entitlement” costing £589 will allow a dual citizen to be admitted.
These new rules are to be policed by airlines and ferry companies, who stand to be fined if they take someone to Britain without proper documentation.
But The Independent has learnt the carriers have been told they can accept “at their discretion” an expired British passport issued as long ago as 1989 – as long as it is accompanied by a valid passport issued by a nation whose citizens do not require a visa to travel to the UK.
The biographic details on each passport – name plus place and date of birth – must match.
Officials stress it is an “operational decision” for airlines and ferry companies to take.
They will not be penalised for accepting the passport combination, but conversely there is no obligation for them to do so.
Anyone living abroad who has had a UK passport issued since 2006 and who needs to travel urgently can obtain an Emergency Travel Document, price £125.
Many people who have UK citizenship by birth or descent, but who live abroad, have faced hurdles trying to obtain British passports ahead of travel to the UK.
The burden of proof for a new British passport is high – leading one prospective visitor, Australian author Carol Richards, to write: “My problem is that my dad, born apparently in England in 1921, does not have a birth certificate as he was abandoned. He was adopted before adoption was a legal thing, and so does not have any papers.”
The Home Office says HM Passport Office phone lines are always open.
Read more: Dual citizen passport rules you need to know
